AAIP eligibility criteria adjusted due to Alberta wildfires: Work experience temporarily waived for Alberta Opportunity and Tourism & Hospitality Streams.
Alberta has temporarily lifted the requirements for work experience under the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) for some applicants.
This short-term measure is meant to assist workers whose jobs have been affected by the wildfires in finding new employment as soon as possible. It is relevant to the Tourism and Hospitality Stream as well as the Alberta Opportunity Stream.
In accordance with the announcement made by the Alberta government, the AAIP will now accept open work permits from IRCC for workers displaced by wildfires who are looking for fresh prospects in these streams.
The anticipated implementation period for the eligibility modifications is July 19, 2024, through November 30, 2024. This interim measure aims to support people who may lose their jobs as a result of the wildfires, which have affected areas that house a large number of Alberta’s hotels and resorts.
Requirements for work experience
Candidates in the Tourism and Hospitality course normally need to have completed seventy-odd hours of work experience in six consecutive months with their current company, except from this interim measure.
Candidates for the Alberta Opportunity Stream must fulfill one of the requirements listed below:
In the last 18 months, the candidate must have completed at least 12 months of full-time job experience in Alberta; in the last 30 months, the candidate must have completed at least 24 months of full-time work experience in either Canada or another country; or the candidate may have combined the two. You can gain this experience in Alberta, other parts of Canada, or even abroad.
Holders of Post-Graduation Work Permits must have completed at least six months of full-time employment in Alberta during the previous eighteen months in their present line of work.
These modifications have no effect on applicants using the Express Entry and Rural Renewal pathways since there are no particular job experience criteria for these programs.
Additional support for those impacted by wildfires
These modifications are a part of a larger package of extraordinary measures that the IRCC has put in place to assist persons who have been impacted by the wildfires. The Alberta government declared on July 26 that those who were impacted could:
- Request free replacements for missing, damaged, or destroyed citizenship, immigration, or travel documents (passports included).
- In the event that they are unable to continue working for their current employer, they must extend or restore their status as a temporary resident and switch from an employer-specific work permit to an open work permit.
Candidates will have a year to fulfill the requirements of the AAIP, which includes finding a new, suitable work if they were laid off as a result of the fires.
The Alberta government stresses that all other regulations pertaining to each stream will stay in place, and it will keep an eye out for any new developments.
Economic impact of wildfires on Alberta
In the last month, there have been more than 100 wildfires in Alberta this summer. As of right now, 358 of Jasper’s 1,113 structures have been destroyed by fire, and the evacuation order wasn’t removed until August 17, 2024.
The local economy has been severely damaged by the wildfires, particularly Jasper’s hospitality sector, which employs thousands of temporary laborers and tourists each year. The Alberta government’s reaction to the wildfires is centered on assisting firms and employees in the hospitality sector, with ambitions to more than double the size of the sector by 2025.