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Atlantic Immigration Pilot

The pilot helps employers in Atlantic Canada hire foreign skilled workers who want to immigrate to Atlantic Canada and international graduates who want to stay in Atlantic Canada after they graduate. 

On March 1, 2019, we announced:

  • a 2-year extension of the Atlantic Immigration Pilot

  • changes that give international graduates more time to apply

  • more flexibility for hiring health-care professionals

  • changes to the requirements for temporary work permit applications (starting May 1, 2019)

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Eligibility Criteria for International Graduates – Atlantic Immigration Pilot

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot has 3 programs:

  • High-Skilled Program

  • Intermediate-Skilled Program

  • International Graduate Program

If you’ve lived and studied in one of the Atlantic provinces, you may be eligible to apply under the Atlantic International Graduate Program.

To apply for the Atlantic International Graduate Program, you must:

  1. Find out if you're eligible

  2. Get a job offer

  3. Submit your application

1. Find out if you’re eligible

To qualify for the, you must:

  • have lived in an Atlantic province for at least 16 months in the 2 years before getting your degree, diploma or credential

  • meet the education requirements

  • take a language test to show you can communicate in English or French

  • show that you have enough money to support yourself and your family in Canada

Work experience

This program doesn’t require work experience.

Education

You must meet all of these requirements:

  • You must have at least a 2-year degree, diploma, certificate, or trade or apprenticeship credential from a recognized publicly-funded institution in an Atlantic province.

  • You must have been a full-time student for the entire duration of your studies.

  • You graduated from this institution in the 24 months before we receive your permanent resident application.

  • You lived in one of the Atlantic provinces for at least 16 months in the 2 years before getting your degree, diploma or educational credential.

  • You had the visa or permit you needed to work, study or train in Canada.

Your study or training program can’t be either:

  • English or French second-language courses for more than half of the program

  • distance learning undertaken for more than half the length of the program

You can’t apply if you had a scholarship or fellowship requiring you to return to your home country after you graduate.

Education outside Canada

Only your education in Canada is considered. However, if you have education credentials from outside Canada you want to include, you must have your education outside Canada assessed.

Language

Even though you were educated in Canada, you must take one of the language tests we approve. The test shows you can communicate in English or French well enough to live and work in Canada.

Learn about language testing for the Atlantic Immigration Pilot.

If you took one of the approved tests, you can send those results if they:

  • are less than 2 years old

  • show you meet the level the program requires

Proof of funds

You need to have enough money to support yourself and your family when you get to Canada. The amount you need depends on the size of your family. The size of your family includes anyone you support who isn’t immigrating with you.

Learn how much money you should have when you arrive in Canada.

If you’re already living and working in Canada with a valid work permit, you don’t need to show proof.

2. Get a job offer

You must have a job offer that meets all of these requirements:

  • The job offer was made using the Offer of Employment to a Foreign National [IMM5650] (PDF, 817.97 KB) form.

  • The employer has been designated as an employer taking part in the Atlantic Immigration Pilot by the Atlantic province (New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, or Prince Edward Island) where you’ll be working. They must have a Confirmation of Designation from the province.

  • The job must be full-time, meaning you’ll work at least 30 paid hours per week.

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

  • The job is skill type/level 0, A, B or C under the National Occupational Classification (NOC).

  • The employer is offering you a job that will last for at least 1 year.

You must meet employment requirements for the job you are offered. You can find these requirements in the NOC. The job doesn’t need to be in the same NOC as other jobs you’ve had.

3. Submit your application

When you and the employer have completed all the steps, you can submit your application.

To save time, start filling in your permanent resident application before all of the steps are completed. Gather the documents that go with your application as soon as you can.

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Eligibility criteria for high-skilled workers – Atlantic Immigration Pilot

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot has 3 programs:

  • High-Skilled Program

  • Intermediate-Skilled Program

  • International Graduate Program

To apply for the Atlantic High-Skilled Program, you must:

  1. Find out if you're eligible

  2. Get a job offer

  3. Submit your application

1. Find out if you’re eligible

Work experience

In the last 3 years, you must have worked at least 1,560 hours. This is how many hours you would have worked in 1 year if you were working 30 hours per week.

This work must have been at National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill type/level 0, A, or B.

To calculate your hours:

  • Count hours worked in part-time and full-time jobs.

  • The hours must be in 1 occupation, but they can be with different employers.

  • You must have been paid for these hours. Volunteering or unpaid internships don’t count.

  • Don’t count hours when you were self-employed.

  • These working hours can be inside or outside Canada.

  • The hours must have been accumulated over a period of at least 12 months.

If you aren’t eligible for the High-Skilled Program, see if you’re eligible for the Intermediate-Skilled Program.

Education

You must have one of the following:

  • a Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree

  • a foreign degree, diploma or certificate, equal to a Canadian credential. You’ll need an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report from a recognized organization to show your credential is valid and equal to a Canadian credential. If you already have an ECA report, it must be less than 5 years old when we receive your permanent resident application.

Language

You must take one of the language tests we approve. The test shows you can communicate in English or French well enough to live and work in Canada.

