Backgrounder - Canada and Alberta - Improving cooperation on immigration

Responding to provincial economic and labour market needs

The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) allows provinces and territories to nominate immigrants who have specific skills that will contribute to the local economy. Under its current PNP agreement, Alberta nominates candidates who want to work and live in that province. Nominees must meet federal admissibility requirements, such as those related to health, criminality and security.

Under the new agreement, there is no longer a limit on the number of immigrants the province can nominate for permanent residence in Alberta each year. And, there is no expiry date. The PNP under the new agreement will run indefinitely, with the province providing targets for CIC to incorporate in its annual immigration levels planning.

Facilitating the entry of temporary foreign workers

Alberta employers are having trouble recruiting a sufficient number of Canadians to fill positions in many sectors. Hiring temporary foreign workers is one part of the solution to this problem. The Government of Canada has recently taken steps to make it easier and faster for employers to hire the workers they need, including creating the Canada-Alberta Working Group on Temporary Foreign Workers to more quickly identify skill shortages and determine how to address these shortages.

Building on the activities of this working group, the two governments will develop an agreement on temporary foreign workers that will establish mechanisms that would make it easier and quicker for Alberta to get the workers it needs to meet its growing labour force demands. This agreement will become an annex to the broader agreement.

Expediting the entry of foreign health-care professionals

Canada and Alberta have agreed on a pilot project that aims to expedite the entry of health-care professionals with the appropriate skills to meet Alberta's labour market and health-care needs.

Through the agreement, Canada will search the existing inventory of federal skilled worker applicants, and identify specific health-care professionals destined for Alberta. Candidates in the inventory who have already received preliminary approval of their application would be referred to the appropriate licensing bodies in Alberta to begin the process of foreign credential recognition. Candidates who have not yet received preliminary approval of their application would be referred to the province of Alberta for consideration under the Provincial Nominee Program, where they would benefit from faster processing.

Responding to the settlement and integration needs of immigrants and refugees

Alberta and Canada have a long history of cooperatively providing settlement and integration services to immigrants in Alberta. Their commitment to working together to improving these services was outlined in a Statement of Understanding developed in 2001.

The present agreement confirms the Government of Canada’s commitment to fair and ongoing funding for settlement services in Alberta. Canada has also committed to working with Alberta to help immigrants find work in their chosen professions.

Expanding partnerships with communities

Successful integration programs involve the communities in which immigrants will work and live. The agreement recognizes the importance of working with community-based organizations, municipal governments, private sector, official language minority communities and others in the development of programs and services for immigrants.