Atlantic Immigration Program

/Atlantic Immigration Program/

Introduction:

The Atlantic Immigration Program is a pathway to permanent residence for skilled foreign workers and international graduates who want to work and live in 1 of Canada’s 4 Atlantic provinces.

This is an employer-driven program designed to help employers in Atlantic Canada hire qualified candidates for jobs they have been unable to fill locally. The applicant must receive a job offer from a designated employer in Atlantic Canada to participate in the program.

To immigrate to Atlantic Canada through this program, the applicant must be either:

• a recent graduate of a recognized post-secondary institution in Atlantic Canada, or
• a skilled worker

The applicant can be living abroad or already be in Canada as a temporary resident.

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Applicant requirements:

Work experience

In the last 5 years, the applicant must have worked at least 1,560 hours

This work should be at one of these National Occupational Classification (NOC) TEER 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4 categories

International graduates can be exempt from the work experience requirements if the applicant is an international graduate who

• has a degree, diploma, certificate, or trade or apprenticeship certification that took at least 2 years of studies and is from a recognized post-secondary institution in 1 of the 4 Atlantic provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, or Newfoundland and Labrador)
• was a full-time student for the entire time you were studying
• lived in one of the 4 Atlantic provinces for at least 16 months during the last 2 years before graduated
• had the visa or permit needed to work, study or get training while the applicant was in Canada

Educational requirements

The applicant must have one of these

• an education level at least equal to a Canadian one-year post-secondary certificate if having a job offer at the TEER 0 or 1 categories
• an education level at least equal to a Canadian high school certificate if having a job offer at the TEER 2, 3 or 4 categories

Language requirements

The applicant must meet the minimum language requirements based on the NOC category that applies to job offer. The minimum language requirements for each NOC category are

• CLB/NCLC 5 for TEER 0, 1, 2 and 3
• CLB/NCLC 4 for TEER 4

Settlement funds

The applicant need to have enough money to support himself/herself and his/her family. The amount depends on the size of family. The size of family includes anyone the applicant support who isn’t immigrating with the applicant.

Number of family members (including those you support that aren’t immigrating with you)	Funds required (in Canadian dollars)
1	$3,327
2	$4,142
3	$5,092
4	$6,183
5	$7,013
6	$7,909
7	$8,806
For each additional family member	$896

If the applicant is already living and working in Canada with a valid work permit, the applicant doesn’t need to show proof of funds.

Job offer

The job offer must meet all of these requirements:

• The job offer must be full time.
• The job offer must be non-seasonal. In general, this means you have consistent and regularly scheduled paid employment throughout the year.
• For NOC 2021 TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 category job offers, the employer must be offering you a job that will last at least 1 year from the time you become a permanent resident.
• For NOC 2021 TEER 4 category job offers, the employer must be offering you permanent employment, that is, there is no set end date.
• The job offer cannot come from a company where you (the applicant) or your spouse or common-law partner are a majority owner.
• The job must be at the same skill level as, or higher than, the work experience that qualified you for the job (refer to the table below), unless you’re an international graduate from a recognized post-secondary institution* in Atlantic Canada.
  • For certain health care sector jobs, you don’t need to have a job offer at the same skill level as, or higher than, the qualifying work experience.
    • Work experience in NOC 32101 (licensed practical nurses) and NOC 31301 (registered nurses) can be used as qualifying work experience if you have a job offer in NOC 33102 (nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates) or NOC 44101 (home health care workers).

NOC 2021 TEER job offer category and qualifying work experience requirement

NOC 2021 TEER job offer category	Work experience requirement
TEER 0	TEER 0, 1, 2, 3, 4
TEER 1	TEER 1, 2, 3, 4
TEER 2	TEER 2, 3, 4
TEER 3	TEER 3, 4
TEER 4	TEER 4

