The province of Alberta has made an adjustment in the application process of its "U.S. Visa Holder Category", which facilitate the entry of U.S. visa holders currently working temporarily in the United States on H-1B, into Alberta’s permanent labor force without requiring them to arrange employment from an Alberta employer.
Added last year into the Strategic Recruitment Stream, the U.S. Visa Holder Category of Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) was previously required a candidate to first submit a basic application. After a review of this basic application, AINP issued an invitation to qualified candidates only to submit a full application. If an assessment of candidate’s full application resulted positive, the AINP issued a certificate of nomination to the candidate. The nominee will then be directed to forward a federal permanent residence application to the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) visa office abroad.
As of January 2009, the modified process of U.S. Visa Holder Category has eliminated the initial invitation portion of the application. Applicants are now required to submit their full application along with necessary supporting documents right away for an assessment.
The U.S. Visa Holder Category of AINP’s Strategic Recruitment Stream was originally created to help fill skill shortages in priority sectors and build Alberta’s skilled workforce for the long term. This category targets professional workers with specialized skills and North American experience to apply directly to AINP providing they meet the criteria for the program. To be eligible, an applicant must be currently employed in the U.S. on an H-1B (or H1-B1, H-1C and E-3) visa and have been working there for at least one year in an occupation where there are skill shortages in Alberta [PDF]. On average, those nominated for permanent residency by AINP obtain it in 6-18 months.
The U.S. Visa Holder Category also allows applicants to start working in Alberta immediately, if they find employment in their field in Alberta just after being approved as a Provincial Nominee but prior to their application for permanent residence with CIC being finalized.
In coming weeks, a sharp boost in the U.S. Visa Holder Category is expected. A recent bill introduced in the United States Senate, if passed, would prohibit American firms that receive federal bailout money from hiring H-1B workers to protect the jobs of Americans by minimizing the number of foreign workers in the country during the current economic troubles. Should the bill pass, Canada, and particularly the province of Alberta, will be an attractive option for these professional workers.
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
