Alberta Rural Renewal Stream Simplified – AAIP for Rural Communities

The Alberta Rural Renewal Stream is a category of the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP). It nominates eligible applicants to settle and work in rural regions of the province. It is a community-centric pathway that recruits skilled foreign workers thereby supporting their cultural and economic growth.

Rural Alberta communities are located outside of Calgary and the Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area (CMAs). Their population is less than 100,000.

This AAIP pathway has two main stages –

• Getting an Endorsement of Candidate letter from an Albertan rural community
• Applying to the Alberta Rural Renewal Stream after getting the Endorsement letter from the community.

For 2024, IRCC has allocated 1900 nominations through the Alberta Rural Renewal pathway. Out of this allocation, AAIP has already issued 1326 nominations. Thus, only 574 more nominations will be issued in 2024.

This blog will help you if you are aiming to immigrate as a Canadian PR through the Alberta Rural Renewal Stream.

How Does the AAIP Rural Renewal Stream Work?

The Alberta Rural Renewal Stream is a two-step process. 

Step I – Endorsement by Alberta community

The communities can endorse in one of two ways:

• They recruit temporary foreign workers directly and then give them an Endorsement of Candidate letter.
• The community uses Alberta’s Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) to recruit refugees. The EMPP referral partner works with the Albertan community and employers to find a suitable refugee. The community then gives an Endorsement of Candidate letter to the selected refugee. Along with the Endorsement of Candidate from the community, the selected refugee will also receive an EMPP Referral Partner letter.

Step II – The selected candidate will apply for provincial nomination through the Alberta Rural Renewal Stream.

Before applying for the Alberta Rural Renewal Stream, the applicant must receive an Endorsement of Candidate Letter from a designated community and a Referral Partner letter from EMPP referral partners.

The Endorsement of Candidate Letter must be issued by the community’s Economic Development Organization (EDO). It must consist of:

• Applicant’s full name and address
• Name and address of the EDO
• Details of the job offer such as
  • Name and contact details of the employer
  • Name of the business
  • Location of the job
  • Job duties and designation 
• Details of how the job promotes the economic growth of the designated community
• The employer’s efforts to employ Canadians 
• Name and address of the individual who is issuing the Endorsement of Candidate letter.

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Eligibility Requirements for Alberta Rural Renewal Stream

Mandatory eligibility conditions for the Alberta Rural Renewal Stream are tabulated below.

Factors	Eligibility Requirements
Job Offer	While applying to the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP), the applicant must: 1. Have a full-time job offer from an Albertan employer 2. The job offer must be in a valid NOC code 3. The employer must be registered under an act of the provincial or territorial legislature or by the Parliament of Canada. 4. The business must be in the province of Alberta 5. The job offer must be at least 12 months or longer
License and Certification	You must have mandatory certification, registration, or license required by the occupation of your job offer. If the offer is in a compulsory trade in Alberta, you must have a valid Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Trade (AIT).  If the job offer is in childcare, the applicant must have a valid certification as a Level 2 Early Childhood Educator or Level 3 Early Childhood Educator before applying to AAIP.
Work Experience	Temporary foreign workers must have 12 months of full-time work experience in the last 18 months. The experience must: 1. Be full-time and paid 2. Be in an eligible occupation  3. Must be gained either in Alberta, Canada (outside Alberta), or abroad EMPP refugees must have 12 months of full-time work experience in the last 10 years. Note: The work experience must not be acquired while studying in Canada or doing internships. If you have a Post-Graduate Work Permit and have completed a 2-year post-secondary course, you do not need to have a 12-month work experience.
Language Requirement	Score CLB 5 or NCLC 5 if the job offer is in TEER category 0, 1, 2, or 3. Score at least CLB 4 or NCLC 4 if the job is in TEER level 4 or 5. AAIP accepts CELPIP, PTE-Core, and IELTS tests for English proficiency. It accepts TEF and TCF for French proficiency.
Academic Requirements	The applicant must have completed high school. In the case of foreign education, an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) must be submitted. The validity of an ECA is five years. An EMPP refugee does not need to submit an ECA.

Mandatory Settlement Funds  

Minimum settlement funds are mandatory exclusively for temporary foreign workers. The EMPP refugees do not require settlement funds. Temporary foreign workers will need to possess the required settlement funds if:

• They are not living in Canada
• They are living in Canada but are currently unemployed. 

Settlement Funds demonstrate that applicants can financially support themselves as well as their families in the rural Alberta community they aim to settle in. Minimum settlement funds mandatory for the Alberta Rural Renewal Stream are tabulated below.

Number of family members	Community population <1000	Community Population 1000-30,000	Community Population 30,000 – 99,999
1	$8,922	$10,151	$11,093
2	$11,107	$12,636	$13,810
3	$13,655	$15,534	$16,977
4	$16,579	$18,861	$20,613
5	$18,803	$21,392	$23,379
6	$21,208	$24,127	$26,367
7	$23,611	$26,861	$29,356

The settlement funds must be readily available whenever required. The applicant must be able to access them legally on their arrival in Alberta. Assets such as jewelry, cars, and properties are ineligible.

Document Checklist for Alberta Rural Renewal Stream

Before applying for the Alberta Rural Renewal Stream, an applicant would be required to upload the following documents.

