ALT

Semi-Skilled Worker criteria

Semi-Skilled Worker Category Criteria (includes but is not limited to):

Alberta Employer criteria

As an Alberta Employer in the Semi-Skilled Worker Category, 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.
  • Be operating in an industry that is eligible under the AINP Semi-Skilled Worker Category.
  • Provide a job offer to the Candidate for permanent, full-time employment in an eligible AINP semi-skilled occupation.

 Eligible Industries for Semi-Skilled Workers  Eligible Occupations for Semi-Skilled Workers
 Food and Beverage Processing Industry • Food and Beverage Production Worker (NOC 9617)
• Bakery Production Worker (NOC 9617)
• Food and Beverage Processing Equipment Cleaner (NOC 9617)
• Industrial Butchers and Meat Cutters (NOC 9462)
• Poultry Production Workers (NOC 9462)
 Hotel and Lodging Industry • Food and Beverage Servers (NOC 6453)
• Room Attendants (NOC 6661)
• Front Desk Agent/Clerk (NOC 6435)
 Manufacturing Industry • Eligible AINP Manufacturing Occupations (PDF)
 Long-Haul Trucking Industry • Long-Haul Truck Driver (NOC 7411)
 Foodservices Industry (pilot project) • Food and Beverage Servers (NOC 6453)
• Food Counter Attendants (NOC 6641)
• Kitchen Helpers (NOC 6641)

Candidate criteria

As a Candidate in the Semi-Skilled Worker Category, you must:

Meeting the criteria listed above does not guarantee a nomination or permanent residence.

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Industry-specific criteria – food and beverage processing

As an Alberta Employer in the food and beverage processing industry, you must also:

  • Operate an agricultural-based industrial food processing plant. In collaboration with the AINP’s partner ministry, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development (AARD), this program has been established to assist with labour shortages in industrial food processing plants. Retail establishments are not considered part of the food processing sector for which this category was created and are not considered eligible employers under this AINP category.
  • Have satisfactory recruitment strategies, employment policies and practices, retention and settlement in order to qualify for allocations.
  • Show the Candidate is competent in speaking, listening, reading and writing English prior to nomination.
    • Assessments must be completed by a certified Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) Assessor.
    • The Alberta Employer shall be responsible for paying the cost of any assessment(s).

Competency in listening, reading, speaking and writing English is defined as follows:

 Major skills  Listening  Reading  Speaking  Writing
 Canadian Language Benchmark  4  4  4  2
  • Provide the Candidate with an in-house English as a Second Language (ESL) program or cover the cost of the ESL training for the Candidate should the Candidate not be competent in English.
    • For offsite ESL training programs visit the Alberta Teachers of English as a Second Language Directory of Organizations.
    • The ESL program:
      • Must contain language and essential skills used in the company and incorporates some traditional settlement and integration themes.
      • Must be for a minimum of six (6) hours per week, regardless of the Candidate’s work schedules. Participation shall be on employee time.
      • Should be taught by an instructor that has graduated from a Teaching English as a Second Language in Canada (TESL) training program.
      • The Alberta Employer shall supply and pay for teachers, materials and classrooms.
      • Participation in the ESL program shall begin immediately upon the arrival of the PN Candidate.
      • A representative from the Government of Alberta may audit compliance to these conditions on a periodic basis.

As a Candidate in the food and beverage processing industry, you must also:

  • Complete an interview with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development staff and be able to satisfy Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development regarding your suitability for the AINP.
  • Have a total of three years of full-time work experience in your home country prior to arriving in Canada in a physically demanding job similar to that found in the food and beverage processing industry.
  • Be employed in Alberta for a minimum of six months before applying to the AINP.

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Industry-specific criteria – hotel and lodging

Important notice

Effective April 1, 2011, Alberta Employers and Candidates in the Hotel and Lodging Industry will be subject to new criteria listed below. These new criteria will be used to assess all applications postmarked on or after April 1, 2011. The AINP will not accept emerit Professional Certification after this date as emerit Professional Certification has been replaced with new language and work experience requirements.

