Alberta: New fast-track program for tech workers

Alberta has established a new Canada immigration option for individuals with employment offers in one of 38 technological vocations. On Thursday, January 13, the government unveiled the Accelerated Tech Pathway, which is intended to help the province's expanding tech economy and aid in the recovery from the COVID-19 epidemic.

The pathway, which falls under the Express Entry Stream of the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP), provides a quick path to permanent residency for technology professionals who want to live and work in the province. It seeks candidates in 38 National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes from both Canada and abroad. The targeted NOC codes for Alberta Accelerated Tech Pathway are as given below:

NOC 0013 - Senior managers – financial, communications, and other business services

NOC 0112 - Human resources managers

NOC 0131 - Telecommunication carriers manager

NOC 0211 - Engineering managers

NOC 0212 - Architecture and science managers

NOC 0213 - Computer and information systems managers

NOC 0512 - Managers – publishing, motion pictures, broadcasting, and performing arts

NOC 0601 - Corporate sales managers

NOC 1123 - Professional occupations in advertising, marketing, and public relations

NOC 1121 - Human resources professionals

NOC 1223 - Human resources and recruitment officers

NOC 2131 - Civil engineers

NOC 2132 - Mechanical engineers

NOC 2133 - Electrical and electronics engineers

NOC 2147 - Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers)

NOC 2161 - Mathematicians, statisticians, and actuaries

NOC 2171 - Information systems analysts and consultants

NOC 2172 - Database analysts and data administrators

NOC 2173 - Software engineers and designers

NOC 2174 - Computer programmers and interactive media developers

NOC 2175 - Web designers and developers

NOC 2221 - Biological technologists and technicians

NOC 2232 - Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians

NOC 2233 - Industrial engineering and manufacturing technologists and technicians

NOC 2241 - Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians

NOC 2253 - Drafting technologists and technicians

NOC 2281 - Computer network technicians

NOC 2282 - User support technicians

NOC 2283 - Information systems testing technicians

NOC 3211 - Medical laboratory technologists

NOC 3212 - Medical laboratory technicians and pathologists' assistants

NOC 3219 - Other medical technologists and technicians (except dental health)

NOC 4163 - Business development officers and marketing researchers and consultants

NOC 5131 - Producers, directors, choreographers, and related occupations

NOC 5241 - Graphic designers and illustrators

NOC 7241 - Electricians (except industrial and power system)

NOC 7242 - Industrial electricians

NOC 7246 - Telecommunications installation and repair workers

The new pathway aligns Alberta with other Canadian provinces that already have programs aimed at tech workers, such as Ontario and British Columbia.

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"The sooner we can fill these jobs with skilled and qualified workers, the stronger our overall recovery will be – and that benefits all Albertans, regardless of where they live or what they do," said Tyler Shandro, Minister of Labour and Immigration.

Alberta has over 3,000 technology enterprises, a 233 percent growth since 2012. According to a 2021 survey, one of the most challenging obstacles for Alberta IT entrepreneurs is finding sales and technical expertise.

To encourage international students to create enterprises in the province, the province already has a Foreign Graduate Start-Up Visa Stream and an International Graduate Entrepreneur Immigration Stream.