Rural Renewal Stream

The Rural Renewal Stream supports the attraction and retention of newcomers to rural Alberta through a community-driven approach that supports local economic development needs and contributes to the growth of the community. The Rural Renewal Stream empowers rural communities to recruit and retain foreign nationals to live, work and settle in their communities.

Candidates can apply on their own using the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program portal.

Details

• Community designation
• Eligibility criteria
• How to apply
• After you are nominated

Review the selection criteria below to determine if you are eligible to apply for the Alberta Opportunity Stream (AOS).

You may only have one active Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) application in process. If you already submitted an application under the Employer-Driven Stream or Strategic Recruitment Stream postmarked before June 14, 2018, do not re-apply under this stream. You may request to withdraw your previous application. This must be done in writing and sent by registered mail or courier. Your file number must be included in the request. The AINP must confirm your application has been withdrawn before a new application can be submitted.

Application intake and nomination guidelines may be put in place that would set the maximum number of applications accepted and nominations issued each year, as well as maximums for applications and nominations by sector and occupation. Announcements about application intake and nomination guidelines will be available on the AINP news page.

Selection Criteria

To be eligible to apply to the Alberta Opportunity Stream, you must meet all the selection criteria for the Alberta Opportunity Stream.

The documents required to prove that you meet criteria are identified in the Alberta Opportunity Stream Document Checklist (PDF).

The selection criteria for language, education and income will be changing over the next three years. Minimum requirements will increase for each of these criteria. This phased approach has been put in place to allow candidates time to adjust to higher requirements. The current and future requirements for each of the selection criterion are noted below. A summary of future criteria requirements is available on the Planned AOS Criteria Changes webpage.

1. Residency status and work permit requirements

At the time your application is postmarked and at the time the AINP assesses your application:

• You must have valid temporary resident status in Canada that authorizes you to work in Canada (i.e. temporary foreign worker). Ineligible residency status for the program includes the following:
  
  • 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
  • temporary residents living or working in a province or territory of Canada other than Alberta, or
  • foreign nationals living or working in Canada who do not have valid temporary resident status.
• You must have a valid work permit (not implied status or restoration status) for an eligible occupation based on either:
  
  • a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), or
  • a LMIA exemption for workers covered under international trade agreements, workers transferred within a company, or people taking part in International Experience Canada, as determined by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC); or
  • a LMIA exemption as a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) holder, and you must:
    
    • have met the requirements for graduation for an Alberta Advanced Education approved credential issued by an Alberta Advanced Education approved Alberta public and private post-secondary institution, and
    • your Alberta credential must be on the Alberta Opportunity Stream List of Alberta Advanced Education Approved Post-Secondary Credentials, and
    • your current occupation must be related to your field of study in Alberta.
      
      • if you graduated with an eligible one year post-graduate certificate, your current occupation must also be related to your previous undergraduate or graduate field of study outside Canada.
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2. Occupation requirements

At the time your application is postmarked and at the time the AINP assesses your application you must be:

• working in an eligible occupation in Alberta, and
• working in an occupation that matches your previous work experience.

If you are a Post-Graduation Work Permit holder with an eligible Alberta Advanced Education approved post-secondary credential issued by an Advanced Education approved Alberta public and private post-secondary institution, your occupation must also be related to your field of study in Alberta.

• if you completed an Advanced Education-approved one year post-graduate certificate, your occupation must also be related to your previous undergraduate or graduate field of study outside Canada.

Most occupations under National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill levels 0, A, B, C and D are eligible under the AINP.

Ineligible occupations

Some occupations are not eligible under this stream.

There are two ineligible occupation lists:

1. The list that applies to all candidates is the Alberta Opportunity Stream Ineligible Occupations list.

• If your occupation is on this list you are not eligible to apply.
• All candidates (including Post-Graduation Work Permit holders) must review this list.

    If you are a Post-Graduation Work Permit Holder, you must also review the second list of ineligible occupations. There are additional occupations that are ineligible if you are working on a Post-Graduation Work Permit.

2. The second list that applies to candidates on a Post-Graduation Work Permit is the list of High-wage and low-wage occupations in the province of Alberta set out on this online Government of Canada Refusal to Process a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) list. These occupations are not in demand in Alberta and can be filled by Albertans and Canadians.

• All occupations in this list are ineligible, including the specialized positions listed in the last column of each table. There are a few exceptions, which are noted in the tables.
• If your occupation is on this list you are not eligible to apply.

