Graduate Entrepreneur Stream / GES
Index
- Introduction
- Requirements
- Processing time
- Fees
Introduction
On February 16, 2022, the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) was renamed to the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program. Our entrepreneur streams were also renamed as Graduate Entrepreneur Stream, Rural Entrepreneur Stream and Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream.
Requirements
Graduate Entrepreneur Stream
- Have completed at least two years of full-time education, resulting in a degree or diploma from an Alberta Advanced Education；
- Have a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), which is valid at the time of your Expression of Interest (EOI) submission；
- Have a minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level of 7 for each English language skill, official test results must be less than 2 years old at the time your EOI is submitted. ；
- Must establish a new business or buy an existing business in Alberta with a minimum 34% ownership;
- The proposed business type must not be on the list of ineligible businesses；
- Candidates are not required to establish a business in Alberta until their Business Application is approved by the AAIP.
Applicants who meet the requirements need to submit an EOI score (out of 175). By evaluating the information in the EOI, business proposal, net worth statement and letter of community support, the AAIP will invite applicants with high scores to submit applications based on the applicant’s EOI score.
If you have one or more of the following adaptability factors, this may increase your likelihood of receiving a Request to submit Business Application:
- Have a minimum of 6 months of full-time work experience that can be a combination of actively managing or owning the business or equivalencies. Equivalencies include experience with a business incubator or business accelerator, or completion of entrepreneurship program courses；
- Can provide economic benefit to Alberta；
- between 21 to 49 years of age；
- Your spouse or common-law partner has at least one of the following: at least 1 year of continuous full-time employment in Alberta, completed at least 2 years of full-time study at a post-secondary institution in Alberta, or a minimum level CLB 5 in English or NCLC 5 in French in all 4 language abilities；
- You, or your spouse or common-law partner, have one or more of the following relatives living full-time in Alberta: father, step-father, mother, step-mother, child, step-child, sister, step-sister, brother, step-brother.
You are not eligible to apply under Graduate Entrepreneur Stream if:：
- You have an active nomination which has not expired and/or is eligible for extension under another AAIP stream. Candidates are only eligible for one AAIP Nomination Certificate；
- You have been issued a letter on a previous AAIP application that stated you are not eligible to re-apply to the AAIP for a specified period of time. If you apply during the specified period, it will be declined；
- You have a removal order issued against you by IRCC or CBSA；
- You are a foreign national living or working in Canada with no valid temporary resident status.
Processing Time
The processing time of CIC will be updated weekly, please refer to the latest time announced by CIC.
Fees
- The service fee is charged according to the customer’s situation. If the customer’s situation is more complicated, there may be additional charges (refer to customer evaluation).