Atlantic Immigration Program

Atlantic Immigration Program and it’s Provincial Nominee Programs

The Big 4 Atlantic Provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. Located in the far eastern part of Canada lining the Atlantic Ocean. Full of small island communities and the love of the sea.

The AIP - Atlantic Immigration Program is a pathway to permanent residence for skilled foreign workers and international graduates from a Canadian institution who want to work and live in 1 of Canada’s 4 Atlantic provinces—New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland and Labrador. The program helps employers hire qualified candidates for jobs they haven’t been able to fill locally. Employers must apply to be designated. For employers looking for more information on how to be designated, please visit: https://www.welcomenb.ca/content/wel-bien/en/atlantic-immigration-program.html

Provincial Nominee Programs

not to be confused with the AIP

New Brunswick

Skilled Worker Stream is designed for Foreign Nationals who possess the skills, education and work experience needed to contribute to New Brunswick’s economy. Candidates must meet the program’s minimum eligibility requirements, have a genuine offer of employment from a New Brunswick Employer and have the full intent to live and work in the province on a permanent basis.

This program will also help New Brunswick employers, unable to fill job vacancies with a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, recruit foreign nationals and international graduates whose skills are needed in the province.

Application processing priority is being given to the following categories of applications in our inventory:

Francophone applicants
NB graduates
2147 Computer Engineer
2172 Database analyst and data administrators
2173 Software engineers and designers
2174 Computer programmers
2175 Web designers and developers
2281 Computer network technicians
2282 User support technicians
2283 Information systems testing technicians
3012 Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
3233 Licensed practical nurses
3413 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
4412 Home support worker

Please note, however, that the following NOC occupations are currently NOT being accepted under any stream of the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) including the NB Skilled Worker, NB Express Entry, or NB Strategic Initiative streams:

NOC 62020 – Food service supervisors

NOC 65201 – Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations

NOC 65200 – Food and beverage servers

Private Career College Graduate Pilot is for international graduates with the skills, education and work experience to contribute to New Brunswick’s economy, and who are ready to live and work in New Brunswick permanently. The objective of the pilot is to make available an immigration pathway to international graduates from select one-year and two-year programs of study that lead to careers in priority occupations in Education and Social Development, in Health, in IT and Cybersecurity, in Business Administration, and in Supply Chain and Logistics.

Nova Scotia

The Physician Stream assists Nova Scotia’s public health authorities – the Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) and the Izaak Walton Killam Health Centre (IWK) – to hire general practitioners, family physicians, and specialist physicians to work in Nova Scotia. The stream helps the NSHA and IWK to recruit and retain physicians with the required skills for positions that they have been unable to fill with a permanent resident or Canadian citizen.

ELIGIBILITY

The Physician Stream is only open to general practitioners and family physicians (NOC 31102) and specialist physicians (NOC 31100 and NOC 31101) with signed approved opportunities with the Nova Scotia Health Authority or the IWK Health Centre.

The approved opportunity must be on official NSHA or IWK letterhead and must:

Be signed and dated by a person authorized to hire physicians at the NSHA or IWK
Be signed and dated by the applicant who is accepting the opportunity
Indicate eligibility for licensure with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of NS
Indicate that the applicant is eligible to apply for privileges and credentials with NSHA and the IWK

The International Graduates in Demand stream is for recent international graduates whose skills and education match specific National Occupational Classification (NOC) job categories. This stream is currently open to workers in 2 NOC job categories:

NOC 33102: nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service associates
NOC 42202: early childhood educators and assistants

ELIGIBILITY

have a full-time permanent job offer from a Nova Scotia employer in a job category listed above that corresponds with your recent field of study;

be 21 to 55 years old;

have a high school diploma;

have met requirements for completing a course of study within three years of your application. The program must have been at least 30 weeks in length. You must have completed at least 50% of the program in Nova Scotia.

If you are applying under NOC 33102, your program must grant a certificate, diploma, or degree.

If you are applying under NOC 42202, your program must grant a diploma or a degree.

have certifications issued by NS regulatory bodies required for the job;

prove language ability equal to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) Level 5 even if your first language is English or French;

show enough financial resources to successfully settle in Nova Scotia.