Note: If you are working on a Post-Graduation Work Permit, you must review both ineligible occupation lists to determine if your occupation is ineligible.

If you are working in an occupation that is not eligible, do not apply to the AINP as your application will not be accepted.

3. English or French language requirements

At the time your application is postmarked you must demonstrate you meet the following language test score in English or French:

Effective June 14, 2019, the test score required for English and French language skills will be increased to a minimum of 5 in each language skill. A summary of future criteria requirements is available on the Planned AOS Criteria Changes webpage.

Note: If you apply to the AINP under NOC code 3413 (Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates), the AINP requires a minimum language test score as follows:

• CLB of 7 for each English language skill; or
• NCLC of 7 for each French language skill

You must provide your official test results with your AINP application for one of the following language tests:

• Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) General Test,
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) General Training Test, or
• Test d'évaluation de français (TEF)

Official test results must be less than two years old at the time your application was postmarked. The AINP will not accept confirmation of registration to take a language test in place of a test result.

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

4. Education requirements

At the time your application is postmarked you must have completed a minimum of high school education in your country of origin.

Post-Graduation Work Permit holders must meet specific education criteria. If you are a Post-Graduation Work Permit holder you must have met the requirements for graduation for an Alberta Advanced Education approved credential issued by an Alberta Advanced Education approved Alberta public and private post-secondary institution

Your Alberta credential must be on the Alberta Opportunity Stream List of Alberta Advanced Education Approved Post-Secondary Credentials.

Effective January 1, 2021, candidates (excluding Post-Graduation Work Permit holders) will need to have completed a minimum of high school equivalent to Alberta standards to be eligible for AOS. A summary of future criteria requirements is available on the Planned AOS Criteria Changes webpage.

5. Work experience requirements

Your “current occupation” is the occupation you are working in at the time your application is postmarked to the AINP.
You must be working in an occupation that matches your work experience at the time your application is postmarked and at the time the AINP assesses your application.

Qualifying Work Experience

At the time your application is postmarked you must have either:

• a minimum of 12 months full-time work experience in your current occupation in Alberta within the last 18 months; or
• a minimum of 24 months of full-time work experience in your current occupation in Canada and/or abroad within the last 30 months
  This work experience can be a combination of experience gained in Alberta, in Canada (outside Alberta) and/or abroad; or
• if you are a Post-Graduation Work Permit holder:
  
  • a minimum of 6 months full-time work experience in your current occupation in Alberta within the last 18 months; and
  • your current occupation must be related to your field of study in Alberta of your Alberta Advanced Education approved credential at an Advanced Education approved Alberta public and private post-secondary institution.
    In addition, if you completed an Advanced Education-approved one year post-graduate certificate, your occupation must also be related to your previous undergraduate or graduate field of study outside Canada.
  • Note. You aren’t eligible to apply for a PGWP if you:
    • studied in a program that was less than eight months long
    • studied for more than eight months but not continuously (for example, you took a semester off)
    • took part in a Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Program funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC)
    • took part in a Government of Canada Awards Program funded by GAC
    • had funding from GAC
    • took part in the Equal Opportunity Scholarship, Canada-Chile
    • took part in the Canada-China Scholars Exchanges Program
    • took part in the Organization of American States Fellowships Program
    • completed a study program by distance learning either from abroad or from within Canada or
    • already had a post-graduation work permit following any other program of study.

  The work experience in the qualifying period:

  • must have been full-time, for a minimum of 30 hours/week; part-time work will not be considered,
  • must be for the same occupation as your current occupation,
  • must have been authorized by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and with valid temporary resident status if completed in Alberta or Canada, and
  • cannot have been gained while studying in Canada and doing co-op work placements or internships as part of a study program,
    
    • There is an exception to this rule if you are a Post-Graduation Work Permit holder. Work experience completed during paid co-op work terms that was part of a program of study at an Alberta post-secondary institution can be used by Post-Graduation Work Permit holders to meet the work experience criteria if it meets the following criteria:
      
      • the paid co-op work term was full-time (minimum 30 hours per week),
      • the work experience is directly related to your current occupation, and
      • the work experience was all gained in Alberta.

  At the time your application is postmarked and at the time the AINP assesses your application for nomination:

  • You must have the required licensing, registration or certification to work in your current occupation in Alberta.
  • You must have a bona fide full-time job offer from an Alberta employer to work in your current occupation in Alberta and be working full-time for that employer in Alberta in that occupation.
    
