Immigration to Canada under the AIP

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot is a pathway to permanent residence for skilled foreign workers and international graduates who want to work and live in one of Canada’s four Atlantic Provinces. Canada’s four Atlantic Provinces are Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.

It is also an employer-driven program created to help employers in Atlantic Canada hire qualified candidates for jobs they have been unable to fill locally. For you to immigrate to Atlantic Canada through the pilot, you must be a recent graduate of a publicly funded institution in Atlantic Canada or a skilled worker who meets the program requirements.

Under the pilot program, there are three programs in the pilot that employers hire through. You may qualify for more than one program, but you can only apply through one program. These three programs are the Atlantic International Graduate Program, Atlantic High-Skilled Program, and Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program.

For all three programs, you must show proof that you meet the language, education, and work experience requirements and that you have enough money to support yourself and your family upon your arrival to Canada.

To participate in the pilot program, you must receive a job offer from a designated employer in Atlantic Canada. They do not match candidates with open jobs. When a designated employer offers you a job, they’ll give you an Offer of Employment to a Foreign National form. Therefore, you must:

make sure you meet the employment requirements listed in the National Occupational Classification. Your job offer doesn’t need to be in the same field as other jobs you’ve had
make sure you qualify for the program the employer selected in the job offer – High-skilled, Intermediate-skilled, or International Graduate Program
sign the Offer of Employment to a Foreign National form and keep a copy for your records. You’ll need it when you work with a service provider organization on your settlement plan and for your permanent residence application

When applying for your permanent residence in Atlantic Canada, you must get your documents early to avoid delays. You must take a language test and send the results with your application even if you studied in Canada. In case you studied outside Canada, you need an Educational Credential Assessment report to compare your education to a Canadian.