Learn about language testing for the Atlantic Immigration Pilot.

If you have taken an approved test, you can send those results if they:

  • are less than 2 years old

  • show you meet the level the program requires

Proof of funds

You need to have enough money to support yourself and your family when you get to Canada. The amount you need depends on the size of your family. The size of your family includes anyone you support who isn’t immigrating with you.

Learn how much money you should have when you arrive in Canada.

If you’re already living and working in Canada with a valid work permit, you don’t need to show proof of funds.

2. Get a job offer

You must have a job offer that meets all of these requirements:

  • The job offer was made using the Offer of Employment to a Foreign National [IMM5650] (PDF, 817.97 KB) form.

  • The employer has been designated as an employer taking part in the Atlantic Immigration Pilot by the Atlantic province (New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, or Prince Edward Island) where you’ll be working. They must have a Confirmation of Designation from the province.

  • The job must be full-time, meaning you’ll work at least 30 paid hours per week.

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

  • The job is skill type/level 0, A or B under the NOC.

  • The employer is offering you a job that will last for at least 1 year.

You must meet employment requirements for the job you are offered. You can find these requirements in the NOC. The job doesn’t need to be in the same NOC as other jobs you’ve had.

3. Submit your application

When you and the employer have completed all the steps, you can submit your application.

To save time, start filling in your permanent resident application before all of the steps are completed. Gather the documents that go with your application as soon as you can.

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Eligibility criteria for intermediate-skilled workers – Atlantic Immigration Pilot

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot has 3 programs:

  • High-Skilled Program

  • Intermediate-Skilled Program

  • International Graduate Program

To apply for the Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program, you must:

  1. Find out if you're eligible

  2. Get a job offer

  3. Submit your application

1. Find out if you’re eligible

Work experience

In the last 3 years, you must have worked at least 1,560 hours. This is how many hours you would have worked in 1 year if you worked 30 hours per week.

Here is how to calculate your hours:

  • Count hours worked in part-time and full-time jobs.

  • The hours must be in one occupation, but they can be with different employers.

  • You must have been paid for these hours. Volunteering or unpaid internships don’t count.

  • Don’t count hours when you were self-employed.

  • These working hours can be inside or outside Canada.

  • The hours must have been accumulated over a period of at least 12 months.

You can use your work experience to qualify for the intermediate-skilled worker program in 2 different ways.

Option 1

You have work experience at National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill level C.

NOC skill level C is a type of job that usually requires a secondary (high school) education and/or job-specific training, such as:

  • industrial butchers

  • long-haul truck drivers

  • food and beverage servers

Option 2

You have work experience:

  • as a registered nurse or registered psychiatric nurse (NOC skill level A 3012), or

  • as a licensed practical nurse (NOC skill level B 3233)

    and

  • you have one of the following job offers:

    • a nurse’s aide, orderly or patient services associate (NOC skill level C 3413), or

    • a home support worker (NOC skill level C 4412)

Education

You must have one of the following:

  • a Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree

  • a foreign degree, diploma, or certificate equal to a Canadian credential. You need an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report from a recognized organization to show your credential is valid and equal to a Canadian credential. If you already have an ECA report, it must be less than 5 years old when we receive your permanent resident application.

Language

You must take one of the language tests we approve. It will show you can communicate in English or French well enough to live and work in Canada.

Learn about language testing for the Atlantic Immigration Pilot.

If you have taken one of the approved tests, you can send those results if they:

  • are less than 2 years old and

  • show you meet the level the program requires

Proof of funds

You need to have enough money to support yourself and your family when you get to Canada. The amount you need depends on the size of your family. The size of your family includes anyone you support who isn’t immigrating with you.

Learn how much money you should have when you arrive in Canada.

If you’re already living and working in Canada with a valid work permit, you don’t need to show proof.

2. Get a job offer

You must have a job offer that meets all of these requirements:

  • The job offer was made using the Offer of Employment to a Foreign National [IMM5650] (PDF, 817.97 KB) form.

  • The employer has been designated as an employer taking part in the Atlantic Immigration Pilot by the Atlantic province (New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, or Prince Edward Island) where you’ll be working. They must have a Confirmation of Designation from the province.

  • The job must be full-time, meaning you’ll work at least 30 paid hours per week.

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

  • The job is skill type/level 0, A, B or C under the NOC.

  • Your employment is permanent, that is there is no set end date.

You must meet employment requirements for the job you are offered. You can find these requirements in the National Occupational Classification (NOC). The job doesn’t need to be in the same NOC as other jobs you’ve had.

3. Submit your application

When you and the employer have completed all the steps, you can submit your application.

To save time, start filling in your permanent resident application before all of the steps are completed. Gather the documents that go with your application as soon as you can.

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Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot: About the pilot

About the pilot

The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot is a community-driven program. It’s designed to spread the benefits of economic immigration to smaller communities by creating a path to permanent residence for skilled foreign workers who want to work and live in 1 of the participating communities.