*Recognized post-secondary institution

Province	Institution
Nova Scotia	Acadia University
Nova Scotia	Atlantic School of Theology
Nova Scotia	Cape Breton University
Nova Scotia	Dalhousie University
Nova Scotia	Mount Saint Vincent University
Nova Scotia	Nova Scotia College of Art and Design
Nova Scotia	Nova Scotia Community College
Nova Scotia	Saint Francis Xavier University
Nova Scotia	Saint Mary’s University
Nova Scotia	Université Sainte-Anne
Nova Scotia	University of King’s College
New Brunswick	Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick
New Brunswick	Maritime College of Forest Technology
New Brunswick	Mount Allison University
New Brunswick	New Brunswick College of Craft and Design
New Brunswick	New Brunswick Community College
New Brunswick	Saint Thomas University
New Brunswick	Université de Moncton
New Brunswick	University of New Brunswick
Newfoundland and Labrador	College of the North Atlantic
Newfoundland and Labrador	Memorial University of Newfoundland
Prince Edward Island	Collège de l’Île
Prince Edward Island	Holland College
Prince Edward Island	University of Prince Edward

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Employer Designation:

Introduction:

Through Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program, the federal government — together with the governments of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island — aim to welcome nearly 7,000 newcomers and their families to the Atlantic region of Eastern Canada in the next three years. International skilled workers may apply through Atlantic High-Skilled Program and Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program, while international students may apply through Atlantic International Graduate Program. Employers in Atlantic Canada who wish to hire foreign talent through the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP) must first receive employer designation.

Nova Scotia AIPP employer requirements:

Employers in Nova Scotia must first be approved to become designated and then endorsed by the province for AIPP.

To become designated, an employer must:

1. Have a business operating in good standing
2. Provide information on labour needs
3. Commit to working with a service provider organization on settlement and retention

To become endorsed, an employer must:

1. Demonstrate efforts to hire locally have not been successful
2. Recruit a foreign worker
3. Provide a valid, full-time, non-seasonal job offer co-signed with the foreign worker
4. Provide an individualized settlement plan co-signed with the foreign worker. Employers must also work with a settlement service provider in the province

New Brunswick AIPP employer requirements:

1. The employer wants to hire full-time, non-seasonal international candidates
2. The employer and their business are well-established and in good standing
3. The employer is committed to meet the settlement needs of international candidate(s) and accompanying family members

Prince Edward Island AIPP employer requirements:

1. Want to hire full-time, non-seasonal international candidates
2. Be in good standing with provincial and federal standards and legislation
3. Demonstrate preparedness to receive and meet the settlement needs of international candidate(s) and accompanying family members, and agree to do so
4. Understand and agree to the reporting requirements for the program

Newfoundland and Labrador AIPP employer requirements:

1. The AIPP is the immigration program best suited to address the employer’s needs
2. The employer wants to hire full-time, non-seasonal international candidates
3. The employer and their business is established and in good standing as per the program guidelines
4. The employer has demonstrated their preparedness to receive and meet the settlement needs of international candidate(s) and accompanying family members, and has agreed to do so
5. The employer understands and agrees to the reporting requirements for the program

The job offer must meet all of these requirements:

The job offer must be from a designated employer in 1 of the 4 Atlantic provinces (New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia or Newfoundland and Labrador).

The job offer must be full-time, meaning the applicant will work at least 30 paid hours per week.

The job must be non-seasonal. In general, this means that the applicant will have consistent and regularly scheduled paid employment throughout the year.

For TEER 0, TEER 1, TEER 2, or TEER 3 job offers, the employer must be offering the applicant a job that will last at least 1 year (that is, 1 year from the time the applicant becomes a permanent resident).

For TEER 4 job offers, the employer must be offering the applicant permanent employment; that is, there is no set end date.

The job offer cannot come from a company where the applicant or their spouse is a majority owner.

The job offer must not come from an employer who is referred to in any of subparagraphs 200(3)(h)(i) to (iii) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.

The TEER category of the job offer must be the same as or higher than that of the work experience that the applicant qualified for (refer to the table below), unless they are a qualifying international graduate under the program.

For certain health care sector occupations, the job offer doesn’t need to be at a level that is the same as or higher than the qualifying work experience.

Work experience in NOC 32101 (licensed practical nurses) and NOC 31301 (registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses) can be used as qualifying work experience if the applicant has a job offer in NOC 33102 (nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates) or NOC 44101 (home support workers, caregivers and related occupations).

TEER category of the job offer and qualifying work experience requirement

TEER category of the job offer	Work experience requirement
TEER 0	TEER 0, 1, 2, 3, 4
TEER 1	TEER 1, 2, 3, 4
TEER 2,3	TEER 2, 3, 4
TEER 4	TEER 4