After you are nominated

As of December 1, 2011 all Provincial Nominees must apply for permanent residence through the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) Centralized Intake Office (CIO) at the Central Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. Do not submit your application to any other CIC office.

If you have your valid Nomination letter or valid Nomination extension, your next steps will depend on when you sent your Application for Permanent Residence.

• If you have not yet sent your Application for Permanent Residence to Canada: you must submit your application to the CIO in Sydney, Nova Scotia.
• If you sent your application to a visa office outside Canada before December 1, 2011: the visa office will process the application as long as it's complete.
• If you sent your application to a visa office outside Canada on or after December 1, 2011: CIC will contact you directly about the processing of your application.

This section will tell you what to do after you are nominated by the AINP. If you have an authorized representative you will not receive a Nomination package as the Nomination letter is sent directly to your representative.

Apply for your permanent residence to CIC

1. Make a copy of your Nomination.

   Include a copy with your Application for Permanent Residence in Canada when you send your application to CIC. Your Nomination is valid for six (6) months. You must apply for permanent residence before your Nomination expires or CIC will not accept your application.

2. Review your AINP Nomination.

   Read your Nomination carefully and be sure the information on it is current and correct. Notify the AINP if you find mistakes on your Nomination.

   On the Nomination you will see information that is "For CIC Use Only." Please ignore this information.

3. Update/complete your CIC forms, gather your supporting documents and apply to the CIC Centralized Intake Office (CIO) at the Central Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada as soon as possible.

   • Start by visiting the Application Kit for Provincial Nominees page on CIC's website to get the most up-to-date CIC forms, instructions and checklist for applying to the CIO.

   • The documents required to apply for permanent residence as a Provincial Nominee at CIO Sydney are different from those you needed to apply to the AINP.

   • You must submit additional forms and may need to include additional supporting documentation.

   • Review CIC's instructions and checklist for submitting to the CIO very carefully to make sure you have completed and submitted all required supporting documents.

   • Remember to visit the Application Kit for Provincial Nominees page on CIC's website frequently while preparing your application as the instructions and checklist are subject to change.

4. Send your application to the CIO in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Your application must arrive at the CIO before your Nomination expires.

   Do not send it to any other visa office. We suggest you send your application by registered mail or courier service to make sure it is received by the CIO.

5. The CIO will determine if your application is complete. If the CIO accepts your application they will send you a file number, indicate which visa office will be processing your application and tell you the next steps.

   Once you have a file number, you can check the status of your CIC application online. Do not contact the AINP for status updates on your CIC application. The AINP does not have any information about your CIC application.

6. You and your dependants must pass medical, criminal, and security checks to receive Permanent Residence.

   Do not have a medical check until you are requested to do so by CIC. Instructions on how to take the medical examination will be sent to you after you submit your application to the visa office.

   Your AINP Nomination does not guarantee that you will receive permanent residence. Only CIC can issue a permanent resident visa.

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While you wait for a decision from CIC

• The AINP cannot provide status updates on your Application for Permanent Residence in Canada. CIC will advise you of the visa office processing your application. Visit the CIC website to see how long your CIC application may take to process. If your application is taking longer than the stated processing times you can contact the visa office directly.

• If you have a change in address, email or phone number, contact the AINP and the CIC visa office. Download the AINP Change of Address and Contact Information Form and fax to the AINP at (780) 427-6560.

• If you have a change in family status download the AINP Request to Add/Remove Family Member(s) form and fax to the AINP at (780) 427-6560.

• Notify the AINP as soon as you become a Permanent Resident. It is a requirement to notify us once you have become a Permanent Resident in Alberta. Fax us with your date and place of Permanent Residence, with your current contact information to (780) 427-6560.

• After you have become a Permanent Resident the AINP will contact you to complete a brief survey.

While you wait: if you are already living and working in Alberta

• Do not let your work permit expire. You must be prepared to apply for another work permit while CIC is processing your application for Permanent Residence. Find out more about extending your work permit.

• If you have any changes to your job in Alberta, such as being laid-off or working for a new employer contact the AINP immediately.

While you wait: If you are not yet living and working in Alberta

• Do not make arrangements to move to Alberta until you have received your Permanent Resident visa; however, you can start preparing for living in Alberta.
• Learn what you need to know about relocating to Canada by downloading CIC's Welcome to Canada guidebook.

• Search for a job in Alberta if you do not already have one. If you were nominated under the Family Stream or the Strategic Recruitment Stream, visit Working in Alberta for information on searching for a job in Alberta.

• Practice your English. English is the main language used in Alberta. Speaking the language will help you adjust more easily to your new home.

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Extending your Nomination

Your AINP Nomination gives you six (6) months to submit your Application for Permanent Residence as a Provincial Nominee to CIC. You are expected to submit your complete application to CIC before your Nomination expires. If your Nomination expires and you request an extension, the reasons why you need an extension will be reviewed by the AINP. There is no guarantee that you will be issued an extension.

• If you have already been granted an AINP Nomination extension, you will not be granted any further extensions.
• The AINP must receive your extension request within six months of the expiry date of your original Nomination. If more than six months have passed since the expiry date of your original Nomination, you are not eligible for an AINP Nomination extension.
• Your Nomination extension request is subject to all conditions that were in place at the time your original Nomination was issued by the AINP.
• Extension requests will take up to 30 days to process. The AINP will not respond to any inquiries about the status of your Nomination extension request.

To request a Nomination extension from the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP), complete the Request for a Nomination Extension Form, assemble any supporting documents required, and fax to the AINP at (780) 427-6560. The AINP will not accept incomplete forms or forms without supporting documents. The AINP will not confirm receipt of documents.

If you are granted a Nomination extension you will see changes to the Nomination letter. On the Nomination extension you will see information that is "For CIC Use Only." Please ignore this information.

On December 1, 2011 changes to the processing of applications for Provincial Nominees were made by CIC. All applications must be mailed to the CIC Centralized Intake Office (CIO) at the Central Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. The CIO will notify you if your application is accepted, send you a file number and tell you which visa office is processing your application.

• The documents required to apply for permanent residence as a Provincial Nominee at CIO Sydney are different from those that were needed to apply to visa offices outside Canada.
• You must review the Application Kit for Provincial Nominees page on CIC's website to make sure your application is complete and includes all required supporting documents. The CIO will return incomplete applications.
• Visit CIC's Application Kit for Provincial Nominees page frequently while preparing your application as the instructions and checklist for the CIO are subject to change.

If you have already received a Nomination extension and have not yet re-applied to CIC you must submit your application to the CIC Centralized Intake Office (CIO) at the Central Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. If you sent an application to a visa office outside Canada before December 1, 2011, the visa office will process the application as long as it is complete. If you sent an application to a visa office outside Canada on or after December 1, 2011 CIC will contact you directly about the processing of your application.

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