Last Updated on October 27, 2020

Alberta immigration is launching two new programs designed to get international graduates to open businesses in the province.

The International Graduate Entrepreneur Immigration Stream is open as of October 26, 2020, while a new Foreign Graduate Start-Up Visa Stream aimed at graduates from U.S. universities will open in January 2021.

The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) streams are designed to assist Alberta’s economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis. The province is hoping the streams will help attract investment and create jobs.

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International Graduate Entrepreneur Immigration Stream

The new International Graduate Entrepreneur Stream is already open for Expressions of Interest.

It is aimed at international graduates from Alberta post-secondary institutions who want to establish or operate a business in the province.

Candidates must initially establish or operate their business for at least 12 months while in Alberta on a work permit, before being nominated for permanent residence once the terms of a Business Performance Agreement are met.

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Steps to Permanent Residence

1. Submit an Expression of Interest

Candidates who meet eligibility criteria can submit an Expression of Interest. EOIs will be reviewed and scored within 30 days of submission. The highest-ranking candidates will be requested to submit a Business Application.

2. Submit Your Business Application Package

Candidates selected from the EOI pool must submit a Business Application with 90 days. A non-refundable $3,500 application fee must also be paid.

3. Business Application assessment

Once a candidate’s Business Application and supporting documents are received, the AINP will assess the Business Application.

If a candidate’s Business Application is approved, they will be sent a signed Business Performance Agreement (BPA). The BPA is a legal agreement between the candidate and the province of Alberta. It must be signed and returned to the AINP in 14 days. After the AINP receives the signed BPA, candidates will be issued a Business Application Approval Letter.

4. Establish Your Business in Alberta

After receiving the Business Application Approval Letter, candidates can live in Alberta and actively own and operate their business for at least 12 months, with at least 34 percent ownership. 

5. Final Report for AINP Nomination

Once the conditions of the Business Performance have been met, a final report for nomination is submitted to the AINP.

If the final report is approved, the AINP will send a nomination certificate to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and send the candidate a nomination letter.

Candidates can then apply for permanent residence to IRCC.

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Requirements

Area	Requirement
Work Experience	Have a minimum of 6 months of full-time work experience that can be a combination of actively managing or owning the business or equivalencies. For example, experience with a business incubator or business accelerator, or completion of entrepreneurship program courses.
Education	Have completed at least two years of full-time education in Alberta, resulting in a degree or diploma from a designated post-secondary institution in Alberta. Completion of program of study must result in qualifying for a Post-Graduation Work Permit.
Work Permit	Have a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) valid for at least 2 years at the time of your Expression of Interest (EOI) submission.
Language	Have a minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level of 7 for each in one of the following: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking.
Business Establishment	Must establish a new business or buy an existing business in Alberta with a minimum 34% ownership. The proposed business type must not be on the list of ineligible businesses.

Factors that Increase Candidate’s Chances

Criteria	Adaptability factors
Economic benefit	Can provide economic benefit to Alberta through: Job creation. Economic sector. Business location (for example, rural). Business succession. Investment. Developed intellectual property. Partnership or support from business incubator/accelerator, venture capital or angel investor.
Age	21 to 49 years
Spouse	Your spouse or common-law partner has at least one of the following: At least 1 year of continuous full-time employment in Alberta. At least 2 years of full-time study at a post-secondary institution in Alberta. Minimum level CLB 5 in English or NCLC 5 in French in all 4 language abilities (Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking).
Alberta relative	You, or your spouse or common-law partner, have one or more of the following relatives living full-time in Alberta: father, step-father, mother, step-mother, child, step-child, sister, step-sister, brother, step-brother

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Expression of Interest Pool

Candidates who meet the above criteria must submit an Expression of Interest to the AINP.

The AINP will review and score your EOI within 30 days of submission. The highest-ranking candidates will be requested to submit a Business Application.

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EOI Points Grid

MAXIMUM AVAILABLE POINTS: 125

Business Establishment Factors (75 points)

Criteria	Descriptions	Points
Business Management or Ownership or equivalent (equivalencies include work experience with a business incubator or business accelerator or completion of entrepreneurship program courses) (Maximum of 15 points) Mandatory requirement	6 months (mandatory minimum)	5
	1 year	10
	> 1 year	15
Economic Benefit (Maximum of 40 points) Not a mandatory requirement	Economic benefits Economic development sector (e.g. energy; agriculture; technology/data/telecom/ aviation/aerospace; financial services/fintech	15
	Succession	5
	Job Creation (max 15 points):
	1 job	5
	2 jobs	10
	3 or more jobs	15
	Rural (outside Edmonton and Calgary Census Metropolitan Areas)	5
Total Business Investment (Maximum of 20 points) Not a mandatory requirement	$25,000 or less	5
	$25,001 to $50,000	10
	$50,001 to $75,000	15
	$75,001 or more	20

Human Capital Factors (25 points)

Criteria	Descriptions	Points
Language proficiency in English or French (Maximum of 15 points) Mandatory requirement	CLB 7 (7 for each Reading, Writing, Learning and Speaking) (mandatory minimum)	5
	CLB 8 (8 for each Reading, Writing, Learning and Speaking)	12
	CLB 9 or higher (9 for each Reading, Writing, Learning and Speaking)	15
Alberta Education (Maximum of 10 points) Mandatory requirement	Bachelor’s degree or a 2-year Diploma (mandatory minimum)	5
	2 or more degrees or diplomas	7
	Master’s degree or higher	10

Adaptability Factors (25 points)

Criteria	Descriptions	Points
Age (Maximum of 5 points) Not a mandatory requirement	21 to 49 years	5
Spouse/Common-law characteristics (Maximum of 10 points) Not a mandatory requirement	Your spouse/common-law partner has one or more of the following: At least 1 year of continuous full-time employment in Alberta. At least 2 years of full-time study at a post-secondary institution in Alberta. Minimum level CLB 5 in English or NCLC 5 in French in all 4 language abilities.	10 (if one or more characteristics are met)
Alberta relatives (Maximum of 10 points) Not a mandatory requirement	Relatives are defined as father, step-father, mother, step-mother, child, step-child, sister, step-sister, brother, step-brother of applicant or spouse/common-law partner	10

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Ineligible Businesses

• Any business in contravention of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and Regulations (for example, immigration-linked investment schemes or passive investment).
• Businesses without a value-add economic component, including:
  • Pay day loan, cheque cashing and related businesses.
  • Businesses trading in used goods.
• Businesses that would be considered passive investment and/or lack active management, including:
  • Property rental, investment and leasing activities.
  • Real estate development/brokerage, insurance brokerage or business brokerage.
  • Coin-operated businesses, including laundromats and car wash operations.
• Project-based or seasonal businesses.
• Home-based businesses, including bed-and-breakfasts and lodging houses.
• Businesses that are part of a succession plan. This includes businesses that:
  • Are owned/operated by a close relative of the applicant.
  • Were previously owned/operated by a current or former AINP entrepreneur stream applicants/nominees within the past 4 years.
  • Have changed ownership in the past 3 years prior to IGEIS application.
• Businesses involved in producing, distributing or selling pornography or sexually explicit products or services, or providing sexually oriented services.
• Any other type of business that by association would tend to bring the AINP and the Government of Alberta into disrepute.

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Foreign Graduate Start-Up Visa Stream

The Foreign Graduate Start-up Visa Stream will be launched in January to attract talented international graduates from top U.S. universities and colleges to start businesses and settle in Alberta communities.

More details on the stream are expected later in 2020.