Alberta PNP: changes making it hard for applicants
The Alberta Provincial Nominee Program, also known as the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) has made some changes on June 14th, 2018 which, according to us, are not favorable for new applicants.
Alberta is claiming that the old AINP was too complicated and had slow processing times. Their goal is to facilitate the opportunity for their workers to become permanent residents. However, it seems like the new changes are making it very difficult for those who have not previously studied in Alberta to be eligible for the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program.
In short, here are the new changes to the AINP:
AINP is now open to more professions with additional flexibility for trade skills
applicants with ties to Alberta are prioritized for their permanent resident and citizenship applications
creation of a new stream of applicants called the Alberta Opportunity Stream (AOS)
International Students:
The new AINP rules are very hard for international students who did not study in Alberta. Only international students who obtain a post-graduation work permit after having studied in an Alberta institution may apply for the Alberta Opportunity Stream. For example, if you obtained a post-graduate work permit after completing studies in Quebec, you are NOT eligible to for the Alberta Opportunity Stream. This makes it impossible for post-graduate workers who moved to Alberta to get permanent residency through a PNP.
Any Solutions?
If you were planning to apply to the AINP and you don't have a post-graduate work permit from Alberta, you should now be looking at other provinces for their PNP openings. For example, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia are two provinces that still accept applicants who do not have post-graduate work permits from their provinces.
Depending on your work experience and education, you may be eligible for a provincial nominee program as many provinces now have a list of "occupations in demand" and prioritize these for their PNP applications.
