The Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) is for applicants interested in a permanent residency pathway that allows them to work and live in one of the following Atlantic provinces:
- New Brunswick
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- Nova Scotia
- Prince Edward Island
How does the Atlantic Immigration Program work?
This program is designed to invite international graduates or skilled foreign workers to the Atlantic provinces. The applicant must:
- Be a recent graduate of a recognised post-secondary institution in Atlantic Canada or
- Be a skilled worker
- Living in Canada as a temporary resident or living abroad.
- Receive a job offer from a designated employer in Atlantic Canada.
- The employer that sends the job offer must be recognised and designated by the Atlantic province.
- The employer must have already proven that they have tried to hire a local worker.
- The employer will give the candidate an Offer of Employment to a Foreign National form when fulfilling this requirement.
The current processing time for the AIP is 7 months, and the fees for the program begin at $1,525.
Who can apply for the Atlantic Immigration Program?
Candidates applying for permanent residency through the AIP must EITHER:
Pathway 1:
- Worked 1,560 hours in the last 5 years.
- Worked in a profession that falls under TEER 0,1,2,3 or 4 in the National Occupation Classification.
*The AIP currently uses the 2021 version of the National Occupation Classification and not the 2016 version.
Pathway 2:
- Obtain a degree, diploma, certificate, or trade or apprenticeship certification that took 2 years, and is from a recognized post-secondary institution in one of the four Atlantic provinces.
- A complete list of the recognised institutions can be found here. As of July 2024, there are 24 recognised educational institutions in the 4 Atlantic provinces.
Education requirements for the AIP:
- For those with a job classified under the TEER 0 or 1 category, you must have one year of Canadian post-secondary education or equivalent from outside Canada.
- For those with a job classified under the TEER 2,3 or 4 category, you must have a Canadian high school diploma or equivalent from outside Canada.
- FOR THOSE EDUCATED OUTSIDE CANADA:
- You must obtain an educational credential assessment (ECA) for equivalency.
- The ECA report must have been obtained no more than 5 years before the submission of your permanent residency application.
Language requirements:
- Proficiency in English or French based on either the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) or the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC).
- For TEER 0,1,2 or 3 jobs, the expectation is CLB/NCLC 5
- For TEER 4 jobs, the expectation is CLB/NCLC 4
Applicants to the AIP alo need to show that they have the necessary funds to settle and work in the Atlantic province in question unless they are already working in Canada with a valid work permit.
Once you meet the requirements for the AIP, the next steps include…
Completing a Permanent Residency
- Potentially: Apply for a temporary work permit to work while your Permanent Residency application is processed.
Below is a helpful summary of the AIP process, offered by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC):
