The Alberta government wants to more than double its tourism economy by 2035, initiating the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program Tourism and Hospitality Stream, which is geared towards temporary foreign hospitality workers who want to stay permanently in Canada. 

However, while the stream has seen high demand since its launch on March 1, the President and CEO of the Alberta Hospitality and Lodging Association, Tracy Douglas-Blowers, says that job vacancies in the sector are not as pronounced anymore. 

TFWs are eligible for this stream if they have worked full-time in tourism and hospitality for at least 6 months and have a permanent job offer. 

“I know that the intake was overwhelmed with applications on its first day, which suggests that there is a lot of demand,” says Douglas-Blowers. 

“We also know there are a number of workers who came to Alberta either through the temporary foreign worker program or as Ukrainian evacuees who want to stay and continue to contribute to the hospitality industry, and employers who very much want to keep those people who have built up their skills and committed themselves to the industry.”

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Jason Foster, who is an associate professor of human resources and labour relations at Athabasca University and director of Parkland Institute at the University of Alberta, raised his concerns with the program, advocating for more avenues for temporary foreign workers to find PR, but is worried that the program increases workers’ dependency on their employers. 

“Now, not only is their temporary residency dependent upon keeping their employer happy, now their hopes of being able to stay here permanently depend upon keeping their employer happy, and that is a situation that can make workers very vulnerable to mistreatment and exploitation,” he said.

He also added that some employers take advantage of workers’ lack of knowledge of the system and that governments need to create criteria that workers can achieve without their employers’ input. This would reduce their reliance on an employer.

“The program is committed to safeguarding against abuse and misuse, actively collaborating with federal and provincial/territorial counterparts. With overwhelming interest in the new stream, a staged intake process has been adopted to manage applications effectively, with subsequent stages to be announced soon,” said Muhammad Yaseen, Minister of Immigration and Multiculturalism, to Global News.

The employment requirements for the stream are as follows:

Current Employment

At the time that an application is submitted and at the time the AAIP assesses their application, the applicant must:

• be living and working in Alberta in an eligible occupation for an approved Tourism and Hospitality employer; and
• have a valid work permit based on a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) for an eligible occupation. Please note that maintained status is not considered a substitute for a valid work permit.

Work Experience

At the time the application is submitted and at the time the AAIP assesses the application, the applicant must have been working full-time (30 hours per week minimum) with an approved Tourism and Hospitality employer, in one of the eligible occupations, for a minimum of six consecutive months (or minimum of 780 hours) the time they apply.

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Work Experience

• must have been for the same employer as your current Alberta job offer
• must have been paid
• must have been authorized by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and with valid temporary resident status if completed in Alberta or Canada

Job Offer Or Employment Contract

At the time an application is submitted and at the time the AAIP assesses the application, the applicant must have a bona fide full-time job offer or employment contract:

• for work in an eligible occupation and
• for the same Alberta employer as the required 6 consecutive months (780 hours) of work experience and their current employment

Ineligible Applicants Based On Job Offer

The following individuals are not eligible to apply for or be nominated, even if they have a job offer to work 30 hours a week or more in a 12-month period:

• part-time, casual or seasonal employees 
• independent contractors, business owners or temporary agency workers, including individuals listed as directors, shareholders or agents of the Alberta employer on the Corporate Registry System (CORES)
• employees who work in Alberta in a place of employment that is not zoned for commercial or industrial operations
• employees who do not work on in Alberta