    • Your Alberta employer must be incorporated or registered by or under an act of the legislature of a province, territory, or the Parliament of Canada and operating as a business that has an established production capability, plant or place of business in Alberta, and
  • Your job offer must be signed by you and your Alberta employer and must offer:
    
    • continuous, paid work,
    • full-time work, defined as a minimum of 30 hours/week,
    • employment for 12 months or more,
    • work in your current occupation, and
    • work for an eligible AINP occupation for which you have a work permit that meets AINP work permit requirements
  • The following individuals are not eligible, even if they have a job offer to work 30 hours a week or more in a 12-month period:
    
    • part-time employees, regardless of their working hours,
    • independent contractors, business owners or temporary agency workers, including individuals listed as Directors, Shareholders or Agents of the Alberta employer on the Corporate Registry System (CORES),
    • employees who work in Alberta in a place of employment that is not zoned for commercial or industrial operations, such as a home-based business, or
    • employees who do not work on premises in Alberta, such as those who work in a “virtual” location or serve the employer by telecommuting from a location outside Alberta.

   

  6. Income level requirements

  At the time your application is postmarked and at the time the AINP assesses your application for nomination you must meet a minimum gross annual income level based on your “family unit” size. Your gross annual income is your yearly income before tax.

  Your “family unit” includes:

  you, and if applicable:

  • your spouse or common-law partner
  • your dependent children
  • your spouse or common-law partner’s dependent children
  • any dependent children of your dependent children
  • any dependent children of your spouse or common-law partner’s dependent children

  Dependent children include all children related by blood or legal ties (including adopted and foster children) who are:

  • under the age of 22 and do not have a spouse or common-law partner, or
  • 22 years of age or older and are unable to be financially self-sufficient since before the age of 22 due to a physical or mental condition
    Note: Even if you do not plan to bring members of your family unit until after you become a permanent resident, you must still include them as members of your family unit and meet the minimum income requirements for that family unit size.

    If you are not married, do not have a common-law partner, and do not have any children, then you are a family unit of one.

  You must complete and submit the Income Calculation Worksheet to demonstrate you meet the minimum income requirement for your family unit size.

  Taxable benefits may be included in your calculation of your yearly income before tax. Taxable benefits are defined by the Canada Revenue Agency. Information on taxable benefits is available in the Canada Revenue Agency’s Employers' Guide - Taxable Benefits and Allowances. We recommend you speak to your employer about any taxable benefits you receive before applying.

  You may be eligible to factor in your spouse or common-law partner’s yearly income before tax to meet the minimum income for your family size if, at the time of application, your spouse or common-law partner:

  has a yearly Alberta income before tax that is greater or equal to 42% of your yearly income before tax, and
  has a bona fide job offer from an Alberta employer for part-time or full-time work in any occupation and is working with authorization for that Alberta employer.
  You will need to be aware of any taxable benefits your spouse or common-law partner receives from your employers before you apply so that you can factor them in to your income.

  There are instructions on how to calculate your yearly income before tax in the worksheet. Read the instructions carefully as there are several important steps. There is also a Tip Sheet to help you through the process.

  The annual income required for each family size is based on Alberta’s Low Income Measure (LIM). The Alberta LIM is calculated for the Government of Alberta by Statistics Canada, and reflects median family incomes in Alberta that have been adjusted for family size. Adjustment for family sizes reflects the fact that a family's needs increase as the number of members increases.

  The current income thresholds are 70% of the Alberta LIM. Please note that the income threshold levels will change to 75% of Alberta LIM effective January 1, 2020 and 80% of Alberta LIM effective January 1, 2021. A summary of future criteria requirements is available on the Planned AOS Criteria Changes webpage.

  Your completed worksheet must demonstrate that you meet the following annual income required (CAD) for your family unit size:

  Gross Income Thresholds Table (Based on 70% of Alberta LIM)

  Number of members in family unit (including you)	Required gross annual income (yearly income before tax) (CAD)
  1	$21,833
  2	$30,876
  3	$37,816
  4	$43,666
  5	$48,820
  6	$53,480
  7	$57,765
  8	$61,753
  9	$65,499
  10	$69,042

  If your family unit contains more than 10 members, contact the Immigrate to Alberta Information Service at 1-877-427-6419 to get the income level requirements associated with your family size.

   

  Planned AOS crieria: 75% of Alberta LIM on January 1, 2020 and 80% of Alberta LIM on January 1, 2021

Alberta Opportunity Stream - Ineligible Occupations

Check the list of ineligible occupations below. If your current Occupation Title is on this list, you will NOT be eligible to apply under the Alberta Opportunity Stream.

