Overview
Tourism and Hospitality Stream criteria may apply at the time your application is submitted, at the time the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) assesses your application, or both. Review the criteria carefully to understand eligibility requirements.
Approved employer requirements
Your current employment, and Alberta job offer must be with a single, approved Tourism and Hospitality employer.
Requirements for approved Tourism and Hospitality employers are provided below.
Eligible industries and Worker’s Compensation Board (WCB) – Alberta coverage requirements
At the time your application is submitted and at the time the AAIP assesses your application, your Alberta employer’s primary business activities must belong to an eligible industry, as defined by the WCB – Alberta industry code or exempt activities.
At the time your application is submitted, you must demonstrate that your Alberta employer has valid WCB coverage or is exempt from needing coverage through a WCB clearance letter.
Use Table 1 to determine if your Alberta employer’s primary business activities belong to an eligible WCB Industry. If you need assistance in determining a WCB industry, or if you need to know if coverage is required, contact WCB – Alberta.
Table 1. List of eligible WCB industries
| Eligible WCB industries and exempt activities | WCB industry code | Sample activities |
|---|---|---|
| Museums/Art Galleries | 80701 | Art Galleries, Art Museums, Interpretive Centres, Museums |
| Zoos/Game Farms | 80703 | Game Farms, Zoos |
| Bowling Alleys/Billiard Parlours | 85300 | Billiard Parlours, Bowling Alleys, Pool Halls |
| Golf Clubs/Ranges | 85900 | Operation of Driving Ranges, Golf Courses |
| Ski Resorts/Gondolas | 85904 | Operation of Chairlifts, Gondolas, Ski Instruction, Ski Resorts |
| Casinos/Dance Halls | 85916 | Casino Halls, Dance Halls |
| Arenas/Stadiums | 85919 | Arenas, Stadiums, Race Tracks |
| Travel Agency/Motor Association | 85925 | Operation of Wildlife and Wilderness Associations, Tour Guides, Tourist Promotion, Park Associations |
| Restaurants/Catering | 87501 | Operation of Coffee Shops, Drive-In Restaurants, Restaurants, Take-Out Services, Bartending Services |
| Hotels/Convention Centres | 87503 | Operation of Bed and Breakfast, Cabins and Motels, Convention Centres |
| Sports and Recreation | 87600 | Operation of Amusement Parks and Rec Resorts, Hot Air Ballooning, Boats, Pleasure and Water Tours, Campsites |
| Property Management/Hostels | 89702 | Operation of Hostels, Bingo Halls, Airports |
| Private Clubs | 87508 | Private Clubs, Sporting Clubs, Fitness Clubs and Gun Clubs |
| Operation of a Curling Rink | Multiple | Activity is identified within multiple WCB industries/codes |
| Operation of an Ice Skating Rink | Multiple | Activity is identified within multiple WCB industries/codes |
| Operation of a Cricket Field | Multiple | Activity is identified within multiple WCB industries/codes |
| Operation of a Convention Bureau | Multiple | Activity is identified within multiple WCB industries/codes |
| Operation of an Information Bureau | Multiple | Activity is identified within multiple WCB industries/codes |
| Promotions, sports and entertainment | Multiple | Activity is identified within multiple WCB industries/codes |
| Professional sports | Multiple | Activity is identified within multiple WCB industries/codes |
Sector association and Travel Alberta membership requirements
At the time your application is submitted your Alberta employer must be a member of an eligible sector association, provided in Table 2 below.
If your employer can qualify to be a member of one of the eligible sector associations, they must be a member. If your employer can qualify to be a member, but choose to not be a member, regardless of their reason, they will not meet employer requirements and your application will be declined.
If your employer cannot qualify to be a member of one of the eligible sector associations, they must be included as an Experience Provider on the Travel Alberta website.
Table 2. List of eligible sector associations
| Sector | Sector association |
|---|---|
| Accommodations | Alberta Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) |
| Accommodations | Alberta Bed and Breakfast Association (ABBA) |
| Food and Beverage | Restaurants Canada |
| Indigenous Tourism | Indigenous Tourism Alberta |
| Recreation and Entertainment | Canadian Association of Tour Operators (CATO) |
| Recreation and Entertainment | Canada West Ski Areas Association (CWSAA) |
| Recreation and Entertainment | Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) |
| Recreation and Entertainment | Alberta Golf Association |
| Meetings, Conventions, and Incentive Tourism | Convention Centres Canada (CCC) |
| Tourism and Hospitality | Tourism Industry Association of Alberta (TIAA) |
| Tourism and Hospitality | Alberta Hospitality Association |
| Tourism and Hospitality | Tourism HR Canada |
| Tourism and Hospitality | Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) |
Occupation and employment requirements
Eligible occupations
Your current employment in Alberta and Alberta job offer must all be for an eligible occupation.
