Atlantic Immigration Pilot Programs

Launched in 2017, the Atlantic Immigration Pilot is a fast-track immigration program that allows employers in Canada's four Atlantic provinces — Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island — to hire foreign nationals for jobs. The employers must first prove that they were unable to find suitable persons for the job locally or from anywhere in Canada. Around 7,000 immigrants are expected to arrive to the Atlantic region of Canada by 2020.

The three-year pilot 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 pilot program 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 Pilot Program: How it works

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot is an employer-driven program that facilitates the hiring of foreign workers. In other words, those arriving in Canada under the pilot 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. It is easier for the employers too who 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.

What are the eligibility requirements for the AIPP 2020?

Every sub-category of the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program has their own set of requirements and eligibility criteria.

Atlantic High-skilled Program:

To be able to apply under this program candidate needs to –

• Worked in management, professional or technical/skilled jobs for at least a year.
• Have at least a Canadian High School diploma or equivalent education.
• Show language proficiency in either French or English language.
• Show they will be able to support themselves and any accompanying family member when moving to Canada.
• Employers also need to meet some requirements under this program.

Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program:

To apply under this program candidate needs to-

• Have worked in a job that requires a high school education and/or job-specific training for at least a year.
• Have at least a Canadian high school diploma or equivalent education.
• Show their language proficiency in either French or English language.
• Show they will be able to support themselves and any accompanying family member when moving to Canada.
• Employers who are offering a job-offer to the candidate also need to fulfill some requirements.

Atlantic International Graduate Program:

For candidates to be able to apply under this program, they must:

• Have a degree, diploma or other credentials from a publicly-funded institution in an Atlantic province.
• Have lived in an Atlantic province for at least 16 months in the 2 years before getting the degree, diploma or credential
• Need to take a language testing examination to show their language proficiency in English or French.
• Show they will be able to support themselves financially and any accompanying family member when moving to Canada.

For the employers looking to hire the capable and skilled immigrants via this program, they first need to apply to the provinces in order to receive the designation. Every employer in the different province will require different/separate designations for each province. Employers to be able to get the nod for employing the skilled immigrants’ needs to meet certain requirements, which includes a commitment to support the newcomer and their family members to integrate into daily life in Atlantic province.

What are the documents required for the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP)?

Candidates need to send a set of documents while submitting their application. All these documents need to be prepared before getting a job offer. In this way, it can help the candidate’s application to be processed in much faster pace when they have the job offer:

• Language: Candidates need to take a language test so that they will be able to show their language proficiency. Candidates must provide the same documents with their application.
• Education: Candidates, who have studied outside of Canada, need to get their education accessed via Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report. Getting an ECA, shows that the candidate’s education is equal to Canadian educational system.
• Proof of Funds: Candidates need to support themselves and family members financially when moving to Canada. For this they need to show proof of funds.

Other ways to immigrate to Canada’s Atlantic regions

Other than the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP), the other way that allows the immigrants to move to Atlantic Canada is the Provincial Nomination Program (PNP). Via these programs candidates are able to nominate the skilled and capable immigrants (like skilled workers, graduates and entrepreneurs) for permanent residency in the province.

Since 2015, every provincial nomination program has an express entry linked stream that allows the express entry programs candidates who are eligible to immigrate to the given province. Atlantic PNP includes:

• Nova Scotia Provincial Nominee Program (NS PNP)
• New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NB PNP)
• Newfoundland And Labrador Provincial Nominee Program (NLPNP)
• Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program (PEI PNP)