Employer fees are illegal. It is illegal for an employer to charge a fee of any kind in return for a job offer letter. Read more about employer fraud below.
County of Barrhead is proud to have partnered with the Town of Barrhead to become a designated community under the Rural Renewal stream of the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP). This program aims to support our local businesses that struggle with attracting & retaining employees. Click here to see available positions under the program!
AAIP is a provincial economic immigration program that nominates individuals for permanent residency in Alberta. The Rural Renewal program will support economic development by attracting qualified newcomers to fill full-time, permanent positions in the County & Town of Barrhead. Participants in the program can receive nomination for permanent residency, which will allow them to stay working, living, and contributing to our community.
Program Process
Employer & Candidate Eligibility
- Employers must meet all provincial criteria and register their business in the Rural Renewal Stream with the County of Barrhead.
- Candidates must meet all provincial criteria before applying for a job posting or requesting endorsement.
Job Offers & EndorsementOnce a candidate receives a job offer, the employer can request a municipal endorsement letter from the Barrhead Community.
AAIP Nomination
Once a candidate receives a job offer and is endorsed by the municipality, they can submit an expression of interest through the AAIP Online Portal. Candidates are ranked by AAIP on a number of categories, and invites selected candidates to apply.
Employer Fraud
It is illegal for employers to charge candidates a fee of any kind in return of job offers or employment letters. If an employer is charging you a fee for job offers, endorsement letters, or other documents, we encourage you to report this as employer fraud:
- If you are currently a Temporary Foreign Worker in Canada, contact the Temporary Foreign Worker Advisory Office:
- Phone: 1-877-944-9955
- Email: LBR.TFWAO@gov.ab.ca
- More information: TFWAO Fact Sheet
- If you are a foreign national living outside Canada, contact Immigration, Refugees, & Citizenship Canada (IRCC):
- Phone: 1-888-242-2100
- Online contact form
- More information: Reporting Fraud or Abuse
Rural Renewal FAQ
I'm an employer in the Town of Barrhead. Do I still apply to the County to enroll my business?
Yes. The County & Town of Barrhead have partnered to run the Rural Renewal Stream in our community, with the County acting as administrative lead. This means that the County of Barrhead reviews employer enrollment & drafts municipal endorsement letters for businesses & candidates in both the County & Town of Barrhead.
I want to immigrate to Barrhead. How can I get an endorsement letter?
The County & Town of Barrhead cannot issue endorsement letters directly to candidates without an eligible job offer in the community. A candidate's first step is to apply for a job directly to an eligible employer.
Prospective candidates should follow application details listed in each job posting. Once a job is offered, the employer will send a copy of the offer letter to the County of Barrhead. At that point, the County will review eligibility and write the endorsement letter.
Do employers need to complete a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)?
No. The Rural Renewal Stream gives employers the opportunity to waive LMIA requirements for job vacancies by requiring an endorsement letter from the municipality. An LMIA is not required for employers who recruit vacant positions through this program.
Is the program open to candidates in Canada and abroad?
Provincially, the Rural Renewal Stream is open to candidates in Canada or abroad.
However, at this time the Barrhead Community will only issue endorsement letters to candidates that are already in Canada with valid temporary status. Candidates outside Canada will not be reviewed for a municipal endorsement letter (see "Candidate Endorsement" above for more information).
What happens if the job doesn't work out?
Both employer and employee still have rights under the Employment Standards Code. Should employer or employee choose to end the employment agreement, the employer must follow employment standards and regulations to terminate their employment. If employment is terminated, it is the responsibility of the employer to notify the County of Barrhead, who will then notify AAIP of the employee's change in employment status.
