Most newcomers to Canada start their new Canadian lives in either Toronto or Vancouver. These two cities have been the traditional hubs for Canadian immigration. However, there's a new destination looking more attractive all the time: Alberta.

British emigrants should seriously consider Alberta, Canada as immigration destination number one. Here's why.

Job opportunities

Alberta is the driving force behind Canada's recent economic success. Alberta's prosperity is based on one thing: oil. The Alberta oil sands are estimated to hold more oil than all the reserves in the middle-east combined. Oil and natural resource companies have been steadily ramping up their investments and infrastructure in the Alberta oil sands.

Investment in the oil sands has been so fast and furious that companies are having a hard time attracting enough workers. Wage competition between companies is fierce, especially those directly involved in the oil business or construction. An engineer with applicable skills or a skilled tradesperson can expect to choose between multiple job offers, with companies competing aggressively to hire.

All of this has had a knock-on effect in other sectors as well. Finance, government, health, customer service, hospitality, even fast-food, all have to pay extremely competitive wages in order to meet their minimum staffing levels.

It's a workers market in Alberta!

The extreme, almost rabid demand for workers has a further knock-on effect on…

Immigration

It's no secret that immigrating to Canada can be a long, involved process. A normal Skilled Worker application to the Canadian High Commission in London can take over two years to be processed. For many Britons who want to emigrate, two years is simply too long to wait.
However, a confirmed job offer in Canada can make the visa application process significantly faster. If an applicant has a job offer in Alberta, they may be able to request priority processing.

Alberta also offers a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) for qualifying applicants. In exchange for a commitment to say in the province, a PNP applicant with a job offer in Alberta can have their Skilled Worker application fast-tracked.

Another option to consider is a Temporary Work Permit. Temporary work permits usually depend on a job offer. Employers in Alberta are increasingly looking to foreign workers, complete with work permit sponsorship, in order to meet their hiring needs. Citizenship and Immigration Canada has recently taken steps to streamline the sponsorship process for Alberta employers.

Alberta's booming job growth means that job offers are easier to find there than anywhere else in Canada - helping fast-track the immigration process and getting families to Canada faster.

Cost of living

Alberta has been making headlines in Canada for its skyrocketing cost of living. House prices in particular have seen remarkable growth over the past three years, thanks to massive demand from people looking to take advantage of the provincial boom.
Oil-boom towns like Fort McMurray, a sluggish rural town only a generation ago, have seen their housing stocks snapped up, making their rental and purchase prices as expensive as big cities. Calgary, too, has long since outgrown its “cow-town” roots. The average price of a house in Calgary has shot up 9.7% in the past year as people flock to the increasingly cosmopolitan economic capital.

However, in real economic terms, the cost of living in Alberta is comparatively low, especially when stacked up against the cost of living the in United Kingdom. Housing prices may be expensive by Canadian standards, but the barrier to entry isn't yet insurmountable.

The average selling price of a house in Calgary in 2007 was $444,769 CAD - or about £224,000. Those pounds buy a lot more house in Alberta than they do in the UK. Incredibly, this is still less expensive than more traditional immigration destinations like Toronto and Vancouver.

This means that property in Alberta, while certainly not cheap, is a sound long term investment.

Coupled with the fact that Alberta has no provincial sales tax and some of the lowest income tax rates in the G8, and the cost of living begins to look a lot more appealing than it seems at face value. A dollar still goes a long way in Alberta.

Quality of life

One of the biggest push-factors for British emigrants is the quest for a higher quality of life. Alberta offers this in spades - especially for people with a love of the great outdoors.

Alberta is sometimes called "big sky country," with a clear blue sky seeming to stretch forever in all directions across the parries. Long-time Albertans tend to get misty-eyed when they talk about the horizon.

Alberta's major cities, Calgary and Edmonton, are not more than a few hours away from world-class Rocky Mountain ski hills and heartbreakingly gorgeous scenery. Banff is nestled in the base of snow-capped mountains, and deer regularly walk the streets. Jasper National Park spans almost 11,000 square kilometers of glaciers, mountains and clean turquoise lakes.
Urban life in Alberta is characterized by clean air, organized transport facilities, and easy trips out of town.

All of these reasons should make Alberta serious contender for the hearts of would-be British emigrants. Don't wait. Alberta needs you!