Southeast Rural Renewal Pilot

Program Update: Effective February 20, 2025, the Southeast Alberta Municipal Immigration program for the City of Medicine Hat and the Town of Bow Island is temporarily paused. 

This decision follows recent Federal and Provincial immigration policy changes that have lowered immigration allocation spaces throughout the province. During this time, no new applications will be accepted. All applications received before this date will be duly processed.
The status of the program in Medicine Hat will be reviewed in January 2026, and updates will be posted on our website and social media channels. Timelines for program resumption is unknown at this time. 
Thank you for your understanding. 
For the most accurate information on processing times and inventory, be sure to check the AAIP website.

On November 18, 2025, AAIP announced upcoming changes to the Rural Renewal Stream, which will take effect January 1, 2026. These updates are intended to better align with provincial priorities and manage nomination spaces. Detailed information is available on the official AAIP website and the RRS eligibility page.  https://www.alberta.ca/aaip-rural-renewal-stream-eligibility 

Important Notes for Candidates: 

  • Candidates with an endorsement letter in the EOI pool who have not yet received an Invitation to Apply (ITA) should note that the one-year endorsement letter validity now applies. Decisions on endorsement letter renewals will be announced once community allocation limits are confirmed. All updates will be communicated to affected candidates by email. 

  • Candidates residing in Canada must hold a valid work permit at the time of application and assessment. Maintained status is acceptable if valid at the point of application assessment by the province. 

  • If you have already submitted an application to the province, these changes do not affect your application. 

The City of Medicine Hat, along with our regional partner in the Town of Bow Island, are approved as a designated community for the Rural Renewal Stream of the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP).

Rural Renewal supports the attraction and retention of newcomers in rural Alberta through a community-driven approach that is responsive to local economic development needs and contributes to the economic growth of the community.

Medicine Hat Economic Development launched the Southeast Rural Renewal Pilot on April 29, 2024. The pilot will support local businesses by providing endorsement letters to qualified and financially secure immigrants who have a genuine desire to settle in Southeast Alberta.

Prospective Immigrants

Applications for endorsement letters in the Southeast Rural Renewal Pilot need to be supported by an employer. If you plan on applying for endorsement, talk to your employer first. We cannot accept applications directly from a prospective immigrant.

After you obtain a qualifying job or receive a qualifying job offer, your employer can submit an application for nomination to the program on your behalf. Once nominated, new immigrants, temporary foreign workers or international students can qualify to work in their community while they wait for a decision on their permanent residence application. 

There is currently no list of participating employers for Southeast Rural Renewal.

Questions pertaining to information that is available online will not be responded to.

Employers

Employers that have questions or are interested in participating in the Southeast Rural Renewal Pilot are invited to email immigration@medicinehat.ca. Please be sure to include your name, business name, location, and telephone. Someone will respond within 2 business days.

How the Rural Renewal Stream works


Note: items marked with an asterisk (*) are performed by the foreign national

1. Community Designation

Medicine Hat and regional community partners received the community designation on January 13, 2023 and are currently developing the local implementation process. More to come.


2. Recruitment and endorsement

Community partners and municipalities will work with employers to recruit the labour needs of the area, ensuring the selected foreign nationals meet the criteria of the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program – Rural Renewal Stream.

The community will provide a letter of endorsement to the foreign national. This letter will need to be included in the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program application for a nomination.


3. Application*

The endorsed foreign national will apply to the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program – Rural Renewal Stream. A non-refundable application fee of $500 is required. You may only have one Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) application in process at any time. How to apply. 

While the permanent residency application is being processed, the candidate can request a 204(c) Letter of Support to apply for a temporary work permit to start working in the designated community.


4. Nomination for permanent residency

Alberta Advantage Immigration Program reviews the application and issues a nomination for permanent residency.


5. Application for permanent residency*

If the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program issues a nomination, the nominee must apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada for permanent residence status.

 
6. Settlement

The designated community partners support newcomers to settle permanently and be successful in the community.

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