The Skilled Worker stream helps employers recruit foreign workers and recently graduated international students whose skills are needed in Nova Scotia. An employer can only hire foreign workers for positions they have been unable to fill with permanent residents or Canadian citizens.

ELIGIBILITY

have a full-time permanent job offer from a Nova Scotia employer;
have 1 year of work experience related to the job. Workers in TEER category 4 or 5 of the National Occupational Classification must already have six months’ experience with the employer.);
be 21 to 55 years old;
have a high school diploma;
have the appropriate training, skills and/or accreditation for the job;
prove language ability equal to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) Level 5 if you are in a NOC TEER category 0, 1, 2, or 3 occupation. If your first language is English or French, that is enough proof. Workers in a NOC TEER category 4 or 5 occupation must have test results to prove they meet CLB 4 even if their first language is English or French;
show enough financial resources to successfully settle in Nova Scotia.

The Occupations in Demand stream targets specific TEER category 3, 4 or 5 occupations of the National Occupational Classification that are in high labour market demand in Nova Scotia. Labour, Skills and Immigration identifies occupations in demand based on labour market information and eligible occupations are subject to change.

ELIGIBILITY

have a full-time permanent job offer from a Nova Scotia employer in either

NOC 33102 (Nurse Aides)
NOC 65200 (Food and beverage servers)
NOC 65201 (Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations)
NOC 65310 (Light duty cleaners)
NOC 73300 (Transport truck drivers)
NOC 73400 (Heavy equipment operators)
NOC 75110 (Construction trades helpers and labourers)

have 1 year of work experience related to the job;
be 21 to 55 years old;
have a high school diploma;
have the appropriate training, skills and/or accreditation for the job;
prove language ability equal to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) Level 4 even if your first language is English or French;
show enough financial resources to successfully settle in Nova Scotia.

Prince Edward Island

To apply for the PEI Skilled Worker stream from outside of Canada you must:

have a full-time, non-seasonal (permanent or minimum of two years) job offer from a PEI employer in a high skilled occupation defined by the Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibility classification system as TEER category 0, 1, 2, or 3
Important note: Through this stream, your employer must receive authorization from our office prior to submitting an expression of interest profile;
have at least two years of full‐time work experience in the past five years;
have legal status in country of residence;
have successfully completed a post‐secondary degree or diploma (minimum two year program);
be between the ages of 18 and 59;
have sufficient English and/or French language ability to perform the job offered. Language ability can be verified by one of the following:

a language test from an IRCC approved testing institute within the past two years with a minimum score of CLB/NCLC 4; or
PEIW-02: Workforce Job Offer Form indicating employer is comfortable with the employees proficiency in English and/or French to perform tasks associated with the job position being offered.

have sufficient financial resources for the applicant and family to pay all immigration costs (including travel expenses) to be able to establish in PEI; and
demonstrate a genuine intention to settle in PEI.

The Skilled Worker stream is employer-driven, allowing Island employers to fill high-skilled positions that they are unable to fill through the local job market. You can apply for a nomination for permanent residency through the Skilled Worker stream if you are currently employed by an Island employer.

ELIGIBILITY

have a full-time, non-seasonal (permanent or minimum of two years) job offer from a PEI employer in a high skilled occupation defined by the Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibility classification system as TEER category 0, 1, 2, or 3
have at least two years of full‐time work experience in the past five years;
have a valid work permit to be working in Canada;
have legal status in country of residence;
have successfully completed a post‐secondary degree or diploma (minimum two year program);
be between the ages of 18 and 59;
have sufficient English and/or French language ability to perform the job offered. Language ability can be verified by one of the following:

a language test from an IRCC approved testing institute within the past two years with a minimum score of CLB/NCLC 4; or
PEIW-02: Workforce Job Offer Form indicating employer is comfortable with the employee's proficiency in English and/or French to perform tasks associated with the job position being offered.

have sufficient financial resources for the applicant and family to pay all immigration costs (including travel expenses) to be able to establish in PEI; and
demonstrate a genuine intention to settle in PEI.

The Occupations in Demand stream is an employer-driven program allowing Island employers to fill specific positions that they are unable to fill through the local job market. This stream may be utilized for talent recruitment inside and outside of Canada.

