Did you know that Alberta government announced migratory openings to obtain permanent residencies?

Dear reader, you have no idea how happy I am to be able to inform you about the economic recovery that is finally manifesting in our territory.

If you have any doubts about this, I invite you to review the recent announcement that the Alberta government has communicated regarding permanent residence as of January 2018.

NDP Minister of Labour Alberta, Christina Gray, announced the changes at a press conference held during the third week of October 2017.

At that moment, she announced the changes in the Nominee Immigrant Program for the province of Alberta, popularly known as: "AINP". Measure established due to the need to support the economic growth of our province.

The "AINP" is an economic immigration program that safeguards the government's objective of forming a permanent long-term labour force by nominating people who have a need for permanent residence in the labour market.

The aforementioned changes and modifications attempt to stimulate growth by designating immigrants who are qualified to work, in order to cover the current needs of the labour market with them.

According to the government announcement, the "AINP" will be simpler for the applicants and more efficient for the government, thus making it possible to satisfy the emerging demands of the labuor market.

On the subject, Minister Gray said: "That immigrants are a valuable part of our workforce and our communities, helping them to establish themselves successfully is crucial for the continued prosperity of our province."

Therefore, these changes will simplify the processes, reduce waiting times and make it more fair for applicants from all sectors to request and access permanent residency.

The changes will begin to take effect on January 2, 2018, when the flows and categories of the Alberta Immigration Appointment Program (AINP) are consolidated into a single stream with a set of standardized eligibility criteria.

With this new measure, it is expected that through 11 subcategories, AINP will be able to consolidate the strategic recruitment flows led by the employer.

Alberta Opportunity Stream will have a unique set of eligibility criteria, ensuring a simpler application process, in shorter processing times.

As of 2018, the AINP will have the capacity to limit annually the number of applications accepted and the nominations issued for certain sectors and occupations, ensuring the equitable distribution of workers and equity in all sectors and industries.

In the same way our province in particular will add an Express inflow that allows the AINP to select candidates from the federal group coming from the Express Entry or Express Entry program.

AINP is authorized by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship of Canada (IRCC) to issue a maximum of 5,500 nomination certificates for the 2017 calendar year.

This number is determined by IRCC and remains unchanged with respect to previous years.

Potential candidates must have a confirmed work permit linked to a Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or have an LMIA exemption eligible for AINP and a valid job offer with an Alberta employer.

As Alberta's economy recovers, our government's priority remains focused on ensuring that Alberta residents and Canadians have the first opportunity to obtain available jobs, however, recent studies have shown that there is currently a shortage of labour. in various sectors and occupations.

Among them are:

- Registered and supervisory nurses (shortage of 5,434 workers by 2025)

-Technologists and medical technicians (shortage of 2,322 workers by 2025)

-Professionals in computer science and information systems (shortage of 1,426 workers by 2025)

-Managers in construction and transport (shortage of 1,386 workers in 2025)

-Supervisors of sales and services (lack of 1,145 workers for the year 2025)

Regarding the issue, immigration lawyer Brayn Kwan confirmed: "that the changes would simplify the application process to make the program more accessible with faster processing times.

In this way, the next changes will give Alberta more flexibility to meet the labour market needs of our province and create new opportunities for foreign citizens to obtain permanent resident status.

It is important to note that new applications will not be accepted in the previous categories after January 1, 2018.

Similarly, applications received under strategic recruitment flows directed by the employer will be processed in accordance with the criteria established at the time the applications were received.

Information about it and about Alberta Opportunity Stream is available online at AlbertaCanada.com/AINPnews.

If you find yourself reading this article, and have made the decision to settle in Canada, do not waste more time and review the new program because if you qualify, fortunately you are one step closer to achieving your desired goal.