Glossary of terms

Accompanying dependent:

A spouse or dependent child of the principal applicant who intends to immigrate to Canada.
Alberta Provincial Nominee:

A person for whom the Alberta Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) has issued a Provincial Nominee Certificate of Nomination.
Alberta Provincial Nominee Program:

An immigration selection program that allows the Province of Alberta to recommend foreign nationals/workers to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) for permanent residency (Commonly referred to as the Alberta PNP).
Canadian citizen:

A person who is Canadian by birth or who has applied for citizenship through Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and has received a Canadian citizenship certificate.
Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC):

A self-regulating association of paid immigration representatives who are citizens or permanent residents of Canada.
Certificate of Nomination:

A certificate issued by the Alberta Provincial Nominee Program directly to a Citizenship and Immigration Canada Visa Office recommending a foreign national for permanent residence consideration under the Federal Economic Class.
CIC:

Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) Visa Office:

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) office at a Canadian embassy, high commission or consulate that makes a determination on the issuance of visas, including temporary resident and permanent resident visas.
Common-law partner:

A common-law partner is a person who has been living with the principal applicant in a conjugal relationship for at least one year, usually in Canada. The term refers to opposite-sex and same-sex relationships.
Conjugal partner:

A person outside of Canada who has maintained a conjugal relationship with the principal applicant for at least one year, usually overseas. The term refers to both opposite-sex and same-sex relationships.
Consulate:

These are offices located in major but not capital cities. They generally offer the full range of services, including consular services.

Dependent children:

For information regarding the definition of dependent children, see the related link below for the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) definition of dependent children.
Eligible employer:

Incorporated or registered by or under an act of the legislature of a province of the Parliament of Canada, operating as a business that has an established production capability, plant, or place of business in Alberta.
Embassy:

These are offices located in the capital cities of non-Commonwealth countries and generally offer the full range of services, including consular services. Example: Canadian embassy in Paris, France.
Employer approval:

Alberta employer whose application for a specific occupation has been approved by the Alberta Provincial Nominee Program.
Family class:

Permanent residents sponsored by a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident living in Canada who is 18 years of age or over.
Foreign national:

A person who is not a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident. This includes a stateless person.
High Commission:

These are the same as embassies but are located in the capital cities of Commonwealth countries. Example: Canadian High Commission in London, England
Intended occupation:

The occupation in which a provincial nominee candidate plans to work in Alberta. It should be consistent with the applicant's training and experience.
International graduate:

Temporary Foreign Worker on a Post-Graduation Work Permit who has graduated from an eligible educational institution and who has secured permanent, full-time employment with an Alberta employer.
Labour Market Opinion (LMO) Confirmation:

When hiring a foreign worker, the employer must generally submit an application to Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC) requesting a Labour Market Opinion (LMO) Confirmation.
The LMO Confirmation from HRSDC confirms that having a foreign worker employed in the LMO specific occupation will not have a negative impact on the labour market in Canada.
National Occupational Classification (NOC):

The National Occupational Classification (NOC) is a classification system that describes duties, skills, talents and work settings for occupations in the Canadian economy. See below for the link to the National Occupational Classification.
Non-accompanying dependent:

A spouse or dependent child of the principal applicant who does not intend to immigrate to Canada.
Permanent resident:

A person who is legally in Canada on a permanent basis as an immigrant or refugee, but not yet a Canadian citizen (formerly known as landed immigrant).
Permanent Resident Card:

Permanent residents receive a Permanent Resident Card as proof of their status in Canada. Replacing the former Record of Landing (IMM1000), the card is a secure, machine-readable and fraud-resistant document, valid for five years.
Permanent resident visa:

Visa issued by the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) visa office overseas in order for a foreign national to enter Canada permanently.
Post-graduation work permit:

A Post Graduation Work Permit is a document issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada to international students who have graduated from eligible Canadian post-secondary institutions. See the related link below for information on Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) Post-Graduation Work Permit Program.
Principal applicant:

The individual who must meet the Alberta Provincial Nominee Program selection criteria.

For the purposes of the Alberta PNP, the principal applicant is also the Provincial Nominee Candidate or the Provincial Nominee.
Provincial Nominee:

A foreign national selected by the province of Alberta for specific skills that will contribute to the local economy to meet specific labour market needs. A provincial nominee must meet federal admissibility requirements, such as those related to health and security.
Provincial Nominee Candidate:

A foreign national who has been selected for nomination by an approved employer.
Provincial Nominee Candidate (employee) application package:

The package including all forms, supporting documents and information provided to the Alberta Provincial Nominee Program for consideration.
Refugee claimant:

A refugee claimant is a person who requests refugee protection status.
Semi-skilled worker:

Provincial Nominee Candidate whose occupation requires secondary school and/or occupation-specific training, or on-the-job training.
Skilled worker:

Provincial Nominee Candidate whose occupation requires formal education and/or specialized training.
Spouse:

A person of the opposite sex or same sex to whom the principal applicant is legally married.
Study permit:

A document issued by a Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) visa or immigration officer authorizing a foreign national to study in Canada.
Temporary foreign worker:

A foreign national who has been authorized to enter and remain in Canada, on a temporary basis, as a worker.
Visitor visa:

A document issued by a Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) visa or immigration officer authorizing a foreign national to enter Canada on a temporary basis. (Necessary for foreign workers who are from a country where a visa is required to enter Canada.)
Work permit:

A document with terms and conditions that is issued by a Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) visa or immigration officer allowing a foreign national to work temporarily in Canada.
*An approved provincial nominee may be eligible for an extension of their temporary work permit while awaiting a decision on their permanent residence application from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). This work permit would not require Service Canada validation, if the nominee has a job offer in his/her assessed occupation and a supporting letter from the Alberta PNP.

