Foodservices industry (pilot project)

The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP), in consultation with the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA), has introduced a new pilot project to address labour challenges faced by the foodservices industry in Alberta.

Note: The Semi-Skilled Foodservices Industry (Pilot Project) is limited to 600 nomination allocations for three eligible occupations (listed below). When 600 allocations have been approved, no further applications under this pilot project will be accepted or assessed. At this time, applications are currently being accepted.

Purpose

The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) is offering a pilot project for employers in the Foodservices Industry to select qualifying foreign workers to be considered for provincial nomination. The pilot project will then be evaluated based on a number of criteria and factors. Additional allocations may be made available pending the outcome of the pilot project assessment.

To address the skill shortage of workers in the Alberta Foodservices Industry, the AINP under the Semi-Skilled Worker Category - Foodservices Industry (Pilot Project) will consider an employer’s business case for selected occupations from the National Occupational Classification (NOC) defined as NOC C & D occupational skill levels. As chosen by the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA), these occupations are:

• Food and Beverage Servers (NOC 6453-C)
• Food Counter Attendants (NOC 6641-D)
• Kitchen Helpers (NOC 6641-D)

Eligible employers and semi-skilled employees must meet the following criteria.

Criteria for Employers:

• An Employer is eligible for only one allocation per restaurant location for one (1) of the three selected occupations (listed above) under this pilot project.
   
• An Employer must provide, at the time of AINP application, a Foreign Worker Settlement Plan. The Foreign Worker Settlement Plan must identify opportunities for career advancement training, activities undertaken to help the foreign workers integrate into the workplace, and the type of assistance that will be provided to the workers' families when they arrive in Alberta.
   
• An Employer must sign an Employer Compliance Declaration Form, and attach it to their application responding to each question about the status of their business with Employment Standards, the Public Health Act, Occupational Health and Safety, Workers' Compensation or Human Rights.

  Note: Employers are obligated to uphold provincial standards for both workplace and public health and safety, and offer their candidate(s), for as long as their candidate(s) is/are employed, a sustainable and reliable work environment. The AINP supports all legislation regarding a safe and healthy work environment, and will not approve any employer who does not adequately demonstrate compliance in meeting the AINP criteria and applicable administrative and regulatory agencies regarding their legislation.
  
  Alberta employers must be in compliance with all aforementioned legislation. All answers must be truthful, correct and complete. Failure to completely disclose the employer's current status with any of the applicable legislative authorities will result in the refusal of current and future applications submitted to the AINP on the basis of non-disclosure. The AINP reserves the right to declare the employer ineligible to apply under the program for up to 24 months from date of application received for non-disclosure.

• An Employer must possess a Service Canada/HRSDC Labour Market Opinion (LMO) Confirmation and meet all of its conditions.
   
• An Employer must demonstrate that accommodations for the Provincial Nominee (PN) Candidate are available at a cost that does not exceed 33 per cent of the PN Candidate's gross salary.
   
• An employer must ensure that the PN Candidate is competent in listening, reading, speaking, and writing English prior to nomination.
   
  Competency in listening, reading, speaking and writing English for the occupations considered under the Alberta Foodservices Industry (Pilot Project) is defined as follows:
   

  	Listening	Reading	Speaking	Writing
  Canadian Language Benchmark	4	4	4	4

  
  
  The AINP will consider a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) computer-based total score of 137, TOEFL internet-based total score of 47, TOEFL paper-based total score of 457, or an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) minimum score of 4.0, as equivalent to the minimum Canadian Language Benchmark competency noted above.
   
• If the PN Candidate is not competent in English, the employer must provide the person with an in-house English as a Second Language (ESL) program or cover the cost of their ESL training.
   
• An Employer must select a PN Candidate who has the required qualifications, has demonstrated excellent work performance and will contribute to the long term success of the company.
  
• To maintain program integrity, and to ensure the job description is consistent with the occupation requested, the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program may conducat a site visit of the location.

Criteria for Provincial Nominee (PN) Candidates:

• The PN Candidate must hold a valid work permit for the NOC Code 6453 or 6641 and in one (1) of the selected occupation titles (listed above), and be residing in Alberta.
   
• The PN Candidate must have completed a minimum of high school education, equivalent to Alberta's standards.
   
• The PN Candidate must possess a total of three (3) years of work experience in a job directly related to food and beverage services (abroad and/or in Canada).
   
• The PN Candidate must be employed in Alberta for a minimum of nine (9) months and meet or exceed all employer established work and performance standards before being considered for nomination by the AINP.
   
• A PN Candidate must have basic proficiency in English in accordance with the competency level defined above. Canadian Language Benchmark test results using an approved CLB assessment tool must be provided with the PN Candidate's application that shows a minimum level of 4 achieved in each of listening, reading, speaking, and writing. Acceptable alternatives to the CLB are noted above.
   
• PN Candidates not competent in the English language shall undergo ESL training from the time they arrive to work to when they become permanent residents, paid for by the Employer. Candidates must demonstrate competency in listening, reading, speaking and writing English as defined above.
   
• If a Provincial Nominee's employment with the approved employer is terminated, the AINP reserves the right to withdraw its nomination.

Date Updated: Mar 19, 2009
RDP-740