ELIGIBILITY

have a full-time, non-seasonal permanent job offer from a PEI employer in either

NOC 33102 (Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates)
NOC 73300 (Transport truck drivers),
NOC 75110 (Construction trades helpers and labourers), or
NOC 65310 (Light duty cleaners)
NOC 95109 (Other labourers in processing, manufacturing and utilities)
NOC 75101 (Material handlers)
NOC 94140 (Process control and machine operators food and beverage processing)
NOC 94141 (Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers)

have one year of work experience directly related to the job offered by a PEI employer
be 18 to 59 years old;
have successfully completed (at minimum) a secondary school diploma (high school);
provide a valid language test result from an IRCC-approved testing institution, with a minimum score of CLB/NCLC 4. Language tests are valid for 2 years after the date of the test result;
have sufficient financial resources to pay all immigration costs (including travel expenses) for you and your family to be able to establish in PEI; and
demonstrate a genuine intention to settle in PEI.

The PEI Critical Worker stream is employer-driven, allowing Island employers to fill intermediate-skilled positions that they are unable to fill through the local job market. You can apply for a nomination for permanent residency through the Critical Worker stream of the Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program (PEI PNP) if you are currently working full-time in PEI.

ELIGIBILITY

have a full-time, non-seasonal (i.e. permanent or minimum of two years) job offer from a PEI employer in an intermediate skilled position , defined by the Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibility classification system as TEER category 4 or 5
have worked a minimum of six months full-time for the PEI employer;
have a valid work permit and legal status in Canada;
possess a minimum education of secondary school diploma;
be between the ages of 18 and 59;
have a minimum two years of full-time work experience or relevant education in the past five years;
provide a language test from an IRCC-approved testing institute within the past two years with a minimum score of CLB/NCLC 4;
have sufficient financial resources to pay all immigration costs (including travel expenses) for you and your family to be able to establish in PEI; and
demonstrate a genuine intention to settle in PEI.

Newfoundland and Labrador

1. Skilled Worker Category

Minimum Requirements:

Must have a full-time job or job offer from an eligible Newfoundland and Labrador employer for at least two years
Must have the required qualifications, training, skills and accreditation for the job;
Must have a valid work permit with at least four months left;
Must have the relevant experience for the job;
Must have enough money to settle in the province;
Must meet the minimum language requirements.
Be 21 to 59 in age

The Process:

Check your eligibility and apply on the province’s webpage.

Around 25 business days after submitting your application, you will be notified if your application is approved or denied by a designated authority.

If your application is approved, you can then use your provincial nomination to apply for permanent residence directly with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

2. International Graduate Category

Minimum Requirements:

Must have completed at least half of your studies in Canada, and graduated from an eligible college or university;
Must have completed at least a two-year diploma or degree program (full-time);
Must have a full-time job offer from an eligible employer in Newfoundland and Labrador ;
Must hold a Post-Graduation Work Permit from IRCC;
Must have the qualifications, training, skills and/or accreditation needed for the job;
Must have enough money to settle in Newfoundland and Labrador;
Must meet the minimum language requirements.

The Process:

Check your eligibility and apply on the province’s webpage.

Around 25 business days after submitting your application, you will be notified if your application is approved or denied by a designated authority.

If your application is approved, you can then use your provincial nomination to apply for permanent residence directly with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Priority Skills Stream

Eligibility Criteria

have taken an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) language test within the last twelve months and scored equivalent to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 5 or higher;
be at least 21 years of age; and
intend to live permanently in Newfoundland and Labrador

In-demand Academic candidates:

must have completed PhD or Master’s degrees from Memorial University within the past three years in the following specialties: Technology, Health Care, Aquaculture, and Agriculture.

In-demand Work candidates:

must have worked in a specialized, highly skilled, in-demand occupation for at least one full year in the last 10 years. A list of in-demand occupations can be found here.

*List of in-demand occupations are exempt from provincial labour market testing processes for Newfoundland and Labrador, you can review that list here: https://www.gov.nl.ca/immigration/excluded-positions

Provincial Fees for processing:

There are no specific Provincial processing fees.

Other government fees will be listed on the IRCC website or in your retainer agreement when you sign up.

For assistance please complete a generic Pre-Qualification (Assessment) or navigate to our home page and you can choose which country you are immigrating from in the drop down.