Provincial Immigration

Provincial Programs

Alberta

Cooks in Alberta applying for PNP

Employers are currently eligible for 1 allocation per property, per calendar year.
The Provincial Nominee (PN) Candidate shall hold a work permit under NOC group of 6241 or 6242 as a Chef or Cook. The foreign worker must be residing in Alberta and have worked in Alberta or Canada for a minimum of 6 months and be the holder of a minimum 12 month work permit. For cooks and chefs preference will be given to individuals that have completed 3 years of formal certified training with an accredited trade school. The formal certified training must include 8 weeks of technical training each year. In the absence of formal certified training, the Alberta PNP will consider an equivalency of 54 months of work experience as a chef or cook.

Ineligible occupations: Apprentice cook, Cook's helper, First cook, Food helper, Grill cook, Kitchen helper, Line cook, Short order cook

Semi-skilled workers

The Alberta Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) will consider an employer’s business case for selected occupations defined as NOC C & D occupations. The job must be for permanent, full time employment in Alberta at the prevailing wage and the worker must have an LMO.

Select occupations in the following industries may be considered:

Food and beverage processing industry

Bakery Production Worker (NOC 9617)
Food and Beverage Production Worker (NOC 9617)
Food and Beverage Processing Equipment Cleaner (NOC 9617)
Industrial Butchers and Meat Cutters (NOC 9462)
Poultry Production Worker (NOC 9462)

English Requirements

Should the PN Candidate not be competent in English, the employer must provide the PN Candidate with an in-house English as a Second Language (ESL) program or cover the cost of the ESL training for the PN Candidate. PN Candidates not competent in the English language shall undergo ESL training from the time they arrive to work to when they become permanent residents.

Settlement Plan

An Employer shall provide, in their application to the Alberta PNP, a plan outlining their approach to accommodation, settlement and retention for the PN Candidate from the time the PN Candidate commences employment with the employer. The plan shall demonstrate employer support and assistance toward successful integration of the workforce, community and society integration.

Required Experience and Education

The PN Candidate shall possess a total of 5 years of work experience in a physically demanding job similar to that found in the food processing industry.
The PN Candidate shall have completed a minimum of high school education.
The PN Candidate shall complete an interview with AAF staff and be able to satisfy AAF regarding suitability for the Alberta PNP.
The PN Candidate shall be employed in Alberta for a minimum of 6 months and meet or exceed all employer established work and performance standards before being nominated for the PNP.
The PN Candidate shall demonstrate the financial means or capability to pay for the costs of applying for permanent residency and establishing themselves and their family (if applicable) in Alberta.

Hotel and lodging industry

The Alberta Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) will consider an employer’s business case for the following hotel workers:

Food and beverage server and room attendants (NOC 6453 & 6661)

An Employer is eligible for a maximum number of allocations per year based on the total number of rooms at a property. Allocations can be for Food and Beverage Servers and Room Attendants or a combination of both.

Number of Rooms	Maximum Number of Allocations /per property/per year
1-50	4
51-100	6
101-150	8
151-200	10
201-250	12
251-300	14
301-400	16
401-450+	18

The number of allocations approved to employers are based on factors including recruitment strategies and conditions, employment policies and practices, retention and settlement.
An Employer must provide support of increase in temporary foreign workers wage over the duration of the work permit indicating an increase in skills.
An Employer shall submit a Provincial Nominee (PN) Candidate who has the required qualifications, has demonstrated excellent work performance and will contribute to the long term success of the company.
An Employer shall possess a Service Canada Labour Market opinion (LMO) Confirmation and meet the conditions such as salary and accommodation.
An Employer must be a member in good standing with the Alberta Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) and adopt the association's prescribed practices with respect to hiring and employing temporary foreign workers.

English Requirements
An Employer shall ensure the PN Candidate is competent in listening, speaking, reading and writing English prior to nomination. An Employer is responsible for testing and establishing a benchmark of English language capability of the PN Candidate upon arrival. If the PN Candidate originated from an English speaking country or has completed secondary or post-secondary studies in English, the employer is not required to provide proof of PN Candidate competency in the English language. Should the PN Candidate not be competent in English, the employer must provide the PN Candidate with an in-house English as a Second Language (ESL) program or cover the cost of the ESL training for the PN Candidate. For more on ESL training programs, please see the ESL Guidelines below for Hotel and Lodging, Manufacturing and Trucking Industry.

Employer Settlement Plan
An Employer shall provide, in their application to the Alberta PNP, a plan outlining their approach to accommodation, settlement and retention for the PN Candidate from the time the PN Candidate commences employment with the employer. The plan shall demonstrate employer support and assistance toward successful integration of the workforce, community and society integration.