We’re partnering with these communities to test new approaches to:

  • use immigration to help meet local labour market needs and support regional economic development

  • create welcoming environments to support new immigrants staying in rural communities

This pilot will help increase long-term retention of skilled newcomers to rural areas by working with:

  • community-based partners

  • other federal government partners

  • provincial and territorial governments

About the process

Skilled workers

As a candidate, you need to find a job with an employer in 1 of the participating communities.

If a community recommends you and you’re successful in applying for permanent residence, you’ll then move there to work and live.

:

  • details about who can apply

  • what documents you need for your application

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot Program, you must meet all these requirements. You must

Recommendation from a designated community

You must get a recommendation from 1 of the communities participating in the pilot.

They decide who to recommend based on

  • your intent to live in the community

  • your job offer in the community and the economic needs of the community

  • your work experience and skill set

  • your ties to the community

When communities are ready to begin recruiting and recommending candidates, more information will be available.

Work experience

You need 1 year of continuous work experience (at least 1,560 hours) in the past 3 years.

To calculate your hours of work experience

  • Count the hours worked in part-time and full-time jobs

    • the hours must be in 1 occupation, but they can be with different employers

    • the hours must be over a period of at least 12 months

    • these working hours can be inside or outside Canada

      • if you worked in Canada, you must have been a temporary resident with authorization to work in Canada

  • Don’t count hours you weren’t paid for; volunteering or unpaid internships don’t count

  • Don’t count hours when you were self-employed

Your work experience must include

  • a substantial number of the main duties and all the essential duties listed in your National Occupational Classification (NOC)

  • the activities listed in the lead statement of your NOC

You can see what duties are involved by searching your job title on the NOC web page.

Job offer

You must have a genuine job offer to work in 1 of the participating communities.

The job you’re offered must meet all of these requirements

  • The job must be full-time

    • this means mean you work at least 30 paid hours per week

  • The job must be non-seasonal

    • in general, this means you have consistent and regularly scheduled paid employment throughout the year

  • Your employment is permanent

    • this means that there is no set end date

  • The wage must meet or exceed the Job Bank’s minimum wage for your job offer’s NOC

  • Your experience must demonstrate that you can perform the duties of the job offered

Skill level

Your job offer must be at the same skill level, 1 level above or 1 level below the NOC that applies to your work experience.

However, if your experience is in NOC skill level D, then the job you’re being offered must be in the same occupation.

For example

  • NOC 0 job offer: work experience in NOC 0 or A

  • NOC A job offer: work experience in NOC 0, A or B

  • NOC B job offer: work experience in NOC A, B or C

  • NOC C job offer: work experience in NOC B or C

  • NOC D job offer: work experience in the same occupation

We’ll review the main duties of your job offer to confirm that it meets the NOC skill level.

International students

You’re exempt from the work experience criteria above if you’re an international student who graduated with

  1. A credential from a 2+ year-long post-secondary program and you

    1. were studying as a full-time student for the full duration of the 2+ years

    2. received the credential within 18 months before your application for permanent residence

    3. were in the community for at least 16 months of the last 24 months spent studying to obtain your credential

    or

  2. A master’s degree or higher and you

    1. were studying as a full-time student for the duration of your degree

    2. obtained your degree within 18 months before your application

    3. were in the community for the length of your studies

You cannot apply as an international student if your credentials are from a program in which

  • studying English or French made up more than half of the program

  • distance learning made up more than half of the program

  • a scholarship or fellowship was awarded that requires you to return to your home country to apply what you learned

What is a credential?

Credential here means a degree, diploma, certificate or trade or apprenticeship from a Canadian publicly funded institution in the community recommending you. You must also have had valid temporary resident status for the duration of your studies.

Language requirements

You must meet the minimum language requirements based on the NOC category that applies to the job offer in the community. This can either be the:

  • Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) or

  • Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC)

The minimum language requirements for each NOC category are

  • NOC 0 and A: CLB/NCLC 6

  • NOC B: CLB/NCLC 5

  • NOC C and D: CLB/NCLC 4

You must submit your results from a designated language test. These results must be less than 2 years old when you apply.

Find out more about language testing.

Educational requirements

You must have

  • A Canadian high school diploma or

  • An educational credential assessment (ECA) report, from a designated organization or professional body, showing that you completed a foreign credential that’s equal to Canadian secondary school (high school)

    • the ECA report must be less than 5 years old on the date of your application

    • the original ECA report must have been issued on or after the date the organization was designated

Settlement funds

Unless you’re already working legally in Canada when you apply, you must prove you have enough money to support yourself and any family members while you get settled in your community.

You must prove you have enough money to support any family members you may have, even if they’re not coming to Canada with you.

Find out more about settlement funds.

Intend to live in the community

To participate in the pilot, you must plan to live in the community.

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Specialized applications

Express entry

Hire a skilled foreign worker to support their permanent residence through an economic immigration program.

Global Talent Stream

Hire uniquely-skilled talent or in-demand workers in select ICT or STEM jobs to scale up and grow your business.

Academics

Hire an academic at a college, university or degree granting institution in Canada.

Agriculture

Hire on-farm foreign workers for jobs in primary agriculture.

Caregivers

Hire an in-home worker to care for children, seniors or persons with medical needs.

Workers in Quebec

How to apply for foreign workers in the province of Quebec.

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