International Graduate Criteria
Note:
If you are an international graduate who meets most of the criteria below, you may be eligible to apply without an employer. Visit the Strategic Recruitment Stream Post-Graduate Worker Category page for details.
International Graduate Category criteria include but are not limited to:
Alberta Employer criteria
As an Alberta Employer, you must:
- Be incorporated or registered by or under an act of the legislature of a province or the Parliament of Canada and operating as a business that has an established production capability, plant or place of business in Alberta.
- Provide a permanent, full-time job offer to the candidate that:
- Falls under one of the following National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill levels:
- NOC 0: Management occupations
- NOC A: Occupations that usually require university education.
- NOC B: Occupations that usually require college education.
- NOC C: Occupations that usually require specific training and/or secondary education. Please note only candidates working in a NOC C occupation must complete a designated language test with scores that meet language requirements. More details are listed under Candidate criteria below.
- Some occupations are not eligible for consideration under the International Graduate Category. Please review the list of ineligible occupations (list updated June 20, 2014). If the occupation your potential Candidate is performing is on this list, you are not eligible to apply to the AINP under this category.
- Meets Alberta’s employment and wage standards.
- Does not conflict with existing collective bargaining agreements. The AINP will not approve an application if there is a labour dispute in progress that may directly or indirectly involve the employer or the candidate.
- Falls under one of the following National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill levels:
- Show you are offering wages and benefits to the candidate that meet industry standards.
- Visit the ALIS website for wage and benefit standards.
Candidate criteria
As a Candidate, you must:
- Clearly show in the application that you are able to and intend to live permanently in Alberta.
- Be working full-time in Alberta, for the employer who is supporting your application, at the time of application.
- Be performing the same occupation as is stated on your permanent, full-time job offer from your employer.
- Be working in an occupation that falls under one of the following National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill levels:
- NOC 0: Management occupations
- NOC A: Occupations that usually require university education.
- NOC B: Occupations that usually require college education.
- NOC C: Occupations that usually require specific training and/or secondary education. Please note, only candidates working in a NOC C occupation, must complete a designated language test with scores that meet language requirements. More details are listed below.
- Some occupations are not eligible for consideration under the International Graduate Category. Please review the list of ineligible occupations (list updated June 20, 2014). If the occupation your potential Candidate is performing is on this list, you are not eligible to apply to the AINP under this category.
- Have obtained a certificate, diploma, degree, or have completed a graduate level program from
- one of these AINP approved Alberta public and private post-secondary institutions or
- a publicly funded community college, trade/technical school or university in another Canadian province or territory.
- The program of study in Canada must have been at least one year (i.e. minimum of two semesters of full-time study, or equivalent) in duration.
- Have a current and valid Post-Graduation Work Permit issued by IRCC.
- If working in a NOC C occupation, you must submit official test results showing that you meet the minimum language standards, and your test results cannot be more than two years old at the time of application to the AINP. The only official test results that the AINP will accept are listed below, along with the minimum language standards. If you do not have test results or your test results are more than two years old, go to the Language Test Centresection of the AINP website for up-to-date information on testing availability:
- A Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) General Test taken on or before March 31, 2014, with minimum scores of:
- Listening: 2H
- Reading: 2H
- Writing: 2H
- Speaking: 2H
- A Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) General Test taken on or after April 1, 2014, with minimum scores of:
- Listening: 4
- Reading: 4
- Writing: 4
- Speaking: 4
- An International English Language Testing System (IELTS) General Test with minimum scores of:
- Listening: 4.5
- Reading: 3.5
- Writing: 4
- Speaking: 4
- A Test d’Évaluation de Français (TEF) with minimum scores of:
- Listening: 145
- Reading: 121
- Writing: 181
- Speaking: 181
- A Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) General Test taken on or before March 31, 2014, with minimum scores of:
Who is not eligible?
- Individuals working in occupations on the International Graduate Category ineligible occupations list (PDF).
- Note: Supervisors, foremen and tradespeople, working in a Compulsory or Optional Trade in Alberta (including Chefs, Cooks, and Line Cooks) are eligible under the Strategic Recruitment Stream, Compulsory and Optional Trades Category.
- Refugee claimants, or individuals involved in a federal appeal or removal process. It is not the mandate of the AINP to intervene in the federal refugee claim, appeal or removal process.
- Live-in Caregivers currently living in Canada.
- Temporary Foreign Workers working and residing in a province other than Alberta.
- International students studying in Canada, including students doing co-op work placements or internships as part of their study program.