Graduate Entrepreneur Stream

The Graduate Entrepreneur Stream is a unique immigration stream under the Alberta Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) that targets international graduates from post-secondary institutions in Alberta who wish to start or acquire a business in the province. This stream allows eligible candidates to apply for permanent residency in Canada and receive support from the Alberta government to establish and operate a business in the province.

To be eligible for the Graduate Entrepreneur Stream, candidates must have completed a minimum of a two-year diploma or degree program from a designated post-secondary institution in Alberta, have a valid Post-Graduation Work Permit, and meet other program-specific requirements.

The Graduate Entrepreneur Stream is an excellent option for international graduates who wish to start or acquire a business in Alberta and settle permanently in the province. Successful applicants can benefit from the province’s strong economy, diverse population, and supportive business environment, which can help their businesses thrive and succeed.

Eligibility

Requirements for Graduate Entrepreneur Stream:

Area	Requirement
Education	Have completed at least two years of full-time education, resulting in a degree or diploma from an Alberta Advanced Education publicly funded post-secondary institution.
Work permit	Have a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), which is valid at the time of your Expression of Interest (EOI) submission.
Language	Have a minimum of, Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level of 7 for each English language skill or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) of 7 for each French language skill Official test results must be less than 2 years old at the time your EOI is submitted. Language tests: Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) General Test International English Language Testing System (IELTS) General Training Test Test d’evaluation de francais (TEF) Canada Test de connaissance du francais (TCF) Canada
Business establishment	Must establish a new business or buy an existing business in Alberta with a minimum 34% ownership. The proposed business type must not be on the list of ineligible businesses. Candidates are not required to establish a business in Alberta until their Business Application is approved by the AAIP. Business Partners must be Canadian Citizens or Permanent Residents.

Factors that increase your chances

Criteria	Adaptability factors
Work experience	Have a minimum of 6 months of full-time work experience that can be a combination of actively managing or owning the business or equivalencies. Work experience can be acquired: from outside Canada or within Canada before or after completing Alberta education Alberta education credential used to meet both education and work experience criteria must cover the minimum required duration for both education and work experience.
Economic benefit	Can provide economic benefit to Alberta through: job creation economic sector business location (for example, rural) business succession investment developed intellectual property. partnership or support from business incubator/accelerator, venture capital or angel investor
Age	21 to 49 years
Spouse	Your spouse or common-law partner has at least one of the following: at least 1 year of continuous full-time employment in Alberta completed at least 2 years of full-time study at a post-secondary institution in Alberta. a minimum level CLB 5 in English or NCLC 5 in French in all 4 language abilities (Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking)
Alberta relative	You, or your spouse or common-law partner, have one or more of the following relatives living full-time in Alberta: father, step-father, mother, step-mother, child, step-child, sister, step-sister, brother, step-brother

Graduate Entrepreneur Stream points grid:

Business establishment factors (75 points)
Criteria	Description	Points
Business management or ownership experience or equivalent (equivalencies include work experience with a business incubator or business accelerator or completion of entrepreneurship program courses) (Maximum of 15 points) Not a mandatory requirement	6 months	5
	More than 6 months to 1 year	10
	More than 1 year	15
Economic benefit (Maximum of 40 points) Not a mandatory requirement	Economic benefits Economic development sector (for example, energy, agriculture; technology, data, telecom, aviation, aerospace, financial services, fintech)	15
	Succession	5
	Job Creation (max 15 points): Jobs must be created for Canadian Citizens or Permanent Residents (not including relatives) for a period of at least 6 months.
	1 job	5
	2 jobs	10
	3 or more jobs	15
	Rural (outside Edmonton and Calgary Census Metropolitan Areas)	5
Total business investment (Maximum of 20 points) Not a mandatory requirement	$25,000 or less	5
	$25,001 to $50,000	10
	$50,001 to $75,000	15
	$75,001 or more	20
Human capital factors (25 points)
Language proficiency (Maximum of 15 points) Mandatory requirement	Proficiency in English or French:
	CLB 7/NCLC 7 (7 for each Reading, Writing, Learning and Speaking)(mandatory minimum)	5
	CLB 8/NCLC 8 (8 for each Reading, Writing, Learning and Speaking)	12
	CLB 9/NCLC 9 or higher (9 for each Reading, Writing, Learning and Speaking)	15
Alberta education (Maximum of 10 points) Mandatory requirement	Bachelor’s degree or a 2-year Diploma (mandatory minimum)	5
	2 or more degrees or diplomas	7
	Master’s degree or higher	10
Adaptability factors (25 points)
Age (Maximum of 5 points) Not a mandatory requirementt	21 to 49 years	5
Spouse/common-law characteristics (Maximum of 10 points) Not a mandatory requirement	Your spouse/common-law partner has one or more of the following: at least 1 year of continuous full-time employment in Alberta completed at least 2 years of full-time study at a post-secondary institution in Alberta a minimum level CLB 5 in English or NCLC 5 in French in all 4 language abilities	10 (if one or more characteristics are met)
Alberta relatives (Maximum of 10 points) Not a mandatory requirement	Relatives are defined as father, step-father, mother, step-mother, child, step-child, sister, step-sister, brother, step-brother of candidate or spouse/common-law partner	10
Maximum points		125

Ineligibility

You have an active nomination, which has not expired and/or is eligible for extension under another AAIP stream.
You have an active nomination, which has not expired and/or is eligible for extension under another AAIP stream.
You have a removal order issued against you by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) or Canada Border Services Agency.
You are a refugee claimant, or an individual involved in a federal appeal or removal process.
You are a foreign national living or working in Canada with no valid temporary resident status.
Your business is on the list of ineligible businesses.

How to apply (Similar to Rural Entrepreneur Stream)

Step 1. Read the terms and conditions.
Step 2. Review the eligibility criteria.
Step 3. Submit an Expression of Interest

Required documents

Your EOI list of documents may include one ormore of the following forms:

Graduate Entrepreneur Stream Business Proposal Summary
Net Worth Worksheet – applicable if you are investing in the proposed business.
Use of Representative form – if applicable
Spouse, Common-Law Partners and Dependents Authorization form

Step 4. Submit the Business Application package.
Step 5. Business Application assessment
Step 6. Establish your business in Alberta.
Step 7. Final Report for Nomination