Factors for an occupation to be ineligible include, but are not limited to:

• individuals in occupation are self-employed
• individuals in occupation are seasonally employed
• individuals in occupation must be permanent residents to perform occupation
• limited economic impact of occupation, and/or
• economic need filled by Albertans and Canadians

If you are unsure whether your occupation is on this list you can:

• find your occupation based on your job title and job duties on the NOC system website
• contact the Immigrate to Alberta Information Service at 1-877-427-6419 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

In the table below: If there is an asterix (*) next to a National Occupation Classification (NOC) Code, this means that NOC code consists of both eligible occupations and ineligible occupations. The ‘Occupation Title’ column specifies which occupations are ineligible for each NOC Code listed.

High-wage and low-wage occupations in the province of Alberta

We will not process your application if the position you are looking to fill is included in the list of occupations.

We will also refuse to process applications, for which the work duration is greater than six months, for specialized positions under NOC 7237 - Pressure/Alloy welders, NOC 7271 – Scaffolders, NOC 7293 – Insulators, and NOC 7311 - Construction Millwrights.

Exceptions:
Specialized positions under NOC 7241 – industrial and power system electricians, and under NOC 7371 – all terrain crane operators, may be processed as regular applications for high-wage or low-wage positions.

The Government of Alberta's Employer Liaison Services helps employers learn about options for hiring Albertans and Canadians first. For more information and assistance, contact Alberta Labour.

List of occupations

Alberta Express Entry Stream

The Alberta Express Entry Stream allows Alberta to nominate a limited number of qualified candidates from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s Express Entry system.

Candidates who have demonstrated strong ties to Alberta or who can help support the government’s economic development and diversification priorities may be asked to submit an application.

International graduates from Canadian post-secondary institutions may also be asked to submit an application under this stream.

Only candidates who are asked to submit an application to the Alberta Express Entry Stream will be considered.

Candidates will be contacted directly by the AINP and must receive a notification of interest before they are able to submit an application under the Alberta Express Entry Stream.

You cannot use a nomination under a different AINP stream to apply under the Alberta Express Entry Stream or the federal Express Entry system.

Selection from Express Entry pool and Notification of Interest process

Based on available profile information in the Express Entry portal, Alberta may select candidates and send them a Notification of Interest letter in their federal Express Entry profile. This information is self-declared by candidates in the Express Entry pool.

You may receive a Notification of Interest letter if you:

• Have an active Express Entry profile in the federal Express Entry pool
• Have stated an interest in immigrating permanently to Alberta
• Are working in an occupation that supports Alberta’s economic development and diversification, and
• Have a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score of 300.

If you have one or more of the following adaptability factors, this may increase your likelihood of receiving a Notification of Interest letter:

• Alberta job offer and/or work experience
• A graduate of a Canadian post-secondary institution
• A relative that is living in Alberta: parent, child, brother and/or sister

If you meet one or more of the following factors, this may decrease your likelihood of receiving a Notification of Interest letter:

• Your Express Entry profile expires in 3 months or less
• You are working in an occupation:
  • on the list of High-wage and low-wage occupations in the province of Alberta set out on the online Government of Canada Refusal to Process a Labour Market Impact Assessment list
  • on the Alberta Opportunity Stream Ineligible Occupations list, located on this page under the Alberta Opportunity Stream section
  • that has a high volume of submissions across all AINP streams

If you receive a Notification of Interest letter from Alberta, you must email a copy of the letter to the AINP at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. within two weeks of receiving it in your federal Express Entry profile. You must also provide your Express Entry profile number and status information about current and past AINP applications/nominations (if applicable).

The AINP will confirm your information and may send you an email requesting you to submit an application, including a form to fill out and a document checklist listing all required documents. There is no fee to submit an application.

There is no guarantee that if you meet the selection requirements you will receive a Notification of Interest letter or be asked to submit an application. Notification of Interest letters and requests to submit an application are affected by the volume of potential candidates meeting these requirements, the type (occupation/sector) of submissions in AINP processing queues and the number of available nominations.

Selection draws

Information on Alberta Express Entry Stream selection draws from the federal Express Entry pool is available on the AINP - Processing and inventory page.

Alberta Express Entry Stream assessment criteria

If you have received a request from AINP to submit an application to the Alberta Express Entry Stream, you must determine if you meet the assessment criteria before you submit an application. You may only submit an application if you can demonstrate you meet the following criteria.

