The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) has announced that the list of qualifying occupations for the popular U.S. Visa Holder category is currently under revision. It is anticipated that a new list of qualifying occupations will likely be more restrictive than the current one. Applicants who qualify under existing requirements are encouraged to submit their applications as soon as possible, to avoid being subject to new government regulations.
The U.S. Visa Holder category of the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) has been an extremely popular option for fast-track Canadian immigration since it was introduced last year. The greatest appeal of this category is that U.S. H1B Visa holders are not required to have a job offer to qualify, provided that they have work experience in an occupation that is in high demand in Alberta.
At present, Alberta is revising this list of high demand occupations based on changing labour market needs in the province. Earlier this month, the AINP Office had announced that a new list would be published on April 15th. The new list was not released on this date and the notice has since been removed from the AINP website, with no later date determined.
A new occupation list may be implemented at any time, without notice. At that time, applicants whose occupations are removed from the list will no longer qualify under this fast-track category.
At present, the AINP continues to accept applications from U.S. H1B holders with work experience in all the occupations on the current list.
If you qualify for the U.S. H1B program at this time, you are advised to submit your application as early as possible. Find out if you qualify.