Southeast Rural Renewal

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 program 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 program 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 began developing the local implementation process. 

2. Recruitment and endorsement

Community partners and municipalities 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 provides 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*