Applications postmarked prior to April 1, 2011 will be assessed based on the industry-specific criteria prior to April 1, 2011 or the criteria listed below (if applicable).

Alberta Employers and Candidates must always meet the general criteria for the Semi-Skilled worker category. 

As an Alberta Employer in the hotel and lodging industry, you must also:

  • Be a member in good standing with the Alberta Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) and adopt the association's prescribed practices with respect to hiring and employing temporary foreign workers. 
  • Be aware that you are eligible for a maximum number of allocations per calendar year for Food and Beverage Servers and Room Attendants based on the total number of rooms at a property. Allocations can be for Food and Beverage Servers and Room Attendants or a combination of both.
Number of rooms Maximum number of allocations/per property/per calendar year
1-50 2
51-100 4
101-150 6
151-200 8
201-250 10
251-350 12
351-400 14
401-450 16
451 or more 18
  • Be aware that you are only eligible for one allocation per property, per calendar year for the occupation of Front Desk Agent/Clerk.
  • Have satisfactory recruitment strategies and conditions, employment policies and practices, retention and settlement in order to qualify for allocations.

As a Candidate in the hotel and lodging industry, you must also:

  • Show that you are competent in listening, reading, speaking, and writing English prior to nomination by submitting language testing results (IELTS preferred) with your application. The test results must be one of:
  • Have a total of three (3) years of work experience in a job directly related to the hotel and lodging industry (abroad and/or in Canada)
    • Candidates must submit reference letters to demonstrate this experience. Reference letters must be dated and include the following:
      • Written on company letterhead
      • Name of employer
      •  Employer contact information
      • Occupation title
      • Main duties
      • Dates of employment
      • Signed by a company official (e.g. owner, administrator, supervisor)
  • Be employed in Alberta for a minimum of six months before applying to the AINP.

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    Industry-specific criteria – manufacturing industry

    As an Alberta Employer in the manufacturing industry, you must also:

    • Have satisfactory recruitment strategies and conditions, employment policies and practices, retention and settlement in order to qualify for allocations.
    • Show the Candidate is competent in listening, speaking, reading and writing English prior to nomination. You are responsible for testing and establishing a benchmark of English language capability of the Candidate upon arrival and once again prior to nomination to demonstrate progress.
      • The Employer shall be responsible for paying the cost of these two assessments (the cost of additional assessments above this limit shall be the responsibility of the Candidate).
      • Employers are responsible to ensure that initial and subsequent testing is performed through the same assessment service or provide an identical method of assessment.
      • If the Candidate originated from an English speaking country or has completed secondary or post-secondary studies in English, you are not required to provide proof of Candidate competency in the English language. 
      • Should the Candidate not be competent in English, you must provide the Candidate with an in-house English as a Second Language (ESL) program or cover the cost of the ESL training for the Candidate.
        • The in-house ESL program shall only be taught by certified ESL teachers.
        • An Employer will schedule the Candidate’s work in order to meet the requirements of a minimum of six hours per week of ESL training.
        • Participation shall be on employee time, however, the Employer shall supply and pay for teachers, materials and classrooms.
        • Participation in the ESL program shall begin within sixty days of the arrival of the PN Candidate and continue for the duration of the work permit
        • To be eligible for nomination the Candidate must submit proof of 85 per cent attendance rate in the ESL training and must demonstrate a progress in learning.

    As a Candidate in the manufacturing industry, you must also:

    • Have a minimum of four years of work experience in a job similar to the employer’s type of business prior to arriving in Canada.
    • Be employed in Alberta for a minimum of six months before applying to the AINP.

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    Industry-specific criteria – long-haul trucking industry

    Definition of long-haul and short-haul truck drivers

    Long-haul: Drivers depart for destinations thousands of kilometres away from home. They cross inter-provincial boundaries and travel over international routes across North America. Drivers are away from home for several days per week or weeks at a time. A long-haul driver is one who operates a tractor-trailer combination vehicle and hauls commercial goods over long distances.

