Alberta Immigration Minister Tyler Shandro, announced the Accelerated Skills Pathway on January 13. The province began accepting applications for the new program in December. To qualify, applicants must have a profile in the federal government's Express Entry system and be eligible for the Alberta Express Entry stream.
“Under this new pathway, tech professionals from across Canada and overseas can become permanent residents in as little as six months, if they have a job offer in an in-demand tech industry occupation,” Shandro said, although Express Entry processing averaged nine months in 2020.
“Along with priority application processing, tech professionals will also receive a letter of support from the Government of Alberta if they require a work permit.”
To apply under this program, first, you must be a technical professional and need to understand the federal government's Express Entry system. Additionally, you must be eligible for the Alberta Express Entry stream. Express Entry process takes an average of nine months, but the new Express Entry immigration program shortens that to six months.
According to Enterprise Alberta, there are currently more than 3,000 tech companies in Alberta. The Alberta Technology Deal Flow study shows that the technology sector in Alberta has been growing consistently at a rate of approximately 233 % since 2012. However, tech companies still face severe staffing shortages, especially in technology and sales.
To keep track of your application and dates when you can expect to get your status updates don’t forget to use Immigration trackers. Your case means a lot