Rural Entrepreneur Stream

The Rural Entrepreneur Stream is a subcategory of the ‘Streams for entrepreneurs’ under the Alberta Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). This stream is designed to attract entrepreneurs who wish to establish a business in rural areas of Alberta and contribute to the province’s economic growth.

To be eligible for the Rural Entrepreneur Stream, candidates must have a minimum net worth of CAD 300,000, make a minimum investment of CAD 100,000 have a business plan to establish or purchase an existing business in a rural area of Alberta, and be actively involved in the management of the business. They must also have a minimum of three years of experience in managing or owning a business in a related field.

Successful applicants under this stream are nominated for permanent residency in Canada and are required to establish or purchase a business in a rural area of Alberta within two years of arriving in the province. They must also meet the program’s ongoing requirements, including actively managing the business and meeting the conditions of their business plan.

The Rural Entrepreneur Stream provides an excellent opportunity for entrepreneurs who are interested in living and working in rural areas of Alberta. Successful applicants can enjoy the benefits of running a business in a supportive community, with access to a skilled workforce, affordable cost of living, and excellent quality of life.

Participating Communities

https://www.alberta.ca/aaip-rural-entrepreneur-stream-participating-communities.aspx

Any community with a population ofless than 100,000,
The community must be outside of the Calgary and Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area.

Eligibility

Area	Requirement
Work experience	minimum 3 years of experience as an active business owner/manager or a minimum of 4 years of experience as a senior manager within the past 10 years.
Education	Completed a minimum of high school equivalent to the Canadian standard with an Education Credential Assessment (ECA).
Language	Have a minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level of 4 for each English language skill or Niveaux de competence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) of 4 for each French language skill: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Official test results must be less than 2 years old at the time your Expression of Interest 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
Net worth	Minimum net worth of $300,000. All assets must be candidate’s own personal holdings or spouse’s or common-law partners.
Business investment	Minimum investment of $100,000 from candidate’s own (and/or spouse/common-law partner) equity. Higher levels of investment will be awarded more points.
Business establishment	Minimum ownership of 51% for a new business. Business Partners must be Canadian Citizens or Permanent Residents. OR 100% ownership for business succession (the succession buy-out must result in a complete change in ownership where the candidate will assume full control of the business). Business must not be on the list of ineligible businesses.
Job creation	New businesses must create at least one full-time job for Canadian Citizens or Permanent Residents (not including relatives) for a period of at least 6 months. For business succession, job creation is not required.
Community support letter	Candidates must have a Community Support Letter from a participating rural Alberta community.

Factors that increase your chances

Economic Benefit	Business succession
Age	21 to 49 years
Spouse	Your spouse or common-law partner has at least one of the following: completed at least one year of full-time post-secondary education (Certificate, Associate Degree, Diploma, Bachelor’s Degree or higher) or a minimum level Canadian Language Benchmark 4 in English or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens 4 in French in all four language abilities (Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking). Language test results must be less than 2 years old at the time the Expression of Interest is submitted.
Alberta relative	Relatives are defined as father, stepfather, mother, step-mother, child, step-child, sister, step-sister, brother, step-brother of candidate or spouse or common-law partner