    Long-haul truck drivers are eligible under the AINP.

    Short-Haul: Drivers typically leave home or the terminal in the morning and travel to destinations within a half day’s or one day’s drive; they make numerous stops to pick up and deliver goods over a relatively short distance.

    Short-haul truck drivers are not eligible under the AINP.

    As an Alberta Employer in the long-haul trucking industry, you must also:

    • Have satisfactory recruitment strategies and conditions, employment policies and practices, retention and settlement in order to qualify for allocations.
      • Allocations will also be based on the number of temporary foreign workers approved under a Labour Market Opinion (LMO), size of company and number of long-haul drivers and past performance (retention rates).
      • A company will not receive an allocation larger than the number of foreign drivers for which the company has received an LMO.
      • Allocations will be based on 10 to 15 per cent of the number of long-haul drivers employed by the company.
      • A review of the retention rate of the company with previous allocations will be conducted. Companies with retention rates of less than 50 per cent may not receive a full yearly allocation. These companies will have to demonstrate improved recruitment and hiring practices.
    • Provide information regarding recruitment activity and supporting documentation that demonstrates that the foreign trained driver is aware of the scope of their employment, which includes duration of long-haul trips taken, mileage, normal amount of days away from home, and anticipated annual salary.
    • Show the Candidate has received in-Alberta training. If you provide the training, details of the training program must be provided, including training content, hours of training provided in a classroom and supervised road training, testing methodology, and results.
      • If the training is provided by a third party, a copy of the program syllabus must be provided including hours of classroom and supervised road training, testing methodology and results.
      • The in-Alberta training and supervision must certify familiarity with traffic laws, documentation requirements (record of loads, vehicle maintenance log books, mileage, etc.) and areas of specialization (hazardous goods, mountains, winter driving conditions, running in major metropolitan areas etc).
    • Show that Candidates have prior driving training and related experience in a professional capacity.
    • Show the Candidate is competent in listening, speaking, reading and writing English prior to nomination. You are responsible for testing and establishing a benchmark of English language capability of the Candidate upon arrival and once again prior to nomination to demonstrate progress.
      • The Employer shall be responsible for paying the cost of these two assessments (the cost of additional assessments above this limit shall be the responsibility of the Candidate).
      • Employers are responsible to ensure that initial and subsequent testing is performed through the same assessment service or provide an identical method of assessment.
      • If the Candidate originated from an English speaking country or has completed secondary or post-secondary studies in English, you are not required to provide proof of Candidate competency in the English language. 
      • Should the Candidate not be competent in English, you must provide the Candidate with an in-house English as a Second Language (ESL) program or cover the cost of the ESL training for the Candidate.
        • The in-house ESL program shall only be taught by certified ESL teachers.
        • An Employer will schedule the Candidate’s work in order to meet the requirements of a minimum of six hours per week of ESL training.
        • Participation shall be on employee time, however, the Employer shall supply and pay for teachers, materials and classrooms.
        • Participation in the ESL program shall begin within sixty days of the arrival of the PN Candidate and continue for the duration of the work permit
        • To be eligible for nomination the Candidate must submit proof of 85 per cent attendance rate in the ESL training and must demonstrate a progress in learning.

    As a Candidate in the long-haul trucking industry, you must also:

    • Be working for your Alberta Employer as a long-haul truck driver (refer to definitions above)
    • Show you have an Alberta Class 1 driver's license and are eligible to meet provincial regulations.
    • Provide a copy of your foreign driver's license which indicates C+E certification (if from Europe).
      • Both parts of the license must be provided. If the driver's license is not in English, it must be translated by a certified translator.
    • Be employed in Alberta for a minimum of six months before applying to the AINP.
    • Have driven in a professional capacity before coming to Canada and provide sufficient credible documentation to demonstrate your previous driving related training (hazardous goods, etc.) and work experience.
      • You must provide reference letters on company letterhead, dated, and signed with the title or position of the individual from the company who is providing the reference. E-mail letters are acceptable if they are sent from the e-mail account of the company that is providing the references (not hotmail, gmail or yahoo accounts). The letter must state the occupation of the employee, either HGV/LGV driver, and/or describe the work they performed which clearly indicates the equipment that was driven (articulated, semi, reefer, tanker, etc.).
      • Preference will be given to drivers who can demonstrate a minimum of three out of the last five years’ work experience as a HGV/LGV driver.