You will be assessed against this criteria at the time your package is postmarked and at the time your application is assessed.

To be considered for nomination you must:

• Have an active Express Entry profile in the federal Express Entry pool
• Meet the criteria of at least one of the federal immigration programs: Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Trades Program or Federal Skilled Worker Program
• Intend to and be able to live and work in Alberta
• Be working in an occupation that supports Alberta’s economic development and diversification
• Have a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score of 300.

If you have one or more of the following adaptability factors, this may increase your likelihood of being nominated:

• Valid Alberta job offer and/or work experience
• A graduate of an Alberta post-secondary institution with a valid Alberta job offer, or
• Parent, child, brother and/or sister who is a permanent resident living in Alberta, or a Canadian citizen living in Alberta.

The AINP does not guarantee that all complete applications received by the AINP will be assessed or that all candidates who meet the assessment criteria will be issued a nomination. Review the declaration in the Alberta Express Entry Stream form and the online AINP Terms and Conditions for complete information. Submission of an application or nomination by the AINP does not guarantee you will be issued a permanent resident visa.

The Alberta Express Entry Stream application form is not available online. The AINP provides these documents by email to candidates.

Your Alberta Express Entry Stream application will not be accepted for processing if:

• You have an active nomination which has not expired and/or is eligible for extension under another AINP stream. Candidates are only eligible for one AINP Nomination Certificate.
• You have been issued a letter on a previous AINP application that stated you are not eligible to re-apply to the AINP for a specified period of time. If you submit an application during the specified period, it will be declined. It is recommended you keep your Express Entry profile up to date so that you remain eligible for consideration under the Alberta Express Entry Stream in the future.

Investor Program

Be sure to consult the immigration rules and procedures. entered into effect on April 1, 2015. Before submitting your application, it is important to read the information regarding the application intake periods for a Certificat de sélection du Québec.

Modifications to the document requirements for investors entered into effect on July 15, 2015.

Following the entry into effect of the Regulation respecting quotas of brokers and trust companies (PDF, 42 Kb) on July 15, 2015, financial intermediaries must have been allocated a number of agreements (quota) in order to sign an investment agreement with a foreign national who is submitting an application for a selection certificate.

To be eligible for this program, you must:

• Have, alone or with his accompanying spouse, including de facto spouse, net assets of at least $1,600,000 CAN obtained legally, excluding the amounts received by donation less than six months before the date on which the application was filed;
• Have experience in management in a legal farming, commercial or industrial business, or in a legal professional business where the staff, excluding the investor, occupies at least the equivalent of two full-time jobs, or for an international agency or a government or one of its departments or agencies;

  • We define management experience as the exercise, for at least two years in the five years preceding the application for a selection certificate, of duties related to the planning, management and control of financial resources and of human or material resources under your authority; the experience does not include experience acquired in the context of an apprenticeship, training or specialization process attested to by a diploma.

• Intend to settle in Québec and sign an agreement to invest$800,000 CAN with a financial intermediary (broker or trust company) authorized to participate in the Investor Program.

The assessment of your application will also take into account other factors such as your age, the nature and duration of your professional training and your language skills.

	USEFUL INFORMATION
	The investment agreement is one of the documents to be submitted with the Application for a Certificat de selection du Québec. The investment of $800,000 CAN for a five year term is guaranteed by the Gouvernement du Québec. Brokers and trust companies offer the possibility of financing the investment. Revenues generated by the applicant’s investment will be used to finance two Québec business assistance programs, Business Assistance—Immigrant Investor Program and Employment Integration Program for Immigrants and Visible Minorities. At the end of the five year term, the broker or trust company will, within 30 days, reimburse the applicant $800,000 CAN without interest. However, the amount may vary if the applicant secured financing for the investment.

You can also watch the slide show Live and Invest in Québec to learn more about Québec and its investment opportunities.

Quebec Provincial Nominee Program

Immigration rules and procedures

The rules governing the intake and processing of permanent selection applications pertain to applications submitted by economic immigration candidates and the undertaking applications submitted under the collective sponsorship component of the Program for Refugees Abroad.

* If you have advanced intermediate knowledge of French demonstrated by a standardized test recognized by the Ministère, you may submit an application under one of the programs for business people (investors, entrepreneurs, and self-employed workers) at any time. Your application is not subject to the rule on the maximum number of applications that will be received or the application intake period.

