Alberta Rural Entrepreneur Stream

AAIP Alberta Rural Entrepreneur Stream Program

The Rural Entrepreneur Stream is Alberta’s Economic migration program for the people who want to start a Business or buy an existing one in the alberta rural community to obtain Canadian PR can submit an expression of Interest

Overview

Alberta can nominate qualified and capable entrepreneurs who want to start a new or buy an existing firm in a rural Alberta community through the Rural Entrepreneur Stream.

Who is an entrepreneur?

An entrepreneur is someone who starts a business with the intention of profiting from it. An entrepreneur is often seen as an innovator, providing new ideas, commodities, services, and business/or operations.

Entrepreneurs play an important role in Alberta’s economy, anticipating demands and creating opportunities for Albertans. Entrepreneurs who succeed in taking on the risks of starting a business are rewarded with earnings and chances for ongoing expansion.

Rural Alberta communities are defined under the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) as any community with a population of less than 100,000 people. The AAIP calculates a community’s population using Statistics Canada’s most recent census.

Eligibility

To be eligible for this stream, candidates must meet the following criteria:

Table 1. Requirements for the Rural Entrepreneur Stream

AreaRequirements
Work experienceHave either a minimum 3 years of experience as an active business owner/manager or a minimum of 4 years of experience as a senior manager within the past 10 years.
EducationCompleted a minimum of high school equivalent to the Canadian standard with an Education Credential Assessment (ECA).The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website lists the designated organizations for ECAs
Language

Must have a minimum canadian language benchmark (CLB) level of 4 for each module in English level of skill. Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) of 4 for each French language skill: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.The test should not be more than 2 years old at the time you submit your Expression of Interest. The AAIP only accepts the following language tests.

Check the IRCC website on CLB/NCLC equivalency for each of the tests.

Net worthMinimum net worth of $300,000. All assets must be candidate’s own personal holdings or spouse’s or common-law partner’s.
Business investmentMinimum investment of $100,000 from candidate’s own (and/or spouse/common-law partner) equity. Higher levels of investment will be awarded more points.
Business establishment

Minimum ownership of 51% for a new business. Business Partners must be Canadian Citizens or Permanent Residents.OR

100% ownership for business succession (the succession buy-out must result in a complete change in ownership where the candidate will assume full control of the business).

Business must not be on the list of ineligible businesses.

Resources on how to establish a business in Alberta, including supports and services related to business plan development, business start-up, and business loans are available on the Small business resource page.

Job creation

The Business should create at least one full time job for Permanent resident or Canadian Citizen. The more jobs you create awards you more points to your CRS score. Jobs must sustain for atleast 6 months and must be for the Canadian Citizen and Permanent Resident (not including relatives)

For business succession, job creation is not required.

Community support letterCandidates must have a Community Support Letter from a participating rural Alberta community.

Factors that increase your chances

If candidates have one or more of the factors in Table 3, this may increase their likelihood of receiving a Request to Submit a Business Application.

Table 2. Factors that increase your chances

Economic BenefitBusiness succession
Age21 to 49
Spouse

Your spouse/common-law partner has one of the following:

  • completed at least one year of full-time post-secondary education (Certificate, Associate Degree, Diploma, Bachelor’s Degree or higher) or
  • a minimum level Canadian Language Benchmark 4 in English or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens 4 in French in all four language abilities (Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking). Language test results must be less than 2 years old at the time the Expression of Interest is submitted.
Alberta relativeRelatives are defined as father, step-father, mother, step-mother, child, step-child, sister, step-sister, brother, step-brother of candidate or spouse or common-law partner

