Canada Alberta Opportunity Stream: Eligibility & Requirements

Visa Overview

The Alberta Opportunity Stream is a permanent residence pathway under the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) for temporary foreign workers who hold a valid work permit and are currently working in an eligible occupation in Alberta.

Eligibility Requirements

All applicants must meet the eligibility criteria at the time of application submission and at the time AAIP assesses the application, unless stated otherwise.

Work Requirements

• You must have a minimum of 12 months of full-time work experience (minimum 30 hours per week) in your current occupation in Alberta within the last 18 months.
• Alternatively, you must have a minimum of 24 months of full-time work experience in your current occupation in Canada or abroad within the last 30 months. This experience can be a combination of Alberta, other Canadian province, or foreign experience.
• Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) holders require a minimum of 6 months of full-time work experience in your current occupation in Alberta within the last 18 months.
• Work experience gained while studying in Canada (e.g., co-op placements or internships) is not eligible unless you are a PGWP holder who completed paid, full-time co-op work terms as a part of your program of study at an Alberta post-secondary institution. To qualify, the work terms must have been paid and full-time (minimum 30 hours per week), directly related to your current occupation, and all gained in Alberta.
• You must have the required licensing, registration, or certification to work in your current occupation in Alberta. This includes a valid AIT-recognized trade certificate for compulsory trades.
• If working as a childcare worker, you must have valid certification as a Level 2 Early Childhood Educator (formerly Child Development Worker) or Level 3 Early Childhood Educator (formerly Child Development Supervisor).

Language Requirements

• If your NOC TEER category is 0, 1, 2, or 3, you must achieve a minimum of CLB or NCLC 5 for each language skill.
• If your NOC TEER category is 4 or 5, you must achieve a minimum of CLB or NCLC 4 for each language skill.
• If you apply under NOC 33102 (nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service associates), you must achieve a minimum of CLB or NCLC 7 for each language skill.
• Accepted language tests: CELPIP General, IELTS General Training, PTE, TEF Canada, and TCF Canada.
• Test results must be less than 2 years old at the time your application was submitted. The date used is the test date, not the results release date.

Occupation Requirements

• You must be working in an eligible occupation in Alberta at the time of application and assessment.
• Most occupations under NOC TEER categories 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are eligible.
• A list of ineligible occupations includes legislators, judges, secondary school teachers, elementary school teachers, home child care providers, taxi drivers, and others. See the full list in the official source.
• For Post-Graduation Work Permit holders, your current occupation must be related to your field of study in Alberta.

Education Requirements

• All applicants (except PGWP holders) must have a minimum of high school education equivalent to Canadian standards as of January 1, 2021.
• You must provide an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) from an IRCC-designated organization for your highest level of education, unless you have a Canadian degree, diploma, or certificate from a recognized institution, or a valid Alberta Qualification Certificate or AIT-recognized trade certificate.
• PGWP holders must hold an Alberta Advanced Education approved credential (minister-approved) from a publicly funded post-secondary institution in Alberta. Eligible credentials include post-diploma certificates, post-baccalaureate certificates (minimum 1 year), diplomas (minimum 2 years), undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees, certificates, or diplomas.
• If you started your Alberta credential program before April 1, 2019, an entry-level certificate (minimum 1 year) is also eligible for PGWP holders.

Status and Visa Requirements

• At the time of application and assessment, you must have valid temporary resident status in Canada that authorizes you to work (a valid work permit).
• Eligible work permits include: LMIA-based permits, LMIA-exempt permits (e.g., trade agreements, intra-company transfers, International Experience Canada, Mobilité Francophone, religious work), open work permits for vulnerable workers, Post-Graduation Work Permits from an Alberta institution, and open work permits under certain temporary public policies (e.g., CUAET, Hong Kong graduates).
• Refugee claimants, individuals in appeal or removal processes, those living or working outside Alberta, and those without valid temporary resident status are ineligible.

Job Offer Requirements

• You must have a full-time job offer or employment contract from an Alberta employer in your current occupation at the time of application and assessment.
• The job offer or employment contract must meet AAIP work permit requirements and all Alberta job offer and employer requirements.
• Part-time, casual, seasonal employees, independent contractors, business owners, temporary agency workers, and employees in home-based businesses or locations outside Alberta are ineligible.

Restrictions and Exclusions

• Refugee claimants and individuals involved in a Government of Canada appeal or removal process cannot apply. The AAIP does not intervene in refugee claims or removal processes.
• Temporary residents living or working in a province or territory other than Alberta are ineligible.
• Foreign nationals living or working in Canada without valid temporary resident status are ineligible.
• Working in an ineligible occupation as listed in Table 1 makes you ineligible.