Status of applications

Please note the Alberta Provincial Nominee Program is a two-step process

• Step 1: An employer who is unable to fill skilled or select semi-skilled positions with Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada may apply to the program to have a foreign worker candidate nominated on the employer's behalf.
  
• Step 2: The provincial nominee candidate, identified by the employer, is assessed to ensure that he or she has the required education, training and work experience relevant to the occupation. The candidate is only assessed once the employer is approved for the occupation.
  
  Processing times may vary depending on the volume of applications received
  
  Please note that we ask applicants to allow a minimum of 30 to 90 days for our office to process each step in the application process.
  Applications will be assessed in the order in which they are received. Complete applications with all required supporting documents will result in faster processing times.
  Submitting additions or changes to your Alberta PNP application
  
  You may submit additional documents or changes to your application by mail or fax as indicated below.
  
  For inquiries regarding the status of applications, contact the Alberta PNP
  
  Telephone (Toll-free in Alberta): 1-877.427-6419
  Outside Alberta: 780.427-6419
  

Contact Provincial Nominee Program Staff by e-mail

We request that employers allow the Alberta PNP a minimum of 30 days to process their application prior to contacting our office for status updates.
We request that provincial nominee candidates allow the Alberta PNP a minimum of 30 days to process their application from the time the employer is approved prior to contacting our office for status updates.
To revise or update your Alberta PNP application, contact


Alberta Provincial Nominee Program
Suite 940, Telus Plaza North Tower
10025 Jasper Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta T5J 1S6
Fax Number: (780) 427-6560

News


April 30, 2008
PNP Semi-Skilled Worker Category - Foodservices Industry (Pilot Project)
The Alberta Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), in consultation with the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA), has introduced a new pilot project to address labour challenges faced by the foodservices industry in Alberta.
In May 2008, the PNP will host two information sessions, one each in Calgary and Edmonton, for employers who plan to submit an application under this pilot project.
April 30, 2008
New PNP guidelines for chefs, cooks (level 1) and line cooks (level 2)
The Alberta Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), in consultation with the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA), has introduced new guidelines for the occupations of chef, cook and line cook. The new guidelines for these occupations are effective May 1, 2008.
October 29, 2007
PNP Semi-Skilled Worker Category - Food & Beverage Processing Industry
The Alberta Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) in consultation with Alberta Agriculture and Food has introduced new English as a Second Language (ESL) requirements for the Food & Beverage Processing Industry.
September 28, 2007
New application forms are available. Previous versions of application forms will be accepted until April 1, 2008, at which time the Alberta Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) reserves the right to request that applicants complete the new forms.
Applications submitted prior to October 1, 2007 will continue to be processed in the usual manner.
If you are a candidate whose employer has already been approved, you may use the new application forms. Please refer to your specific category for information on using the new application forms.

• Skilled Worker
  

If applying under the Skilled Worker Category, please note that there are only two application forms that are now required. Please refer to the Skilled Worker section for more information.

• International Graduate
  

If applying under the International Graduate Category, please note that there are only two application forms that are now required. Please refer to the International Graduate section for more information.

• Semi-Skilled Worker
  

If applying under the Semi-Skilled Worker Category, please note that the procedure has remained the same. However, the application forms that are required have been changed. Please refer to the Semi-Skilled Worker section for more information.

September 24, 2007
PNP Semi-Skilled Worker Category - Hotel and Lodging Industry
The Alberta Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) will accept the occupation of Front Desk Agent/Clerk for consideration under the Hotel and Lodging Industry.
August 13, 2007
PNP Semi-Skilled Worker Category - Hotel and Lodging Industry
The Alberta Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) has recently expanded the number of eligible allocations to accommodate the larger properties within Alberta’s Hotel and Lodging Industry.
July 26, 2007
PNP Eligible Manufacturing Occupations (PDF)
The Alberta Provincial Nominee Program has recently added two new manufacturing industry occupations under the Semi Skilled Worker Category. The two new occupations are:

• Manufactured Housing Production Worker (NOC 9493)
  
• Prefabricated Housing Assembler (NOC 9493)
  

May 22, 2007
Expanded program will help increase immigration flow
An expanded Alberta Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) could help reduce the province's labour shortage by allowing employer applications for newly graduated international students and workers in the food and beverage processing, hospitality, manufacturing and transportation industries.

International Qualifications Assessment Service


What can the International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS) do?


The International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS) can help individuals obtain recognition for the education they received outside of Canada.
IQAS issues assessment certificates that show how educational credentials from other countries compare to educational standards in Canada.
Who uses IQAS?


IQAS is used by individuals looking for recognition of their out of country credentials, as well as by professional licensing bodies, educational institutions, and employers.
The Alberta Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) may request a Provincial Nominee Candidate to submit proof of an IQAS assessment.
For more information regarding assessments, contact:

International Qualifications Assessment Service
9th Floor, 108 Street Building
9942 - 108 Street
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada T5K 2J5
IQAS Telephone: (780) 427-2655
IQAS Fax: (780) 422-9734