Rural Renewal Stream: Employer Eligibility

• The employer's company must be incorporated, or registered by or under, an act of the legislature of a province, territory or the Parliament of Canada and operating within the municipal boundaries of the Special Areas or MD of Acadia for a minimum of one year.
• The employer must have full-time, permanent work, defined as a minimum of 30 hours per week with continuous employment for 12 months or more. The wages and benefits offered must meet or exceed the lowest starting wage for the occupation across all industries in Alberta as set out in the ALIS website.
• To be eligible, employers must not be in violation of any federal, provincial or municipal laws, bylaws, or regulations. Employers must be in good standing with:
  • Occupational Health and Safety
  • The Worker's Compensation Board of Alberta
  • Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

• A Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is not required, but demonstrated efforts to recruit locally, provincially, and nationally are required.
  • Job Opportunities must be available to Canadians first, at the same pay and working conditions. Employers must demonstrate that they have attempted to advertise the job vacancies locally, regionally and nationally. The Special Areas Region Rural Renewal Stream requires that employers advertise on a Canada wide job site, and locally on the Lynks Job Board for at least two weeks prior to applying to be part of the Special Areas Region Rural Renewal Stream. This is a minimum standard. 

Please note that we are not issuing endorsement letters to international candidates. Candidates must reside in Canada and hold an open work permit or an LMIA at time of hiring.

• Once approved in the program and prior to issuing an offer of employment, employers should note that the occupation and the prospective employee must also meet eligibility criteria under the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program's Rural Renewal Stream. There are also requirements surrounding the job offer itself. Employers are strongly encouraged to review the available information carefully and become familiar with the requirements.
• Employers are required to demonstrate knowledge of the responsibilities of welcoming newcomers and how to provide a warm and welcoming environment. A business looking to participate in the program must demonstrate that it understands and knows the employer's responsibilities with respect to federal and provincial immigration laws and regulations. The following are resources that prospective employers are encouraged to review prior to recruiting:

• The Employer’s Roadmap – Hiring & Retaining Internationally Trained Workers
• Employers Guide – Attracting & Retaining Immigrants

A safe and welcoming workplace creates an environment where all employees are valued and respected. For more information on safe and welcoming workplaces visit the Alis website. 

The Government of Alberta defines occupations that are not eligible for the Rural Renewal Stream. A list of ineligible occupations can be found on the Government of Alberta's Rural Renewal Stream - Eligibility web page. 

All employers are required to submit a completed Special Area Rural Renewal Stream Application Form.

If you’d like to meet with the Special Areas Economic Development team to discuss the Special Areas Rural Renewal Stream, learn more about the process, or review your application, please email ecdev@specialareas.ab.ca.