Alberta Accelerated Tech Pathway Details | A Well-Known Immigration Program for Canada PR

The Alberta Accelerated Tech Pathway is contained within the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP), a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) operated by the province of Alberta.

The Accelerated Tech Pathway allows certain Express Entry candidates with an Albertan job offer at a company in a tech industry or in an eligible tech role to apply for nomination with expedited processing. Alberta has been building a reputation as an international tech hub. In the past few years, the number of tech companies in Alberta has grown to more than double.

This program is designed to retain and attract economic immigrants from around the world. This is meant to help economic immigrants, whether they’re in Canada or they’re not even in Canada yet, be able to travel to Canada to become tech professionals.

This pathway is designed to help diversify Alberta’s economy as part of the province’s recovery plan. Canada’s current federal programs make it harder for Alberta to recruit skilled tech professionals than any other province due to historic structures and policies in place.

Candidates who meet the requirements of the Alberta Express Entry stream and meet the requirements of the Alberta Accelerated Tech Program may be eligible to receive accelerated application processing.

Candidates who are successfully nominated through the Alberta Accelerated Tech Pathway will be issued with a work permit support letter, allowing them to apply for a temporary work permit. It also enhances the candidate’s express entry score with 600 points.  

Successful nominees will also be invited to submit an official application for Canadian permanent residence. In general, it takes around 7 days to a month for the nomination to be issued by Alberta under this program. This pathway also provides prioritized application processing for tech workers.

The Alberta Accelerated Tech Pathway has unique job offer requirements. An eligible job offer must be for one of the selected in-demand occupations by an eligible Albertan employer in an eligible tech industry.

Job Offer Requirements:

The job offer or contract must be signed by you and your Alberta employer and should include details of your employment. The offer must be full-time, continuous, and for at least 12 months.

The wage or salary must meet or exceed the provincial minimum wage and any requirements set out by the federal government. LMIA from ESDC is exempted in most of the profiles available in the skilled occupation list but the job offer wage must meet or exceed the starting wage for the occupation across all industries in Alberta.

When submitting an Express Entry profile, a candidate should also indicate the same primary NOC code and TEER Category as it is mentioned there in his or her, Alberta job offer supporting letter.

Eligibility Criteria:

To be eligible for the Alberta Accelerated Tech Pathway, the candidate must be eligible under the Alberta Express Entry stream. Candidates must also be working in one occupation identified as in demand by the AAIP, or hold a job offer with an Alberta employer that is part of an eligible tech industry.

The Accelerated Tech Pathway will operate through the Express Entry stream of Alberta’s Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP)

To Apply, the candidate must be eligible for one of Canada’s Express Entry streams.

• Have a CRS score of at least 300.
• Have an offer of employment in an eligible tech occupation, or from an Albertan employer that is part of a tech industry as defined in AAIP’s list of eligible industry classification codes.
• Indicate the primary NOC code as the same as the Alberta job offer.
• Now the question is how to apply under Alberta's new immigration program.

Eligible candidates must submit details of their Express Entry profile, job offer, and employer to the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP). Alberta will then assess the information provided and invite eligible candidates to apply for provincial nomination.

Since Alberta’s new immigration program is aligned with the Express Entry system, successful nominees will receive the nomination on their Express Entry profile. Candidates have 30 days to accept the nomination on their Express Entry profile.

Once the nomination is accepted, an additional 600 CRS points will appear on a nominee’s profile and the total score will go beyond 900 points with the 300 plus points of the candidate. These additional points essentially guarantee that the candidate will receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence in a federal Express Entry draw.