Lethbridge County ends AAIP Rural Renewal Stream participation

Posted on February 27, 2025 by Sunny South News

By Kristine Jean
Sunny South News

Citing several factors, Lethbridge County has decided to discontinue its participation in the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) Rural Renewal Stream.

In a press release on Feb. 14, the county provided several reasons behind its decision, which includes reduced allocations, high applicant volume and the end of grant funding. 

 “Following recent changes to policy at the provincial and federal levels that have lowered immigration allocation spaces, Lethbridge County will be ending our participation in the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) Rural Renewal Stream,” read the release.  

The program was offered to rural communities across Alberta to encourage newcomers to live and work in these areas, bolstering employment and providing a quicker path to permanent residency. 

Lethbridge County joined in 2023, with the Town of Taber facilitating the program on behalf of the County, the Municipal District of Taber, Vauxhall, Coaldale, Picture Butte, Milk River, Raymond, Cardston and Nobleford. Over the past two years, the program has helped fill 235 full-time jobs at 88 businesses across these municipalities.

“We are grateful to the Town of Taber and their staff for facilitating the Rural Renewal program for the County,” said Reeve Tory Campbell. “Many of our businesses have shared how valuable this program has been for them. When Council decided to participate in 2023, we saw it as a great opportunity for our business community—benefiting both employees and employers. While we are disappointed that the Rural Renewal program is ending, we remain open to future opportunities that support our businesses in filling employment gaps.”

The program was paused this summer for evaluation, after which the Government of Alberta reduced its annual immigration allocations by half, to 4,875. Due to the program’s popularity, there are currently 49,000 applications in the queue—taking several years to process.

Grant funding is also set to expire in March.

The Town of Taber has committed to providing endorsement letters to qualified candidates who submitted their application letters prior to the program’s pause. Lethbridge County thanks the Town of Taber and its staff for their dedication to the program and for ensuring a smooth transition.