Criteria for Provincial Nominee Candidates (not limited to):

The foreign worker must hold a valid work permit for the NOC occupational group of 6453 and 6661, for the occupation title of Food and Beverage Server or Room Attendant, and be residing in Alberta.
The PN Candidate shall have completed a minimum of high school education.
The PN Candidate shall receive the emerit Professional Certification for the occupation of Food and Beverage Server or Room Attendant.
The PN Candidate shall be employed in Alberta for a minimum of six months and meet or exceed all employer established work and performance standards before being nominated for the PNP.
PN Candidates not competent in the English language shall undergo ESL training from the time they arrive to work to when they become permanent residents. To be eligible for nomination the PN Candidate must submit proof of 85% attendance rate in the ESL training and must demonstrate a progress in learning.
The PN Candidate shall demonstrate integration into the local community.
The PN Candidate shall demonstrate the financial means or capability to pay for the costs of applying for permanent residency and establishing themselves and their family (if applicable) in Alberta.

Front desk agents and clerks(NOC 6435)

An employer is eligible for 1 allocation per property, per year for the occupation of Front Desk Agent/Clerk. The above mentioned terms and condition regarding English ability, training and settlement also apply.
The PN Candidate shall have completed a minimum of high school education.
The PN Candidate shall complete the emerit Professional Certification for the occupation of Front Desk Clerk. The PN Candidate may be exempt from completing the emerit Professional Certification if the PN Candidate has completed one of the following levels of education in Alberta: diploma, degree or graduate level program from a publicly funded community college, trade/technical school or university, or at a private institution authorized by provincial statute to confer degrees or completed one of the following levels of education in Canada (outside the Province of Alberta): diploma, degree, or graduate level program from a publicly funded community college, trade/technical school or university.
The PN Candidate shall be employed in Alberta for a minimum of six months and meet or exceed all employer established work and performance standards before being nominated for the PNP.
PN Candidates not competent in the English language shall undergo ESL training from the time they arrive to work to when they become permanent residents. To be eligible for nomination the PN Candidate must submit proof of 85% attendance rate in the ESL training and must demonstrate a progress in learning.
The PN Candidate shall demonstrate integration into the local community.
The PN Candidate shall demonstrate the financial means or capability to pay for the costs of applying for permanent residency and establishing themselves and their family (if applicable) in Alberta.

Manufacturing industry

Trucking industry

The Alberta Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) will consider an employer’s business case for the select occupation of Long Haul Truck Driver (NOC 7411).

Long Haul: Drivers depart for destinations thousands of kilometers away from home. They cross inter-provincial boundaries and travel over international routes across North America. Drivers are away from home for several days per week or weeks at a time. A long haul driver is one who operates a tractor-trailer combination vehicle and hauls commercial goods over long distances. PNP eligible.

Short Haul: Drivers typically leave home or the terminal in the morning and travel to destinations within a half day’s or one day’s drive; they make numerous stops to pick up and deliver goods over a relatively short distance. Not PNP eligible.

Allocations will further be based on the number of temporary foreign workers approved under a Labour Market Opinion (LMO), size of company and number of long haul drivers and past performance (retention rates).
A company will not receive an allocation larger than the number of foreign drivers for which the company has received an LMO.
Allocation will be based on 10% to 15% of the number of long haul drivers employed by the company.
A review of the retention rate of the company with previous allocations will be conducted. Companies with retention rates of less than 50% may not receive a full yearly allocation. These companies will have to demonstrate improved recruitment and hiring practices.
An Employer must provide information regarding recruitment activity and supporting documentation that demonstrates that the foreign trained driver is aware of the scope of their employment, which includes duration of long haul trips taken, mileage, normal amount of days away from home, and anticipated annual salary.
In-Alberta training must be documented. If provided by the employer, details of the training program must be provided which includes training content, hours of training provided in a classroom and supervised road training, testing methodology, and results.

If the training is provided by a third-party, a copy of the program syllabus must be provided including hours of classroom and supervised road training, testing methodology and results.

The in-Alberta training and supervision must certify familiarity with traffic laws, documentation requirements (record of loads, vehicle maintenance log books, mileage, etc.) and areas of specialization (hazardous goods, mountains, winter driving conditions, running in major metropolitan areas) etc.
An Employer must ensure that the Provincial Nominee (PN) Candidates have prior driving training and related experience in a professional capacity.
Alberta Class 1 driver's license and eligibility of the candidate to meet provincial regulations.
An Employer shall submit a PN Candidate who has the required qualifications, has demonstrated excellent work performance and will contribute to the long term success of the company.
An Employer shall possess a Service Canada Labour Market Opinion (LMO) Confirmation and meet the conditions such as salary and accommodation.
An Employer shall ensure the PN Candidate is competent in listening, speaking, reading and writing English prior to nomination.
An Employer is responsible for testing and establishing a benchmark of English language capability of the PN Candidate upon arrival.
If the PN Candidate originated from an English speaking country or has completed secondary or post-secondary studies in English, the employer is not required to provide proof of PN Candidate competency in the English language.
Should the PN Candidate not be competent in English, the employer must provide the PN Candidate with an in-house English as a Second Language (ESL) program or cover the cost of the ESL training for the PN Candidate. See ESL Guideline for Hotel and Lodging, Manufacturing and Trucking Industry.
An Employer shall provide, in their application to the Alberta PNP, a plan outlining their approach to accommodation, settlement and retention for the PN Candidate from the time the PN Candidate commences employment with the employer. The plan shall demonstrate employer support and assistance toward successful integration of the workforce, community and society integration.
The PN Candidate shall hold a valid work permit for the National Occupational Classification (NOC) occupational group of 7411, for the occupation title of Long Haul Truck Driver and be residing in Alberta.
PN Candidates must provide a copy of their foreign driver's license which indicates C+E certification (if from Europe). Both parts of the license must be provided. If the driver's license is not in English, it must be translated by a certified translator.
PN Candidates must have driven in a professional capacity before coming to Canada and provide sufficient credible documentation to demonstrate their previous driving related training (hazardous goods, etc.) and work experience.

