Everything about Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)

To work and live in one of Canada’s four Atlantic provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, or Newfoundland and Labrador skilled foreign workers and international graduates from Canadian institutions can apply for permanent residence through the Atlantic Immigration Program.

The goal of the Atlantic Immigration Program is to bring in more immigrants to the Atlantic Canada region to fulfill the needs of local employers and communities. Through the program, selected local employers can find, hire, and retain top international talent. Supporting population growth, creating a skilled workforce, and raising employment rates in the region is further objectives of the program.

How the Atlantic Immigration Program Works

All principal candidates entering Canada under the program are required to have both an individualized settlement plan for themselves and their families as well as a job offer from a designated employer.

Once a designated employer identifies a candidate who meets their employment requirements and the program’s criteria, the employer must first extend a job offer to the candidate. Employers are not required to go through the procedure of getting a labour market impact assessment (LMIA).

After the applicant has decided to take the job, the employer will link the candidate in touch with a designated settlement service provider organization for a needs assessment and to develop a settlement plan. Employers will assist new immigrants and their families with long-term integration so that they can achieve their settlement plan objectives in Canada.

Employers that have an immediate need to fill a job vacancy will have access to temporary work permits, which will allow the applicant and his or her family to enter Canada as quickly as possible.

Candidates will need to meet the following requirements in order to be eligible for this work permit:

• A letter from the province
• A valid job offer
• a commitment to apply for permanent residency within 90 days of the temporary work permit application

Candidate Requirements

• In order to qualify for the Atlantic Immigration Program, you will need to:
• Have the necessary amount of qualifying work experience, unless you are an international student who has graduated from a recognized post-secondary institution in Atlantic Canada that is recognized.
• Meet the educational requirements
• Meet the language requirements
• Prove you have sufficient settlement funds. If you are currently residing and working in Canada under the terms of a valid work permit, you do not need to provide evidence of settlement funds.

Work Experience

• You must have worked a minimum of 1,560 hours in the previous five years.
• Work experience must belong to a National Occupational Classification (NOC) TEER category of 0, 1, 2, or 3.
• Your work experience must include the tasks listed in the description of your NOC, as well as most of the NOC’s main tasks.

International Graduates

• Students from other countries who have graduated from an education institution in Canada are exempt from the requirement that they have previous work experience if they satisfy all of the following criteria:

• Possess a degree, diploma, certificate, trade, or apprenticeship certification from a recognized post-secondary school in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, or Newfoundland and Labrador that required at least 2 years of study.

• For the whole of their education, they were full-time students.

• Possessed the necessary visa or permit to allow them to work, study, or get training in Canada while they were living there.

• Lived in one of the Atlantic provinces for at least 16 months within the last 2 years before graduating.

Language Requirements

• You require a level 5 on either the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) or the Niveaux de compétence linguistique Canadians (NCLC) in order to be eligible for employment offers in categories 0 or 1 of the NOC TEER.

• You need to have a CLB or NCLC level 4 to be eligible for employment offers in NOC TEER categories 2, 3, or 4.

• You are required to submit the IRCC test results that you acquired from a recognized language testing organization. When you submit your application, the test results must be no more than two years old.

Educational Requirements

• If your offer is in the NOC TEER category 0 or 1, you are required to have a post-secondary education certification that is at least one year long or higher, or the equivalent if you studied outside of Canada.

• You are required to have a Canadian high school diploma or the equivalent from another country if the job offer you have received is for one of the NOC TEER categories 2, 3, or 4.

• If you completed your education outside of Canada, you are required to get an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) to demonstrate that your prior education is comparable to the educational requirements listed in your job offer from Canada. The ECA report must be no older than five years old on the day that your application is submitted to the IRCC.

Settlement Funds

There is no need for you to provide evidence of your financial stability if you are currently living in Canada and working with a valid work permit. For all other categories of applicants, you will need to demonstrate that you will arrive in Canada with sufficient financial resources to maintain yourself and your family.

Your family size, which includes anybody you support who is not immigrating with you, will determine how much you need.

While the Atlantic provinces are a small part of Canada (approximately 0.8% of the country’s population), they offer an array of unique and enjoyable attractions for anyone looking to settle in this culturally diverse region. And now you can take advantage of this Atlantic Immigration Stream if you have the required job or educational credentials.

For many people in other parts of Canada, moving to one of Canada’s Atlantic provinces may seem like an unlikely or impractical choice. But as we’ve seen, there are many reasons why it could be a really good fit for you. So what’s stopping you? Why not give it some thought and see if it could work for you?