Alberta Premier Danielle Smith stated this month that the Alberta Health Services (AHS) system will be split into four organizations to improve access to care. Smith emphasized in a news conference at the start of November that this proposal will structure Albertas healthcare delivery system by reducing emergency room and surgery wait times, improving access to innovative treatments, and recruiting more staff. Decentralized healthcare in the province will allow groups to deliver health services in primary care, acute care, continuing care, and mental health/addiction care.
Alberta received 49,460 new PRs in 2022. Alberta is the fourth-largest immigrant destination (by PRs) in Canada for 2022, so healthcare delivery changes would affect many newcomers. As the policy anticipates, this effect will probably have an impact on employment opportunities and healthcare access.
Employment
Alberta’s Premier claimed that this change aims to recruit more healthcare workers. This will certainly increase job options for newcomers to Canada in this province. The Canadian immigration agency focused on category-based draws on these six categories in 2023. The categories this year prioritize immigration candidates:
- French-language proficiency
or work experience in one of the following five industries:
- Science, Engineering, Technology, and Mathematics (STEM)
- Trades
- Transportation
- Agriculture and agri-food
- Healthcare
Alberta’s Recent Expansion
Alberta was the fourth most popular immigrant destination last year and has seen population growth. In a September CTV piece, Statistics Canada said that Alberta’s population was 4.7 million on July 1, 4.1 percent more than the previous year due to an increase of 184,400 people.
Alberta’s population increase “surpassed that of other states by 1.1 percentage points in comparison to the national average,” the story said.
Edmonton has had a labour force expansion at its fastest annual pace since 2007 (excluding the COVID recovery period) due to population growth, mostly from foreign migration. International migration accounts for 61% of Alberta’s population growth (112,562).
ATB Financial vice president and chief economist Mark Parsons says migration from other regions to Alberta assures a steady influx of people to fill these positions.
Immigrating to Alberta
Prospective foreign nationals contemplating Alberta as their ultimate destination will find that the province offers avenues for all categories of immigrants, including entrepreneurs and transient foreign workers. The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) of Alberta, for instance, is referred to as the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP).
The provincial immigration system comprises several streams catering to workers and entrepreneurs, each with distinct criteria pertaining to, for instance, the necessity of an established employment offer preceding the application process. The following is a sample list of AAIP streams:
For workers
Stream of Opportunity in Alberta: An avenue for skilled individuals who are currently employed in an approved occupation in Alberta to get permanent residence in the province.
Stream for Rural Renewal: A route for applicants who already have a job offer from Alberta to work in a rural community in Alberta.
For entrepreneurs
Stream for Graduate Entrepreneurs: A route for foreign graduates of an approved post-secondary institution in Alberta who want to launch a company there.
Foreign Entrepreneurial Graduate Stream: A route for foreign nationals who wish to launch a business in Alberta after graduating from an institution outside of Canada.
