In 2023, the Alberta PNP, formally known as the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP), will be able to nominate 50% more people. In accordance with an official news release from the Alberta government, the AAIP will accept 9,750 PRs in 2023, 10,140 in 2024, and 10,849 in 2025.
This quota was only set at 6,500 for 2022, which appeared extremely low and was easily filled last year, resulting in a 4-month gap between Alberta Fast Entry draws.
On February 14, 2023, AAIP already had over 1,740 applications in the waiting list throughout the various streams shown below:
| AAIP Stream | Number of applications in the queue (approximate) | The AAIP is assessing applications received before (approximate) |
|---|---|---|
| Alberta Opportunity Stream | Approximately 1310 | November 25, 2022 Applications submitted after Nov 25 are not yet assigned to an officer for review. |
| Alberta Express Entry Stream | Approximately 430 | These applications are treated as an Expression of Interest and are not reviewed based on date of submission.Accelerated Tech Pathway applications are priority processed. |
| Rural Renewal Stream | Not available due to low application volumes. | Not available due to low application volumes. |
The list of professions with a high amount of AAIP stream applications is provided below. So, the time it takes to process these applications may be longer.
- 62020 – Food service supervisors
- 62010 – Retail sales supervisors
- 63200 – Cooks
- 21231 – Software engineers and designers
- 13110 – Administrative assistants
- 42202 – Early childhood educators and assistants
- 21222 – Information systems specialists
- 73300 – Transport truck drivers
- 21232 – Software developers and programmers
- 60030 – Restaurant and food service managers
MAJOR CAUSES OF THE INCREASE
Alberta’s economy is expanding, and there are over 100,000 vacant jobs in the province, so more skilled immigrants are needed. Furthermore, it is predicted that there will be a 33,100 worker shortage across all jobs, skill levels, and industries by 2025.
In addition, based on affordability and the most recent Statistics Canada data on interprovincial migration within Canada, Alberta is the top choice for immigrants already in Canada.
According to Rajan Sawhney, Alberta’s Minister of Immigration, the province needs more immigrants to help grow communities, address labour shortages in key sectors, and sustain Alberta’s economic success.
Furthermore, he stated that he has been requesting an increase in Alberta’s nomination numbers for many months and is finally pleased that his request has been granted.
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