The 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.

Background

The Atlantic Immigration Program is designed to welcome additional newcomers to the Atlantic Canada region to fill the needs of local employers and communities.

This program allows designated local employers to identify, recruit and retain global talent. The program also has the goals of supporting population growth, developing a skilled workforce, and increasing employment rates in the region.

The AIP forms part of an overall Atlantic Growth Strategy that is focused on the following five priority areas:

skilled workforce and immigration; innovation; clean growth and climate change; trade and investment; and infrastructure.

Atlantic Immigration Program: How it works

The Atlantic Immigration program is an employer-driven program that facilitates the hiring of foreign workers. All principal applicants arriving in Canada under the program must have a job offer from a designated employer and an individualized settlement plan for themselves and their family.

Once a designated employer finds a candidate who meets their employment needs and the program criteria, that employer will need to first offer them a job. Employers do not need to go through the process of obtaining a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) under this program.

Once the candidate has accepted the job, the employer will connect the candidate with a designated settlement service provider organization for a needs assessment and to develop a settlement plan. Employers will also support the long-term integration of the new immigrant and his or her family, if applicable, so they can reach the goals of their settlement plan once they arrive in Canada.

Employers that need to fill a job vacancy quickly will have access to a temporary work permit, so that the candidate and his or her family can come to Canada as soon as possible. In order to obtain this work permit, candidates will need:

a valid job offer;
a letter from the province; and
a commitment to apply for permanent residence within 90 days of the temporary work permit application.
For more details please contact us to review your profile.