ALBERTA PROVINCIAL NOMINATION PROGRAM IS IN FULLBLOWN CRISES Until recently, the Province of Alberta has one of the most successful, fair and rational provincial nomination programs: the Alberta Immigrant Nomination Program (AINP). The program allows Temporary Foreign Workers in Alberta to transition to permanent residence and citizenship. It is a pathway for every type of temporary worker, from fast food to high-tech and even medical professions. It has been a beacon of hope, giving workers who have already proven their success and dedication to the Alberta job market a way to stay forever. Now, the program is in serious trouble. Recent allegations of abuses of foreign workers have highlighted the vulnerability associated with being a temporary worker. The AINP was a symbol of excellent policy by government, to reduce reliance on foreign workers and the associated abuses. Unfortunately, the program has become a victim of its own popularity, overwhelmed by applications, and beset by backlogs. The AINP is on the verge of redundancy. It is approaching an all out crises, and unless something is done quickly, virtually all current and potential applicants will be disqualified. Consider the following: The current waiting time for the two most popular streams, the Skilled Worker stream and the Semi-Skilled Worker stream, is over 25 months. The program requires applicants maintain a valid work permit until their Permanent Residence application is approved Work Permits are only issued for a maximum of 2 years Due to recent changes in the Temporary Foreign Worker program, the vast majority of these workers will not qualify for a renewed Work Permit when their current permit expires It is therefore logically impossible for most of the concerned applicants to comply with the rules. AINP waiting times To make matters worse, the AINP specifically states that they will not process applications in priority order based on which Work Permits are expiring first. The program is on the verge of redundancy because of the backlogs. It simply will not be able to function as intended unless these backlogs are addressed immediately. Countless Alberta politicians have voiced their opposition to the new restrictions put in place by the Federal Government on foreign workers. They claim there is a labor shortage in Alberta that can only be addressed by increased immigration and ongoing support for foreign worker programs. At the same time, the situation with the AINP has become increasingly dire, and nobody seems to notice or care. The foreign workers caught up in this nightmare are the neighbors, colleagues, and friends to Albertans. They go to your churches and their children attend school alongside yours. Most of them agreed to move their lives to Alberta because the Province offered the best pathway to legal and permanent immigration in Canada. But as the program has spiraled out of control with constantly increasing wait times, these people have watched helplessly as their immigration dreams fade away. The AINP must be fixed, and the time is now. There is no alternative. This program is too important to the future of Alberta growth. Many TFWs will toil for years waiting for their employer to sign their AINP application, only to reach the 4 year maximum for work permit extensions, before their AINP application is approved. They will have to leave Canada empty handed, after years of service, having waited for the chance at permanent residency in vain, all for nothing. Please join me in calling upon the Alberta Government to immediately address the backlogs in the Alberta Immigrant Nomination Program. Alberta Premier Jim Prentice has said he will make labor policy and foreign worker issues a top priority on his agenda when he meets with Prime Minister Harper. We wish he would first direct his attention and resources to clean up Alberta’s very own foreign worker policy disaster. He’s inherited a mess, and the people of Alberta deserve to see it fixed.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Sep 2014 04:14:03 +0000
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