"We're going through some really good times here, for sure," said Sorcha McGinnis, a spokeswoman for Alberta Employment and Immigration. "But we're experiencing labor shortages across every sector of our economy."
Specifically, Alberta needs architects, health-care professionals - nurses are in high demand - engineers and IT workers, McGinnis said. Last year alone, about 89,000 jobs were created and one out of every 13 involved oil, gas and mining extraction.
Alberta is specifically seeking foreign-born professionals living in the United States on H-1B visas - papers given to those with college degrees or equivalents - to apply for the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program, she said. Potential employees could become permanent residents of Canada in six to 18 months.
Alberta's decision to entice immigrants angers and saddens some immigration lawyers.
"It absolutely hurts global competition," said Wendy Hess, a partner and business-immigration lawyer with Goldblum & Hess in Jenkintown. "What Alberta is doing is brilliant. It's a sad commentary on the U.S. immigration policy, which doesn't recognize our need to remain globally competitive."
By contrast, John Miano, a fellow with the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, D.C., believes Alberta's visit is no threat to the country's vitality.
"The reality is we get the first pick of the world's people," said John Miano, a fellow with the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, D.C., a think tank with a "pro-immigration, low-immigration vision," according to its Web site.
"It's not a big threat to the U.S.," Miano said. Alberta is "trying to get second picks."