• Valid Passport – Upload the personal information page that includes the expiry and renewal date of the passport.
• Work Permit – If applicable
• Language Assessment – AAIP accepts test results from CELPIP, PTE-Core, IELTS, TEF, and TCF. The reports must not be older than two years.
• Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or proof of exemption
• Academic documents- Secondary and Post-secondary degrees, certificates, and diplomas from Canada as well as foreign countries.
• ECA report (if the education is outside Canada). The ECA is valid for five years.
• Endorsement of Candidate Letter provided by the Economic Development Organization of the designated rural community.
• Settlement Funds- Official letters from financial institutions or banks that include
  • Contact information of the institution
  • Name of the applicant
  • List of outstanding debts
  • Account numbers and their current balance
  • Transactions within the last 3 months
  • Average balance for the last six months
  • The letter must be on the official letterhead.
• Job Offer and Employment Contracts
• Employment Reference Letters- Reference letters demonstrate work experience. The letter must be on the letterhead of the company and include:
  • Job Designation
  • Salary
  • Period of Employment
  • Working hours per week
  • Job Duties
  • Academic qualifications required for the job
  • Skills and work experience required for the job
  • Employer contact details
• Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Trade (AIT) – if applicable
• Licensing and certification

Applying to the Alberta Rural Renewal Stream 

Application to the AAIP Rural Renewal Stream includes the following major steps.

STEP 1- Be Eligible for the Pathway

Ensure that you meet all the eligibility requirements of the Alberta Rural Renewal Stream as a temporary foreign worker or an EMPP refugee. Keep all the documents ready.

STEP 2- Complete the Online Application

AAIP accepts Rural Renewal Stream applications online only. You can apply to the pathway through the official AAIP portal. 

Create a basic Alberta Account and begin your application. Upload all the documents and forms requested in the online application. After you have uploaded all the paperwork, submit the application. The AAIP will assign you a file number. The application will also be listed on the MyApplication page.

STEP 3- Pay the Application Fee

After submitting the AAIP Rural Renewal Application, pay a $840 non-refundable processing fee within 24 hours. 

Application Review and Decision 

Once you have applied to the Alberta Rural Renewal Stream, AAIP will review it for completeness and accuracy. Upon approval, you will receive a nomination package through email and become a Provincial Nominee. The AAIP will also send you the next steps to apply for Canada PR through the Provincial Nominee Program. You must apply to IRCC within 6 months of becoming a Provincial Nominee.

Processing time and Application Fee for the Rural Renewal Stream

The processing time for Alberta Rural Renewal Stream is approximately 6 months. The processing fee for the AAIP pathway is CAN $840.

Ineligible Occupations

The list of 17 ineligible occupations under the Rural Renewal Stream of the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) is listed below.

NOC Code	Ineligible Occupations
00010	Legislators
60040	Escort agency managers, massage parlour managers
41100	Judges
51111	Authors and writers (except technical)
51122	Musicians and singers
42200	Justices of the peace
53121	Actors, comedians and circus performers
53122	Painters, sculptors and other visual artists
53124	Artisans and craftspersons
53200	Athletes
33100	Dental laboratory bench workers
44100	Home child care providers
44101	Home support workers, caregivers and related occupations
64321	Casino Occupations
55109	Other performers
65229	Other support occupations in personal services
85101	Harvesting Labourers

List of Designated Communities supported by the Alberta Rural Renewal Stream

Below are the designated communities that are empowered and supported by the Alberta Rural Renewal Stream.

• City of Brooks (including Town of Bassano, Village of Duchess, County of Newell, and Village of Rosemary)
• City of Grande Prairie
• Town of Whitecourt
• Town of Taber (including Municipal District of Taber, Town of Vauxhall, Town of Coaldale, Town of Picture Butte, Lethbridge County, Town of Cardston, Town of Milk River, Town of Raymond)
• Town of Innisfail (including Town of Olds, Town of Bowden)
• Municipal District of Smoky River (including the Town of Falher, Village of Donnelly, and Village of Girouxville)
• County of Grande Prairie (including the Town of Sexsmith, Town of Wembley, Town of Beaverlodge, and Village of Rycroft)
• Town of Trochu (including Village of Acme, Town of Three Hills, Village of Linden)
• Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo
• Municipality of Jasper
• County of Barrhead (including the Town of Barrhead)
• Town of Hinton
• Town of Fairview (including Village of Hines Creek)
• The City of Medicine Hat (including the County of Forty Mile, Cypress County, Town of Bow Island, and Town of Redcliff)
• Town of Fox Creek
• City of Cold Lake
• County of St. Paul (including Town of St Paul, Town of Elk Point, and Summer Village of Horseshoe Bay)
• Town of Drayton Valley
• Town of Slave Lake (including Sawridge First Nation, Municipal District of Lesser Slave River)
• City of Lloydminster
• City of Lethbridge
• Town of Westlock
• Municipal District of Greenview No.16 (including The Town of Valleyview)
• Town of Peace River
• Town of Sylvan Lake
• City of Wetaskiwin
• Special Areas 2, 3, 4 (including Town of Hanna, Town of Oyen, Village of Consort, Village of Empress, Village of Veteran, Village of Youngstown, Municipal District of Acadia No. 34)
• Growth Regional Economic Development Alliance (including Woodlands County, the Town of Swan Hills, Town Mayerthorpe)
• County of Northern Lights (including the Town of Manning)
• Town of Bonnyville
• Town of Two Hills
• Lac La Biche County (including Hamlet of Lac La Biche, Hamlet of Plamondon, and Greater Region)
• Town of High Level
• Town of Didsbury

Aiming to settle in the peaceful rural communities of Alberta? The Rural Renewal Stream is ideal for you. Contact Talent Connected Worldwide and fast-track your Canada Immigration.