The Alberta Advantage Immigration Program’s (AAIP) pathway for law enforcement professionals is set to begin accepting applications this year at an undetermined date.
The AAIP, one of 11 Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) across Canada, is introducing a new permanent residence (PR) pathway focused on “adding necessary supports for Alberta’s police services” to accomplish two defined goals: meet recruitment objectives for public protection and to “address crime” across the province.
The province notes that there has been a marked decline in the number of Albertans who choose to pursue a career in policing and this new PNP stream will help support Alberta Police Services.
In 2024, the AAIP law enforcement pathway will allocate 50 nominations for PNP candidates. It is also an Express Entry aligned stream, meaning that interested candidates must meet all required Express Entry criteria to be eligible for PR.
The Government of Alberta introduced this pathway on June 25 and has provided some details.
Who is eligible for the AAIP’s new law enforcement pathway?
As a candidate, the AAIP clarifies that candidates must have an existing job offer from an employer with membership in the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police (AACP). They must also meet “all other Express Entry criteria” to be eligible for this new pathway.
Eligible occupations include:
- Commissioned and non-commissioned police officers
- Related occupations in public protection services
- Police investigators and other investigative occupations
- Specialized law enforcement occupations
About the AAIP
The AAIP is an economic immigration program that allows the Government of Alberta to nominate immigration candidates for permanent residence if they believe the candidate is well-suited to help the province address their labour market gaps and demographic needs.
The program features several streams aimed at candidates who can meet these needs including the:
- Alberta Opportunity Stream
- Alberta Express Entry Stream
- Accelerated Tech Pathway
- Rural Renewal Stream
- Farm Stream
- Graduate Entrepreneur Stream
- Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream
- Rural Entrepreneur Stream
Note: Each of the AAIP’s streams has eligibility criteria, while some also require an existing connection to the province such as a job offer, family ties or educational history in Alberta.
The AAIP is highly in demand among newcomers to Canada, so much so that the province has recently introduced new application guidelines to ensure that the province is able to process all applications in a timely manner.
The guidelines impact the Alberta Opportunity Steam, Rural Renewal Stream and Accelerated Tech Pathway.
The province will accept a targeted number of applications into the pool each month. Those who are not able to apply one month due to the cap being reached may try again the following month.
