Alberta Launches Permanent Residency Pathway for Police Officers

Alberta’s Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is set to introduce a new permanent residency immigration program for foreign nationals aspiring to work as police officers in Canada.

“We are creating a new Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) pathway for law enforcement to help Alberta’s police services address crime and meet their recruitment objectives for public protection,” states an update on the AAIP website.

Applicants must secure a job offer from a member of the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police and fulfill all Express Entry criteria to be eligible. The eligible occupations for this new pathway include:

• Commissioned and non-commissioned police officers and related public protection services
• Police investigators and other investigative occupations
• Specialized law enforcement occupations

“Keeping Albertans safe is a top priority of this government, and we are committed to supporting Alberta police services’ international recruitment efforts,” the AAIP emphasizes.

Details of the new pathway are yet to be disclosed, but the initiative aims to bolster the province's law enforcement by attracting skilled officers from abroad.

Alberta is also poised for economic growth, with TD Economics forecasting a 2.1% increase in the province’s GDP this year, driven by the completion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline. Employment in Alberta is expected to grow by 2.9%, fueling consumer spending despite a slight decline in per-capita consumption.

Alberta Welcomed 57,585 New Permanent Residents Last Year According to the latest data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), permanent immigration to Alberta increased by nearly 16.3% last year, with the province welcoming 57,585 new permanent residents.

Additionally, Alberta received 59,995 temporary foreign workers under the International Mobility Program (IMP) and 20,415 through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). The province also issued 41,950 study permits to international students.

With anticipated economic growth, foreign nationals may find Alberta an attractive destination through Canada’s two-tier immigration system. This system includes pathways like the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) program, Federal Skilled Trades (FST) program, Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and the PNPs of the 10 Canadian provinces.

Through its AAIP, Alberta invites skilled worker applications under various streams, including the Alberta Opportunity Stream, the Express Entry system with the Accelerated Tech Pathway, and the Rural Renewal Stream. The AAIP also operates four business programs: the Farm Stream, Graduate Entrepreneur Stream, Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream, and Rural Entrepreneur Stream.

AAIP Immigration Is A Two-Step Process Candidates interested in AAIP must first apply for a nomination to the provincial government. If nominated, they can then apply for permanent residence to the federal government.

The Alberta Opportunity Stream aims to simplify the application process, reduce waiting times, and create a fairer system for candidates and employers. The Express Entry Stream allows Alberta to nominate qualified candidates from the federal Express Entry pool through periodic draws.

The Rural Renewal Stream targets candidates with job offers from Alberta employers in designated rural communities. The Farm Stream, managed in collaboration with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, seeks applicants with farm management skills and financial resources to invest in farming businesses.

The Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream is designed for foreign-educated graduates wishing to start businesses in Alberta, while the Graduate Entrepreneur Stream focuses on international graduates from Alberta post-secondary institutions.

Unlike some provinces, the AAIP does not favor candidates based on specific occupations but rather publishes a list of ineligible occupations. The AAIP issues periodic Notifications of Interest (NOI), inviting candidates to apply for nomination under the Express Entry stream, with details of each draw typically released about a month after the draw date.