Rural Entrepreneur Stream Points Grid

Criteria	Description	Points
Rural Factor (25 points)
Business Location (Maximum of 25 points) Mandatory requirement	Rural Community Community outside the Edmonton and Calgary Census Metropolitan Areas and under 100,000 population size (mandatory minimum)
	Tier 1: Less than 10,000 population	25
	Tier 2: 10,001 to 50,000 population	17
	Tier 3: 50,001 to 99,999 population	10
Business Experience Factor (20 points)
Business owner-manager or senior management experience within the past 10 years (Maximum of 20 points) Mandatory requirement	Business owner-manager
	3 to less than 4 years (mandatory minimum)	12
	4 to less than 5 years	16
	5 or more years	20
	or Senior manager
	4 to less than 5 years (mandatory minimum)	12
	5 to less than 6 years	16
	6 or more years	20
Business Establishment Factors (60 points)
Total Business Investment (Maximum of 20 points) Mandatory requirement	$200,000 to $399,999 (mandatory minimum)	5
	$400,000 to $599,999	10
	$600,000 to $799,999	15
	$800,000 or more	20
Net Worth (Maximum of 10 points) Mandatory requirement	$300,000 to $399,999 (mandatory minimum)	6
	$400,000 to $499,999	8
	$500,000 or more	10
Job Creation Jobs must be created for Canadian Citizens or Permanent residents (not including relatives) for a period of at least 6 months. (Maximum of 20 points) Mandatory requirement For business succession, job creation is not mandatory; however, candidates will be awarded points for job creation.	1 job (mandatory minimum)	4
	2 jobs	8
	3 jobs	12
	4 jobs	16
	5 jobs or more	20
Business Successions (Maximum of 10 points) Not a Mandatory requirement	Investment to takeover an existing business	10
Human Capital Factors (35 points)
Language Proficiency (Maximum of 25 points) Mandatory requirement	Proficiency in English or French:
	CLB/NCLC 4 (4 for each Reading, Writing, Learning and Speaking) (mandatory minimum)	15
	CLB/NCLC 5 (5 for each Reading, Writing, Learning and Speaking)	20
	CLB/NCLC 6 or higher (6 for each Reading, Writing, Learning and Speaking)	25
Education (Maximum of 10 points) Mandatory requirement	High-school Diploma equivalent to Canadian standards (mandatory minimum)	4
	Associate degree or Diploma (at least one year)	7
	Bachelor’s degree or higher	10
Adaptability Factors (35 points)
Canada/Alberta experience from work or studies within the past 10 years (Maximum of 15 points) Not a mandatory requirement	In Rural Alberta
	12 to 24 months	10
	More than 24 months	15
	And / Or In non-rural Alberta (Calgary and Edmonton)
	18 to 30 months	6
	More than 30 months	10
	And / Or In Canada
	24 to 36 months	3
	More than 36 months	5
Relative(s) in the community or Alberta (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
	Relative(s) living in Alberta	5
	or
	Relative(s) living in the community where you intend to reside and operate a business	10
Spouse’s/Common-law partner’s Language Proficiency or Education (Maximum of 5 points) Not a mandatory requirement	Proficiency in English or French:
	CLB/NCLC 4 (4 for each Reading, Writing, Learning and Speaking)	3
	CLB/NCLC 5 (5 for each Reading, Writing, Learning and Speaking)	4
	CLB/NCLC 6 or higher (6 or higher for each Reading, Writing, Learning and Speaking)	5
	and / or Education:
	Certificate, associate degree, or Diploma (at least one year)	3
	Bachelor’s degree or higher	5
Age (Maximum of 5 points) Not a mandatory requirement	21 to 49	5
Maximum Points		175

Ineligibility

You have an active nomination, which has not expired and/or is eligible for extension under another AAIP stream.
You have been issued a letter on a previous AAIP application that stated you are not eligible to re-apply to the AAIP for a specified period of time.
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 (Online)

Submit an EOI (Expression of Interest) for the Rural Entrepreneur Stream through the AAIP portal with following documents.
- Required documents
  
  One or more of the following forms:
  - Rural Entrepreneur Stream Business Proposal Summary
  - Net Worth Worksheet
  - Community Support Letter
  - Use of Representative form
  - Spouse, Common-Law Partners, and Dependents Authorization form
- You have 120 days to complete and submit the required documents.
- AAIP will review and score your EOI within 30 days of submission.
- EOIs are placed in the pool of qualified candidates for a period of 12 months.
- Highest-ranking points will be contacted directly by the AAIP and invited to submit a Business Application.
Business applications must be submitted within 90 days of receiving the email from the AAIP with necessary documents.
- Must include:
  - Business Plan Evaluation Report
  - Qualified Service Provider Report
- Fee- $3,500 non-refundable fee.
  
  If the business application is approved, you will be sent a Business Performance Agreement by email for your review and signature.
You must sign, scan, and email your Business Performance Agreement to the AAIP within 14 days. You will be given a 205(a) Letter of Support
Submit your application for a work permit with your 205(a) Letter of Support within 3 months of receiving this letter.
Extension of WP – you must submit a Request for a 205(a) Letter of Support to the AAIP within 90 days of your work permit expiry.
After above requirements are fulfilled, candidate can apply for PR with Final Report for Nomination