Table 3. List of eligible occupations
| NOC code (2021) | Occupation | NOC TEER category |
|---|---|---|
| 54100 | Program leaders and instructors in recreation, sport, and fitness* | 4 |
| 60030 | Restaurant and food services managers | 0 |
| 60031 | Accommodation service managers | 0 |
| 62020 | Food service supervisors | 2 |
| 62200 | Chefs | 2 |
| 63200 | Cooks | 3 |
| 64300 | Maîtres d’hôtel and hosts/hostesses | 4 |
| 64301 | Bartenders | 4 |
| 64314 | Hotel front desk clerks | 4 |
| 64320 | Tour and travel guides | 4 |
| 64322 | Outdoor sport and recreational guides | 4 |
| 65200 | Food and beverage servers | 5 |
| 65201 | Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations* | 5 |
| 65210 | Support occupations in accommodation, travel, and facilities set-up services | 5 |
| 65310 | Light duty cleaners* | 5 |
| 65311 | Specialized cleaners* | 5 |
| 65312 | Janitors, caretakers, and heavy-duty cleaners* | 5 |
| 65320 | Dry cleaning, laundry, and related occupations* | 5 |
If you are unsure whether your occupation is on this list:
- find your occupation on the NOC website, based on your job title and job duties
- contact the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program
Current employment
At the time your application is submitted and at the time the AAIP assesses your application, you must:
- be living and working in Alberta in an eligible occupation for an approved Tourism and Hospitality employer; and
- have a valid work permit based on a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) for an eligible occupation. Please note that maintained status is not considered a substitute for a valid work permit.
Work experience
At the time your application is submitted and at the time the AAIP assesses your application, you must have been working full-time (30 hours per week minimum) with an approved Tourism and Hospitality employer, in one of the eligible occupations, for a minimum of six consecutive months (or minimum of 780 hours) the time you apply.
Work experience:
- must have been for the same employer as your current Alberta job offer
- must have been paid
- must have been authorized by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and with valid temporary resident status if completed in Alberta or Canada
Job offer or employment contract
At the time your application is submitted and at the time the AAIP assesses your application, you must have a bona fide full-time job offer or employment contract:
- for work in an eligible occupation and
- for the same Alberta employer as the required 6 consecutive months (780 hours) of work experience and your current employment
Your job offer or employment contract must also be signed by your legitimate, established and verifiable Alberta employer and must offer:
- continuous, paid work under an employer-employee relationship
- full-time work, defined as a minimum of 30 hours per week
- employment for 12 months or more
- wages and benefits that meet provincial minimum wage and:
- meet or exceed the requirements set out in your Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) (if applicable), or
- meet or exceed the lowest starting wage for your occupation across all industries in Alberta
- Non-wage compensation, including but not limited to compensation from company ownership, is not considered as part of the applicant’s base monetary wage or salary.
Ineligible applicants based on job offer
The following individuals are not eligible to apply for or be nominated, even if they have a job offer to work 30 hours a week or more in a 12-month period:
- part-time, casual or seasonal 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
- 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
You are responsible for working with your Alberta employer to ensure that the employer and job offer or employment contract requirements are met and that all required employer and job offer or employment documents are submitted with your application. Your application will be declined if these requirements are not met. Your application fee will not be refunded where an application is declined based on employer requirements not being met.
Language requirements
At the time your application is submitted, you must demonstrate you meet the following language test score:
- Minimum of 4 for each English language skill, or
- Minimum of 4 for each French language skill
You must provide official test results for one of these accepted language tests:
- Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) General Test
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS) General Training Test
- Test d'évaluation de français Canada (TEF Canada)
- Test de connaissance du français Canada (TCF Canada)
Official test results must be less than 2 years old at the time your application was submitted. The date used to determine the age of your tests results is the date you took the test, not the date your test results were released. The AAIP will not accept confirmation of registration to take a language test in place of a test result.
Check the federal guideline on CLB/NCLC equivalency for each of the tests.
Education requirements
At the time your application is submitted, you must have completed a minimum of high school education equivalent to Canadian standards.
You must provide a copy of an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) issued by an organization designated by IRCC for your highest level of education. If your ECA report shows that your credential is not equal to completion of Canadian high school or the ECA states your foreign educational institution is not recognized, you do not meet the education requirement.
You do not need to provide an ECA if:
- you have a Canadian degree, diploma or certificate from a Canadian post-secondary, technical college or secondary institution listed as:
- a recognized institution in the Directory of Educational Institutions in Canada, or
- an authorized, registered, or licensed institution in the Directory of Educational Institutions in Canada, and the institution was authorized by Advanced Education to grant your degree, diploma or certificate. Contact your educational institution or Advanced Education to confirm if your institution had the authority to grant your credential.
- you have a valid Alberta Qualification Certificate or a trade certificate recognized by Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training (AIT).
The AAIP reserves the right to request an ECA from any candidate and/or to seek an internal educational assessment from the International Qualification Assessment Service (IQAS) or Advanced Education to confirm a candidate meets the minimum Canadian high school equivalent requirement.