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      Industry-specific criteria – foodservices industry (pilot project)

      The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP), in consultation with the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA), has introduced a pilot project to address labour challenges faced by the foodservices industry in Alberta.

      The Semi-Skilled Foodservices Industry (Pilot Project) is limited to 600 nomination allocations for the three eligible occupations of Food and Beverage Server, Food Counter Attendants, and Kitchen Helpers. When 600 allocations have been approved, no further applications under this pilot project will be accepted or assessed. The pilot project will then be evaluated based on a number of criteria and factors. Additional allocations may be made available pending the outcome of the pilot project assessment.

      At this time, applications are currently being accepted.

      As an Alberta Employer in the foodservices industry, you must also:

      • Be aware that you are eligible for only one allocation per restaurant location for one (1) of the three selected occupations (listed above) under this pilot project.
      • Sign an Employer Compliance Declaration Form (PDF) and attach it to your application, responding to each question about the status of your business with the following legislative authorities:
        • Employment Standards Code; Public Health Act; Occupational Health and Safety Act; Workers' Compensation Act; and Human Rights, Citizenship and Multiculturalism Act.
        • You must be in compliance with all legislation. All your answers must be truthful, correct and complete. Failure to completely disclose your current status with any of the applicable legislative authorities will result in the refusal of current and future applications submitted to the AINP on the basis of non-disclosure. The AINP reserves the right to declare you as an employer ineligible to apply under the program for up to 24 months from date of application received for non-disclosure.
      • You are obligated to uphold provincial standards for both workplace health and safety, and offer your candidate(s), for as long as your candidate(s) is/are employed, a sustainable and reliable work environment.
        • The AINP supports all legislation regarding a safe and healthy work environment, and will not approve an employer who does not adequately demonstrate compliance in meeting the AINP criteria and applicable requirements, criteria and/or standards under that legislation.
      • Show that accommodations for the Candidate are available at a cost that does not exceed 33 per cent of the Candidate's gross salary.
      • Show that the Candidate is competent in listening, reading, speaking, and writing English prior to nomination.

      Competency in listening, reading, speaking and writing English for the occupations considered under the Alberta Foodservices Industry (Pilot Project) is defined as follows:

       Major skills  Listening  Reading  Speaking  Writing
       Canadian Language Benchmark  4  4  4  4

      The AINP will consider an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) minimum score of 4.0 or a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Internet-based total score of 47 as equivalent to the minimum Canadian Language Benchmark competency noted above.

      • A Candidate must have basic proficiency in English in accordance with the competency level defined above. Canadian Language Benchmark test results using an approved CLB assessment tool must be provided with the Candidate's application that shows a minimum level of 4 achieved in each of listening, reading, speaking, and writing. Acceptable alternatives to the CLB are noted above.
      • If the Candidate is not competent in English, the Alberta Employer must provide the Candidate with an in-house English as a Second Language (ESL) program or cover the cost of their ESL training from the time they arrive to work to when they become permanent residents, paid for by the Employer. Candidates must demonstrate competency in listening, reading, speaking and writing English as defined above.

      As a Candidate in the foodservices industry, you must also:

      • Have a total of three (3) years of work experience in a job directly related to food and beverage services (abroad and/or in Canada).
      • Be employed in Alberta for a minimum of nine (9) months before applying to the AINP.

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      Date Updated: Dec 22, 2011
      RDP:957