Alberta is one of the friendliest, wealthiest, really diverse, and absolutely picturesque provinces in Canada. Fourth largest by population, and one of the fastest growing when it comes to economy, in Canada, it is home to an excellent education system, world-class healthcare, and close knit group of various communities. Alberta attracts a lot of immigrants, every year, for there is never a dearth of opportunities to be found here. And one of the ways to get immigration for Alberta, is the Express Entry Program of Canada. It is new, quite simple, and therefore, the most popular right now.

To be able to work and settle in Alberta, that is to obtain a permanent residency there, there are various programs made available by the government. But, the most effective till date has been the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP). An initiative by the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), in partnership with the Albertan government, it seeks to include skilled as well as semi-skilled foreign nationals, as soon as possible, into their workforce to further benefit their economy.

There are two ways for applicants to enter the Alberta PNP 2018 program:

• You can send an EOI or an Expression of Interest to Immigration Alberta, directly; that means, you have can try to skip the Canadian Express Entry system altogether. If it works, which means if your name gets nominated this way, you can then use the Express Entry to send in your provincial nomination credentials, and therefore apply for a permanent residency in Canada.
• The second way is, not skipping the Canadian Express Entry system. Make yourself a brand new profile in there, show an interest in the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program, and see if you get nominated. In case you do, you will gain a total of 600 points on your Express Entry score, which will further increase your chances to get an Invitation to Apply during the next Express Entry draw.

The government of Alberta seeks to bring in individuals of foreign nationalities who have been working anywhere in the province, and who have the skills, training, and experience in the industries or fields that see the most shortage of Canadian professionals. Both skilled as well as semi-skilled people are eligible to apply, and the application does not even make employer support mandatory. Those candidates who get a nomination from the Albertan government find themselves, along with their spouse and any children or dependents, quite easily applying for a PR. It's easier this way because such nomination does in fact speed up the PR process by a considerable degree.

With a variety of sub-sections or sub-categories under which one can apply, here's the list of 3 main categories of Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program 2018 that you should know about:

• The Strategic Recruitment Stream
• The Employer-Driven Stream
• The Self-employed Farmer Stream