Alberta’s tourism and hospitality sector was hit hard by COVID-19 and continues to face labour shortages that are affecting industry recovery and growth. To support the industry’s employers, the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program developed a new tourism and hospitality immigration stream, which provides a dedicated and faster option to permanent residence for newcomers working in the industry.
Effective June 11, 2024, the Rural Renewal stream has adopted a new approach. Each month a targeted number of applications will be accepted into the pool from where AAIP will draw. Hence, Applications will be accepted monthly, starting on the following dates:
– June 11, July 9, August 13, September 10, October 8, November 5, and December 10
– Once the monthly application target has been met, no further applications will be
accepted until the following month.
Language
At the time your application is submitted, you must have completed a minimum of high school education equivalent to Canadian standards.
You must provide a copy of an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) issued by an organization designated by IRCC.
* You do not need to provide an ECA if:
- You have a Canadian degree, diploma or certificate from a Canadian post-secondary, technical college or secondary institution listed as:
- A recognized institution in the Directory of Educational Institutions in Canada, or
- An authorized, registered, or licensed institution in the Directory of Educational Institutions in Canada, and the institution was authorized by Advanced Education to grant your degree, diploma or certificate. Contact your educational institution or Advanced Education to confirm if your institution had the authority to grant your credential.
- You have a valid Alberta Qualification Certificate or a trade certificate recognized by Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training (AIT).
Work/Business Experience
At the time your application is submitted, you must demonstrate you meet the following language test score:
Minimum of 4 for each English language skill, or
Minimum of 4 for each French language skill
Work Permit / Temporary Permits
Job Offer or Employment Contract
At the time your application is submitted and at the time the AAIP assesses your application, you must have a bona fide full-time job offer or employment contract:
- For work in an eligible occupation; and
- For the same Alberta employer as the required six consecutive months (780 hours) of work experience and your current employment
Your job offer or employment contract must also be signed by your legitimate, established, and verifiable Alberta employer and must offer:
- Continuous, paid work under an employer-employee relationship
- Full-time work, defined as a minimum of 30 hours per week
- Employment for 12 months or more
- Wages and benefits that meet provincial minimum wage and:
- Meet or exceed the requirements set out in your Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) (if applicable), or
- Meet or exceed the lowest starting wage for your occupation across all industries in Alberta as set out on the Alis website
- Non-wage compensation, including but not limited to compensation from company ownership, is not considered as part of the applicant’s base monetary wage or salary.
Wage or Salary
At the time your application is submitted and at the time the AAIP assesses your application, you must:
be living and working in Alberta in an eligible occupation for an approved Tourism and Hospitality employer; and
have a valid work permit based on a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) for an eligible occupation. Please note that maintained status is not considered a substitute for a valid work permit.
Employer Official Letter
- Your current employment, and Alberta job offer must be with a single, approved Tourism and Hospitality employer.
- Requirements for approved Tourism and Hospitality employers are provided below.
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Eligible industries and Worker’s Compensation Board (WCB) – Alberta coverage requirements
- At the time your application is submitted and at the time the AAIP assesses your application, your Alberta employer’s primary business activities must belong to an eligible industry, as defined by the WCB – Alberta industry code or exempt activities.
- At the time your application is submitted, you must demonstrate that your Alberta employer has valid WCB coverage or is exempt from needing coverage through a WCB clearance letter.
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At the time your application is submitted your Alberta employer must be a member of an eligible sector association, provided in Table 2 below.
- If your employer can qualify to be a member of one of the eligible sector associations, they must be a member. If your employer can qualify to be a member, but choose to not be a member, regardless of their reason, they will not meet employer requirements and your application will be declined.
- If your employer cannot qualify to be a member of one of the eligible sector associations, they must be included as an Experience Provider on the Travel Alberta website.
Eligible NOC TEER Categories
List of Eligible Occupations
| NOC Code (2021) | Occupation | NOC TEER Category |
|---|---|---|
| 54100 | Program leaders and instructors in recreation, sport, and fitness* | 4 |
| 60030 | Restaurant and food services managers | 0 |
| 60031 | Accommodation service managers | 0 |
| 62020 | Food service supervisors | 2 |
| 62200 | Chefs | 2 |
| 63200 | Cooks | 3 |
| 64300 | Maîtres d’hôtel and hosts/hostesses | 4 |
| 64301 | Bartenders | 4 |
| 64314 | Hotel front desk clerks | 4 |
| 64320 | Tour and travel guides | 4 |
| 64322 | Outdoor sport and recreational guides | 4 |
| 65200 | Food and beverage servers | 5 |
| 65201 | Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations* | 5 |
| 65210 | Support occupations in accommodation, travel, and facilities set-up services | 5 |
| 65310 | Light duty cleaners* | 5 |
| 65311 | Specialized cleaners* | 5 |
| 65312 | Janitors, caretakers, and heavy-duty cleaners* | 5 |
| 65320 | Dry cleaning, laundry, and related occupations* | 5 |
Application Period
Ineligible applicants based on job offer
The following individuals are not eligible to apply for or be nominated, even if they have a job offer to work 30 hours a week or more in a 12-month period:
- part-time, casual or seasonal employees, regardless of their working hours
- independent contractors, business owners or temporary agency workers, including individuals listed as directors, shareholders or agents of the Alberta employer on the Corporate Registry System (CORES)
- employees who work in Alberta in a place of employment that is not zoned for commercial or industrial operations, such as a home-based business
- employees who do not work on premises in Alberta, such as those who work in a ‘virtual’ location or serve the employer by telecommuting from a location outside Alberta
- You are responsible for working with your Alberta employer to ensure that the employer and job offer/employment contract requirements are met and that all required employer and job offer/employment documents are submitted with your application. Your application will be declined if these requirements are not met. Your application fee will not be refunded where an application is declined based on employer requirements not being met.
Submission of Application
An application fee of $500 applies to all online applications.