Immigrating to Alberta

If you are considering working temporarily or immigrating permanently to Alberta the following information and links should help you:

Immigrating through the federal government program (CIC)

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is the federal government body responsible for selecting and admitting immigrants to all of Canada, including Alberta.

One of its most popular immigration programs is for skilled workers and professionals.

You may be eligible to apply under this program if you have:

  • Acceptable education
  • Work experience
  • Knowledge of English and/or French
  • Other abilities that could help you establish yourself successfully as a permanent resident.

The CIC also runs immigration programs for:

For more general information about CIC visit the CIC website.

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Immigrating through the provincial government program (AINP)

The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) is designed to attract immigrants who wish to work and live in Alberta.

The AINP is operated by the Government of Alberta’s Ministry of Employment and Immigration (AE&I) in partnership with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). It allows for faster processing of applications for permanent residence in Canada.

Key facts about AINP

  • The AINP is employer driven and is designed to meet the needs of Alberta employers who are unable to fill skilled labour positions with Canadian residents.
     
  • The AINP process requires that you have a full time permanent job offer from an Alberta employer before you can be nominated for permanent resident status by your employer.
     
  • Most people who use the AINP process are in Alberta as a temporary foreign worker on a work permit.
     
  • The Government of Alberta is unable to admit individuals to the province who have not fulfilled the Government of Canada’s immigration requirements.
     
  • The AINP does not match prospective immigrants with job opportunities.  Immigrants must find Canadian employment opportunities independently.

For more information visit the AINP page on our website.

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Becoming a temporary foreign worker

If you wish to become a temporary foreign worker in Alberta, this is the process to follow:

  1. You must obtain a job offer from an Alberta employer.
     
  2. The employer must satisfy Service Canada that there are no Canadian citizens or permanent residents available to fill the position which you have been offered.
     
  3. Service Canada (if satisfied) will approve the position and issue a positive labour market opinion (LMO) to your employer. 
     
  4. The employer will provide you with a copy of the LMO and a written job offer.
     
  5. You must receive these documents and apply to CIC for a work permit.

For more information on applying please refer to the working temporarily in Canada page on the CIC website.

The Government of Alberta does not match prospective workers with job opportunities. Temporary foreign workers must find Canadian employment opportunities independently.

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Alberta employment opportunities

For assistance in finding employment in Alberta you may wish to consult the following websites for online job listings:

View newspaper postings to see the career sections of the newspapers from Calgary, Edmonton, Fort Saskatchewan, Grand Prairie, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, and Red Deer.

Please follow the employers' instructions for submitting your resume or expressing your interest in any posted job opportunity.

Date Updated: May 05, 2011
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