Alberta Expands Rural Renewal Stream for PR with 5 New Communities
- Alberta added five new communities to its Rural Renewal Stream for permanent residency(PR). The total number of designated communities under this program is now 22.
- The newly added communities are Drayton Valley, Cold Lake, St. Paul, Slave Lake, and Athabasca County.
Best PR Program for Foreign Nationals with a Job Offer
- The Alberta Rural Renewal stream is one of the best permanent residency programs for foreign nationals with a job offer in one of these communities.
- Furthermore, applicants need cumulative 12 months of experience. And, this can be a combination of experience in Alberta or in Canada (outside Alberta) or even abroad.
Underutilized Program with Low Application Numbers
- Despite being launched in 2022, this program continues to be underutilized with low application numbers. However, it presents a great opportunity for foreign nationals with a job offer in one of these designated communities.
Low Language and Education Requirements
- Another notable feature of this PR stream is that only CLB level 4 or 5 is required. This is equivalent to IELTS less than 4 in reading and 5 in rest of the modules. Moreover, only high school level of education is required to qualify for the Rural Renewal Stream.
Here is a list of all the communities that have been designated for the Rural Renewal Stream in Alberta:
| Community | Designation Date |
| City of Cold Lake | March 10, 2023 |
| County of St. Paul (including: Town of St Paul, Town of Elk Point, Summer Village of Horseshoe Bay) | March 10, 2023 |
| Town of Drayton Valley | March 10, 2023 |
| Athabasca County (including: Town of Athabasca, Village of Boyle) | March 10, 2023 |
| Town of Slave Lake | March 10, 2023 |
| Town of Fox Creek | February 13, 2023 |
| Town of Fairview (including: Village of Hines Creek) | January 13, 2023 |
| City of Medicine Hat (including: County of Forty Mile, Cypress County, Town of Bow Island, Town of Redcliff) | January 13, 2023 |
| Town of Edson | November 8, 2022 |
| County of Barrhead (including: Town of Barrhead) | November 8, 2022 |
| Big Lakes County (including: Town of High Prairie) | November 8, 2022 |
| Town of Hinton | November 8, 2022 |
| Municipality of Jasper | September 13, 2022 |
| Town of Innisfail | September 9, 2022 |
| Municipal District of Smoky River (including: Town of Falher, Town of McLennan, Village of Donnelly, Village of Girouxville) | September 9, 2022 |
| County of Grande Prairie (including: Town of Sexsmith, Town of Wembley, Town of Beaverlodge) | September 9, 2022 |
| Town of Trochu | September 9, 2022 |
| Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo | September 9, 2022 |
| Town of Whitecourt | July 20, 2022 |
| Town of Taber (including: Municipal District of Taber, Town of Vauxhall, Town of Coaldale) | July 20, 2022 |
| City of Grande Prairie | July 6, 2022 |
| City of Brooks (including: Town of Bassano, Village of Duchess, County of Newell, Village of Rosemary) | May 13, 2022 |
List of ineligible occupations for Alberta Rural Renewal Stream
Job offers in one of the below listed occupations are ineligible for Alberta Rural Renewal Stream.
| NOC Code (2021) | Occupation |
| 00010 | Legislators |
| 60040* | Escort agency managers, massage parlour managers |
| 41100 | Judges |
| 51111 | Authors and writers (except technical) |
| 51122 | Musicians and singers |
| 42200* | Justices of the peace |
| 53121 | Actors, comedians and circus performers |
| 53122 | Painters, sculptors and other visual artists |
| 53124 | Artisans and craftspersons |
| 53200 | Athletes |
| 33100* | Dental laboratory bench workers |
| 44100 | Home child care providers |
| 44101 | Home support workers, caregivers and related occupations |
| 64321 | Casino Occupations |
| 55109 | Other performers |
| 65229 | Other support occupations in personal services |
| 85101 | Harvesting Labourers |
Eligibility Requirements for Candidates
To be considered for the Rural Renewal component, applicants must:
- Have a letter of endorsement of the applicant from their nominated community;
- Have a full-time job offer or bona fide employment contract from an Alberta employer to work in an eligible occupation in their designated community;
- Have the required licences, registration or certification to practise their current occupation in Alberta or the occupation listed in their job offer in Alberta;
- Not be employed in a job that is on the list of ineligible job offers provided by Alberta (i.e. including full-time employees) not be employed in a job that is on the list of ineligible employment opportunities provided by Alberta (i.e. part-time, casual or seasonal employees; independent contractors, business owners or temporary agency workers; employees who work in Alberta in a place of employment that is not zoned for commercial or industrial activities, such as a home-based business; employees who work in a “virtual” location or who serve the employer by teleworking from a location outside Alberta);
- Have a minimum of 12 months of full-time work experience in an eligible occupation in the 18 months prior to your application, either in Alberta, elsewhere in Canada or abroad;
- Meet the English or French language requirements;
- Have completed a minimum of high school education equivalent to the Canadian education standard or a foreign degree, diploma or certificate;
- Demonstrate that they have sufficient funds to support themselves and their family members to settle in the designated community, if they are not residing in Canada, or if they are currently in Canada but not working.