** A maximum of 1,235 applications from foreign nationals from the People’s Republic of China, including the administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao, will be accepted.

Skilled Workers

If you wish to immigrate to Québec under the Regular Skilled Worker Program, you can submit an expression of interest in the Arrima system. For the latest information on Arrima and its launch date, go to the News page.

Priority processing
The following applications will receive priority processing:

• Applications submitted under the Programme de l’expérience québéboise (PEQ - Québec experience program)
• Certain applications submitted at the invitation of the Minister, namely applications by individuals who:
• have a validated job offer
• are in Québec to work, occupy a full-time job, and have at least 6 months work experience in Québec

For more information on the selection criteria for skilled workers, visit the page Know the conditions of the Regular Skilled Worker Program.

Investors

Notice: Please note that the intake period for this program has been extended until August 31, 2019.

The maximum number of applications for permanent selection that will be accepted for processing under the Investor Program is 1,900 for the period September 10, 2018, to August 31, 2019.

Investor candidates who demonstrate, by means of a test recognized by the Ministère, that they have an advanced intermediate knowledge of French, are not subject to this maximum and can submit their application at any time. These applications will receive priority processing.

All applications must be sent by courier or regular mail to Direction de l'enregistrement et de l'évaluation comparative, in Montréal. Only one application can be sent at a time. Applications dropped off in person will not be accepted. The envelope in which the application is sent must indicate the program under which it is submitted.

Entrepreneurs

The maximum number of permanent selection applications that will be accepted for processing under the Entrepreneur Program is 60 for the period August 15, 2018, to March 31, 2019, including a maximum of 25 applications in Stream 1 and 35 applications in Stream 2. Applications in excess of this number will be returned to the candidates.

Entrepreneur candidates who demonstrate, by means of a test recognized by the Ministère, that they have an advanced intermediate knowledge of French in oral expression and oral comprehension, are not subject to this maximum and can submit their application at any time.

Applications must be sent by courier, to Direction de l'enregistrement et de l'évaluation comparative, in Montréal. Only one application can be sent at a time. Applications dropped off in person or sent by regular mail will not be accepted. The envelope in which the application is sent must indicate the program under which the application is submitted.

Self-employed Workers

The ministerial order published on August 1, 2018, concerning the intake and processing of permanent selection applications, allows the intake of 50 applications under the Self-Employed Worker Program for the period of August 15, 2018 to March 31, 2019. The maximum number of applications that can be received has now been attained.

Self-employed worker candidates who demonstrate, by means of a test recognized by the Ministère, that they have an advanced intermediate knowledge of French, are not subject to this maximum and can submit their application at any time.

Applications must be sent by courier, to Direction de l'enregistrement et de l'évaluation comparative, in Montréal. Only one application can be sent at a time. Applications dropped off in person or sent by regular mail will not be accepted. The envelope in which the application is sent must indicate the program under which the application is submitted.

For more information on selection conditions, visit the Self-employed Worker Program page. .

Program for Refugees Abroad (Collective sponsorship)

Notice: The maximum number of applications accepted under the Program for Refugees Abroad (Collective sponsorship) has been reached for the following categories:

• Other regular organizations;
• Groups of 2 to 5 natural persons.

Applications in excess of the maximum will be returned to the groups and organizations.

The maximum number of undertaking applications that will be accepted for processing under the Program for Refugees Abroad (Collective sponsorship) will be 750 for the period of September 17, 2018, to February 1, 2019. Applications in excess of this maximum will be returned to the groups and organizations.

A maximum number of undertaking applications that will be accepted for processing (category ceiling) is also set for each sponsor category.

• Experienced organizations sponsoring only individuals who will settle outside Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal can submit up to 200 applications.
• Other experienced organizations can submit up to 150 applications.
• Regular organizations sponsoring only individuals who will settle outside Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal can submit up to 100 applications.
• Other regular organizations can submit up to 200 applications.
• Groups of two to five people can submit up to 100 applications.

The maximum number of undertaking applications (individual ceiling) that a sponsor can submit depends on the sponsor’s category.

• Each experienced organization sponsoring only individuals who will settle outside Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal must submit at least 10 undertaking applications and can submit up to 40 applications.
• Each other experienced organizations must submit at least 10 undertaking applications and can submit up to 30 applications.
• Each regular organization can submit up to 10 undertaking applications.
• Each group of 2 to 5 individuals can submit up to 2 undertaking applications. In fact, every Québec resident who belongs to a group of 2 to 5 people can submit up to 2 undertaking applications.