Preference will be given to drivers who can demonstrate a minimum of three out of the last five years work experience as a HGV/LGV driver.

PN Candidates must provide reference letters on company letterhead, dated, and signed with the title or position of the individual from the company who is providing the reference. Email letters are acceptable if they are sent from the company’s email account that is providing the references (not hotmail or yahoo accounts).
The letter must state the occupation of the employee, either HGV/LGV driver, and/or describe the work they performed which clearly indicates the equipment that was driven (articulated, semi, reefer, tanker, etc.).
Preference will be given to PN Candidates that have completed a minimum of high school education.
The PN Candidate shall be employed in Alberta for a minimum of six months and meet or exceed all employer established work and performance standards before being nominated for the PNP.
PN Candidates not competent in the English language shall undergo ESL training from the time they arrive to work to when they become permanent residents. To be eligible for nomination the PN Candidate must submit proof of 85% attendance rate in the ESL training and must demonstrate a progress in learning.
The PN Candidate shall demonstrate integration into the local community.
The PN Candidate shall demonstrate the financial means or capability to pay for the costs of applying for permanent residency and establishing themselves and their family (if applicable) in Alberta.

English as a Second Language Guidelines For the Hotel and Lodging, Manufacturing and Trucking Industry

A Provincial Nominee (PN) Candidate competent in listening, speaking, reading and writing English shall be exempt from English as a Second Language (ESL) training. A PN Candidate not competent in English shall undergo ESL training.
The PN Candidate shall have their English language capability assessed upon arrival and once again prior to nomination to demonstrate progress. The Employer shall be responsible for paying the cost of two assessments (the cost of additional assessments above this limit shall be the responsibility of the PN Candidate). Employers are responsible to ensure that initial and subsequent testing is performed through the same assessment service or provide an identical method of assessment.
An Employer shall provide the PN Candidate with an in-house ESL program or cover the cost of the ESL training. For in-house ESL programs the Employer shall establish a program that contains language and essential skills used in their company and incorporates some traditional settlement and integration themes.
The in-house ESL program shall only be taught by certified ESL teachers.
An Employer shall ensure that each PN Candidate participates in ESL training for a minimum of 6 hours per week regardless of work schedules. Participation shall be on employee time, however, the Employer shall supply and pay for teachers, materials and classrooms. Participation in the ESL program shall begin within sixty days of the arrival of the PN Candidate and continue for the duration of the work permit.
A representative from the Government of Alberta may audit compliance to these conditions on a periodic basis.

BC PNP program for Strategic Occupations

There are three categories of workers under the BC program: Skilled Workers, Designated Health Professionals and International Graduates. We will summarize only the Skilled Trades section of the Skilled Worker Category.

Skilled Trades for the BC PNP Program

The job is permanent, full-time and in a skilled occupation (NOC: O, A, B)
The candidate is qualified for the job is able to become economically established in BC. The candidate needs 2 – 5 years of apprenticeship training and apprenticeship or trades certification, and several years of directly related work experience. If a trade has no compulsory certification requirements, the BC PNP may accept applications for workers who have a sufficient combination of education, training, and experience. At its discretion, the BC PNP may require nominee candidates to submit an independent assessment of their credentials performed by an approved organization to establish equivalency with British Columbia or Canadian standards.
The wage offered is competitive with BC wage rates for the occupation
The nominee candidate’s field of employment offers good long-term prospects
The employer must be financially sound, have a history of good practices, and normally must have been operating in BC for at least one year and have at least five paid employees
The employment of a foreign worker will be of significant economic benefit to BC
Hiring the foreign worker will not adversely affect a labour dispute
There is a $550 processing fee (does not apply to some nurses)
Once an application for nomination is approved, the BC PNP will notify the nominee, the employer and the appropriate visa office of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). If required, BC PNP will send a letter to CIC supporting a work permit application by the nominee. This will allow the nominee to work legally for his or her employer in BC prior to finalization of the nominee’s application for permanent residence. Nominees are responsible for completing and submitting a complete permanent visa application to the appropriate visa office of CIC within 180 days of the date on the Nomination Certificate.

For more details, please see Requirements for Strategic Occupations

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