Alberta
Alberta going after entrepreneurs and immigrants working as health-care professionals
Improving the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program
Changes to the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) will make it easier for in-demand workers and entrepreneurs to become permanent residents.
Alberta’s economy has momentum, and Alberta’s government is committed to further growth and diversification so the province remains the economic engine of Canada. In 2022, nearly 50,000 people from around the world chose Alberta as the place to invest, work and raise their families.
AAIP is an economic immigration program that enables Alberta to nominate qualified workers in in-demand sectors for permanent residency. By improving the program, Alberta will be more competitive in attracting skilled newcomers from across the world.
“Alberta is a land of opportunity. In our province, you can find the career you want, take home a strong and regular paycheque, and still spend time with family and friends. Not only do people around the world want to come here, we want them to come here to be a part of our communities and our prosperity, and help Alberta continue to grow and succeed.”
Alberta’s government is making five improvements to the AAIP that will help both businesses and international skilled workers.
Changes to the Rural Entrepreneur and Rural Renewal streams will help Alberta’s rural communities remain vibrant and grow. A lowered investment threshold of $100,000 for the Rural Entrepreneur Stream will will open the door to additional qualified entrepreneurs who wish to establish or purchase an existing business in participating rural Alberta communities. Removing the requirement for a letter from a settlement agency under the Rural Renewal Stream will help rural communities attract, recruit and welcome newcomers based on local needs.
“Bringing more workers needed in the province will be key to continuing to grow Alberta’s economy and meeting our labour shortages. These changes to AAIP show our commitment to making Alberta one of the best places in the world to put down roots, contribute positively to your community and be prosperous.”
Alberta has the best front-line health care workers in the world and the province will work to have the right supports in place to ensure Albertans get the care they need when and where they need it. A new, dedicated pathway to attract medical professionals to Alberta means that up to 30 per cent of Alberta’s Express Entry Stream allocation in 2023 will be reserved for health-care professionals with an Alberta job offer from a health-care sector employer and who meet the requirements to work in one of the eligible health occupations.
Two more changes will see a new phone line that directly connects AAIP staff members with clients and collaboration with the federal Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot. Participating in this pilot will help refugees with the skills and qualifications needed in Canada to immigrate through existing economic programs.
“These policy changes are aimed squarely at filling needed skills gaps, boosting vibrancy in rural communities, and creating more economic opportunity for refugees. We applaud these moves to enhance economic immigration in a way that is responsive to specific provincial needs.”
“From HV Global Immigration, we would like to thank Minister Rajan Sawhney for listening and proactively implementing reasonable changes to the AAIP. Apart from the other improvements, change in minimum investment at AAIP’s Rural Entrepreneur Stream would definitely help new and prospective immigrants to qualify for this program. This change will generate more revenue and create jobs for Albertans. Last, but not least, the new information phone line is going to be a big relief. Thanks once again Minister Sawhney for your hard work and listening to our ideas and solutions.”
Quick facts
- Alberta currently has about 100,000 job openings across the province.
- Alberta is forecasting a cumulative job shortage of 33,100 workers by 2025 across several occupations, skill levels and sectors (source: Alberta’s Occupational Outlook, 2021-2030).
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada sets AAIP’s annual nomination limits.
- Alberta recently received an increase in nominations:
- 9,750 nominations in 2023
- 10,140 nominations in 2024 (estimated)
- 10,849 nominations in 2025 estimated)
- Alberta recently received an increase in nominations:
Premier Danielle Smith issued the following statement on the April 2, 2025 U.S. tariff announcement:
“Today was an important win for Canada and Alberta, as it appears the United States has decided to uphold the majority of the free trade agreement (CUSMA) between our two nations. It also appears this will continue to be the case until after the Canadian federal election has concluded and the newly elected Canadian government is able to renegotiate CUSMA with the U.S. administration.
“This is precisely what I have been advocating for from the U.S. administration for months.
“It means that the majority of goods sold into the United States from Canada will have no tariffs applied to them, including zero per cent tariffs on energy, minerals, agricultural products, uranium, seafood, potash and host of other Canadian goods.
“There is still work to be done, of course. Unfortunately, tariffs previously announced by the United States on Canadian automobiles, steel and aluminum have not been removed. The efforts of premiers and the federal government should therefore shift towards removing or significantly reducing these remaining tariffs as we go forward and ensuring affected workers across Canada are generously supported until the situation is resolved.
“I again call on all involved in our national advocacy efforts to focus on diplomacy and persuasion while avoiding unnecessary escalation. Clearly, this strategy has been the most effective to this point.
“As it appears the worst of this tariff dispute is behind us (though there is still work to be done), it is my sincere hope that we, as Canadians, can abandon the disastrous policies that have made Canada vulnerable to and overly dependent on the United States, fast-track national resource corridors, get out of the way of provincial resource development and turn our country into an independent economic juggernaut and energy superpower.”
From the Fraser Institute
By any measure, Alberta is an energy powerhouse—within Canada, but also on a global scale. In 2023, it produced 85 per cent of Canada’s oil and three-fifths of the country’s natural gas. Most of Canada’s oil reserves are in Alberta, along with a majority of natural gas reserves. Alberta is the beating heart of the Canadian energy economy. And energy, in turn, accounts for one-quarter of Canada’s international exports.
Consider some key facts about the province’s energy landscape, as noted in the Alberta Energy Regulator’s (AER) 2023 annual report. Oil and natural gas production continued to rise (on a volume basis) in 2023, on the heels of steady increases over the preceding half decade. However, the dollar value of Alberta’s oil and gas production fell in 2023, as the surging prices recorded in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine retreated. Capital spending in the province’s energy sector reached $30 billion in 2023, making it the leading driver of private-sector investment. And completion of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project has opened new offshore export avenues for Canada’s oil industry and should boost Alberta’s energy production and exports going forward.
In a world striving to address climate change, Alberta’s hydrocarbon-heavy energy sector faces challenges. At some point, the world may start to consume less oil and, later, less natural gas (in absolute terms). But such “peak” consumption hasn’t arrived yet, nor does it appear imminent. While the demand for certain refined petroleum products is trending down in some advanced economies, particularly in Europe, we should take a broader global perspective when assessing energy demand and supply trends.
Looking at the worldwide picture, Goldman Sachs’ 2024 global energy forecast predicts that “oil usage will increase through 2034” thanks to strong demand in emerging markets and growing production of petrochemicals that depend on oil as the principal feedstock. Global demand for natural gas (including LNG) will also continue to increase, particularly since natural gas is the least carbon-intensive fossil fuel and more of it is being traded in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Against this backdrop, there are reasons to be optimistic about the prospects for Alberta’s energy sector, particularly if the federal government dials back some of the economically destructive energy and climate policies adopted by the last government. According to the AER’s “base case” forecast, overall energy output will expand over the next 10 years. Oilsands output is projected to grow modestly; natural gas production will also rise, in part due to greater demand for Alberta’s upstream gas from LNG operators in British Columbia.
The AER’s forecast also points to a positive trajectory for capital spending across the province’s energy sector. The agency sees annual investment rising from almost $30 billion to $40 billion by 2033. Most of this takes place in the oil and gas industry, but “emerging” energy resources and projects aimed at climate mitigation are expected to represent a bigger slice of energy-related capital spending going forward.
Like many other oil and gas producing jurisdictions, Alberta must navigate the bumpy journey to a lower-carbon future. But the world is set to remain dependent on fossil fuels for decades to come. This suggests the energy sector will continue to underpin not only the Alberta economy but also Canada’s export portfolio for the foreseeable future.
Jock Finlayson
Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute
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