To cater to the spiritual needs of Alberta residents, Premier Jason Kenney has announced a new immigration pathway that allows religious workers from other nations including Nigeria to permanently relocate to Alberta in Canada.

“Religious newcomer professionals are now eligible to apply under the Alberta Opportunity Stream, Alberta Express Entry Stream and Rural Renewal Stream to work with religious organizations and settle permanently in the province,” a statement by the Alberta immigration website said.

The new pathway, however, comes with a clause that the immigrating religious workers including pastors “must have a job offer from an Alberta-based faith organisation and meet the existing criteria under the program, including language, education and wage requirements.”

Kaycee Madu, Minister of Labour and Immigration said the move became imperative because many of Alberta residents “rely on spiritual leadership to help maintain their connection to their roots” and brace for future challenges.

Asserting the spiritual health of residents needs to be nurtured and that “the worship of many faith communities depends on clergy and religious workers from overseas,” Mr Kenney noted that the new immigration pathway was launched in the hopes of attracting religious workers from other nations to Alberta.

British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario have also launched similar pathways to lure foreign pastors and other spiritual leaders into the provinces.