Rural Renewal Stream

Qualified candidates who have a job offer from an Alberta employer to work in a designated rural Alberta community can apply for an AAIP nomination.

The Rural Renewal Stream addresses current labour needs and skill shortages in rural Alberta communities and helps newcomers settle into the community. This stream requires a community to apply to the Government of Alberta for community designation.

This stream is community-driven. A candidate must be endorsed by a designated community and meet all criteria for the Rural Renewal Stream. Do not apply to the province of Alberta if you do not have a community support letter.

Once designated, the community then works with employers to attract and recruit newcomers and collaborates with a settlement providing organization to retain newcomers by sharing information on settlement supports. This may include accommodation, education, health care and services such as language training.

How the Rural Renewal Stream Works?

Rural Alberta communities express interest in the Rural Renewal Stream (communities within an economic region can partner to apply).
Communities that meet the mandatory criteria submit their application for community designation.
The community partnership works to attract and recruit foreign nationals.
Employer provides a job offer to the successful foreign national and the community partnership ensures the candidate meets the streams criteria. An endorsement letter is provided to the foreign national.
Endorsed foreign national submits application to the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP).
AAIP issues nomination for Permanent Residency Foreign national applies to Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada for Permanent Residency.
Designated Community supports newcomers to settle permanently and be successful in the community

Mandatory Requirements for Community Designation

Rural communities with a population less than 100,000.
- Rural communities in the same economic region may form a partnership to submit an application.
- Census 2016 figure will be the reference year for the population count.
- Communities must fall outside of the Calgary and Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area.
Community has an organization/entity whose primary function is economic development for the community that will serve as the community designation lead and coordinator for the Rural Renewal Stream.
Community has an Economic Development Plan.
Community has support letters from town/municipality council(s).
Community has support letter from a settlement providing organization (does not need to be local) that will be collaborating with the community to identify and plan for settlement needs for successful integration into the community.