Selection from EOI pool

The AAIP is currently accepting EOIs under the Rural Entrepreneur Stream. The information provided in the EOI, Business Proposal Summary, Net Worth Worksheet and Community Support Letter will be assessed and points will be awarded by the AAIP based on the Rural Entrepreneur Stream Points Grid. Alberta may select candidates with the highest-ranking points and request they submit a Business Application. For more information on the application process, see How to apply. Table 3. Rural Entrepreneur Stream Points Grid
Criteria Descriptions Points
Rural Factor (25 points)
Business Location(Maximum of 25 points) Mandatory requirement Rural CommunityCommunity outside the Edmonton and Calgary Census Metropolitan Areas and under 100,000 population size (mandatory minimum)
Tier 1: Less than 10,000 population 25
Tier 2: 10,001 to 50,000 population 17
Tier 3: 50,001 to 99,999 population 10
Business Experience Factor (20 points)
Business owner-manager or senior management experience within the past 10 years(Maximum of 20 points) Mandatory requirement Business owner-manager
3 to less than 4 years (mandatory minimum) 12
4 to less than 5 years 16
5 or more years 20
or Senior manager
4 to less than 5 years (mandatory minimum) 12
5 to less than 6 years 16
6 or more years 20
Business Establishment Factors (60 points)
Total Business Investment(Maximum of 20 points) Mandatory requirement $100,000 to $399,999 (mandatory minimum) 5
$400,000 to $599,999 10
$600,000 to $799,999 15
$800,000 or more 20
Net Worth(Maximum of 10 points) Mandatory requirement $300,000 to $399,999 (mandatory minimum) 6
$400,000 to $499,999 8
$500,000 or more 10
Job CreationJobs must be created for Canadian Citizens or Permanent residents (not including relatives) for a period of at least 6 months. (Maximum of 20 points) Mandatory requirement For business succession, job creation is not mandatory; however, candidates will be awarded points for job creation. 1 job (mandatory minimum) 4
2 jobs 8
3 jobs 12
4 jobs 16
5 jobs or more 20
Business Successions(Maximum of 10 points) Not a Mandatory requirement Investment to takeover an existing business 10
Human Capital Factors (35 points)
Language Proficiency(Maximum of 25 points) Mandatory requirement Proficiency in English or French:
CLB/NCLC 4 (4 for each Reading, Writing, Learning and Speaking) (mandatory minimum) 15
CLB/NCLC 5 (5 for each Reading, Writing, Learning and Speaking) 20
CLB/NCLC 6 or higher (6 for each Reading, Writing, Learning and Speaking) 25
Education(Maximum of 10 points) Mandatory requirement High-school Diploma equivalent to Canadian standards (mandatory minimum) 4
Associate Degree or Diploma (at least one year) 7
Bachelor’s degree or higher 10
Adaptability Factors (35 points)
Canada/Alberta experience from work or studies within the past 10 years(Maximum of 15 points) Not a mandatory requirement
In rural Alberta
12 to 24 months 10
More than 24 months 15
And / OrIn non-rural Alberta (Calgary and Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area)
18 to 30 months 6
More than 30 months 10
And / OrIn Canada
24 to 36 months 3
More than 36 months 5
Relative(s) in the community or Alberta(Maximum of 10 points) Not a mandatory requirement Relatives are defined as father, step-father, mother, step-mother, child, step-child, sister, step-sister, brother, step-brother of candidate or spouse/common-law partner
Relative(s) living in Alberta 5
or
Relative(s) living in the community where you intend to reside and operate a business 10
Spouse’s/Common-law partner’s Language Proficiency or Education(Maximum of 5 points) Not a mandatory requirement Proficiency in English or French:
CLB/NCLC 4 (4 for each Reading, Writing, Learning and Speaking) 3
CLB/NCLC 5 (5 for each Reading, Writing, Learning and Speaking) 4
CLB/NCLC 6 or higher (6 or higher for each Reading, Writing, Learning and Speaking) 5
and / or Education:
Certificate, Associate Degree or Diploma (at least one year) 3
Bachelor’s degree or higher 5
Age(Maximum of 5 points) Not a mandatory requirement 21 to 49 5
Maximum Points 175

Selection and notification process

Once the AAIP receives your Business Application, it will be assessed against eligibility criteria and your EOI Points will be verified. An AAIP Program Officer may contact you for additional information.

The AAIP does not promise that all complete Business Applications received will be evaluated, or that all candidates who meet the evaluation requirements will be awarded a Business Application Approval Letter and/or nomination certificate. For more information, see the declaration for the Rural Entrepreneur Stream, which is available on the AAIP Portal, as well as the Program’s Terms and Conditions. The AAIP’s nomination or submission of a Business Application does not guarantee that you will be granted a permanent resident visa.