Alberta recently declared that it will start fast-tracking immigrant applications for permanent residency if they have close family members living in the province. In the initiative under the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program, 25% of the province’s Express Entry selection with skill and experience for high-demand occupations will be having close family ties in Alberta. It means, they must be a parent, a sibling, or a child of someone residing in the province.
Alberta Jobs in demand even with Covid19 Around
This new addition to the program is to encourage people with family ties to land a good job and settle in the province. One of the primary reasons is the growing labor crisis throughout Canada. The province itself predicts a shortage of more than 33,000 workers by 2025 that can harm the economy in multiple ways. However, the particular move is based on the feedback of the foreign workers. According to Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Rajan Sawhney, newcomers feel more welcomed and comfortable if they can find social connections in the province.
These new announcements regarding smoothening the path to permanent residency should be able to resolve the labor crisis. According to Scott Crockatt, vice-president of the Business Council of Alberta, around 60% of the employers in Alberta are unable to recruit skilled workers that can have a long-term impact on the growth of businesses.