The Barrhead Community has paused participation in Alberta's Rural Renewal Stream and will not be issuing new Endorsement Letters until further notice. After August 30, 2024, no new Endorsement Letter requested will be accepted.
Reasons for Pause
1. Increased Processing Times
- Backlog of applications waiting for Government of Alberta approval (currently approx. 7 month backlog).
- AAIP is changing their application process and has paused accepting more nomination applications until September 30, 2024
- After Sept 30, AAIP is moving to "expression of interest (EOI)” format:
- Candidates submit an EOI and are placed in a selection pool. AAIP then ranks candidate EOIs on a number of categories and invites select candidates to apply.
- This new process may further delay the existing +7 month wait time for employers to get new workers, or in some cases completely eliminate the possibility of candidates being selected to apply.
2. Affordability & Long-Term Growth
- Many positions requested under Barrhead’s Rural Renewal Stream tend to be for low-wage & entry-level positions.
- If candidates cannot afford to live in Barrhead (a requirement of the program) under the wage they are paid, they are likely to only stay for a short time before moving on to other opportunities. This does not support our goal of attracting long-term residents.
- Additionally, the Federal Government’s recent announcement to limit low-wage temporary foreign worker streams will further reduce the ability for our local employers to get a TFW that can start work while their Rural Renewal application is processing.
Going Forward:
- Endorsement Letters requested prior to August 30, 2024 will remain in our queue.
- However, employers should be aware that under AAIP’s new EOI format, it may be months before their candidate is selected to apply for nomination, if at all.
- No new employer or candidate applications will be considered until further notice.
- We will continue to monitor the provincial Rural Renewal program and local workforce needs. If feasible, Barrhead may consider accepting more endorsement letter requests in the future.