Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program – Eligibility and Requirements

Introduced in 2017 as a three-year, employer-driven program, the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program is a creative approach program aimed to address the labour market challenges and encourage economic growth by attracting and retaining skilled workers in the Atlantic provinces of Canada. The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program functions as an initiative between the federal government of Canada and the four provinces in the Atlantic region, including New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island (PEI).

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot assists in bringing skilled, educated and experienced immigrants to restore the labour pool in any of the four Atlantic regions that earlier struggled to retain local residents and attract newcomers. In other words, the Atlantic Immigration Pilot helps an employer to employ qualified candidates from overseas for vacant jobs which have not been filled locally. However, the employer can also hire candidates who are temporarily living in Canada.

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Considering the success of the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program, the Canadian government extended the program till December 2021. Therefore, the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program will continue to remain as a flagship regional economic immigration program, enhancing the provincial nominee programs (PNP) in the four provinces of the Atlantic region. The extension gives more time to the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the four Atlantic provinces to assess the innovative aspects of the Atlantic Immigration Pilot, its compulsory settlement plan, and a new model of partnership with the Atlantic provinces.

Who will qualify for the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program?

Applicants/ Candidates will be qualified for the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program if they possess an official job offer from an approved employer. Moreover, the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) needed for a Canadian job offer valid for immigration purposes is not required for the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program. Instead, the job offer letter received by the applicant should be from a designated employer. Before submitting an application to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), applicants must require a provincial endorsement. It should be noted that the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program operates on a first-come-first-serve basis, and there’s no point system under it.

Requirements of the Atlantic Immigration Pilot (AIP) 

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program facilitates the immigration process to Atlantic Canada by connecting two parties, namely,

• International applicants interested in becoming permanent residents of Atlantic Canada
• Designated employers from the government to employ foreign applicants

However, there are different requirements for both parties.

Requirements of International Applicants 

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program will help interested international applicants to immigrate to any Atlantic provinces like Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, or Prince Edward Island if they satisfy the requisite eligibility criteria such as,

• The interested international applicant should possess an official employment offer letter from the designated employer.
• They should fulfil the eligibility requirements for one of the AIP program streams.

It should be noted that the requirements may vary depending on which streams of Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program the applicant uses. The Atlantic Immigration Pilot has three hiring programs, i.e., two subprograms for skilled workers and a sub-program for international graduates.

• Atlantic International Graduate Program
• Atlantic High-skilled Program
• Atlantic Intermediate Skilled Program

It may be possible that an applicant may qualify for all the three programs in the pilot, but they can apply only through one program, where It is mandatory for the applicant to produce a proof for the selected program indicating that the applicant satisfies the educational requirements, language proficiency, and work experience. He/ She should also show proof of financial stability, which may state that the newcomer and their family has enough money to survive and support their new lifestyle in Atlantic Canada.

Atlantic International Graduate Program

The Atlantic International Graduate Program is most suitable for an applicant who has lived and studied in any of the Atlantic provinces. So, go through the eligibility requirements for the Atlantic International Graduate Program.

Education Requirement: 

• An applicant should have completed a 2-year degree, diploma, certificate, or trade or apprenticeship credential from a recognized and publicly funded institution across the Atlantic province.
• Applicants should have lived in the province for a minimum of 16 months within the 24 months of study.
• The education credential should have been granted within the 24-months.
• Applicants should have the work/ study permit needed for working/ studying/ training purposes in Canada.
• Applicants should have been full-time students during their study period.

Work Experience Requirement: 

Work experience for the Atlantic International Graduate Program is not required.

Language Proficiency Requirement:

The applicant must mandatorily take any of the following language (English or French) tests to prove their language proficiency.

The approved English language tests are,

• CELPIP- General (Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program)
• IELTS – General Training (International English Language Testing System)

The approved French language tests are,

• TEF Canada – Test d’e’valuation de francais
• TCF Canada – Test de Conaissance du français

An applicant should secure a minimum of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 4 on an approved test in either French or English. The test scores will show how an applicant can communicate in any of these languages, which will help him/her to settle in Canada.

Proof of Funds Requirement:

It is compulsory for the applicant to demonstrate that they have sufficient amounts of settlement funds to support themselves and their family financially when establishing their new lifestyle in Canada. The amount depends on the size of the applicant’s family members. However, if the applicant is currently residing and working in Canada with a valid work permit, it’s not necessary to show proof of funds.

Job Offer Requirement:

In addition to the eligibility criteria mentioned above, an applicant must satisfy the following job offer requirements to qualify for the Atlantic International Graduate Program.

• Applicants must have a valid job offer from a designated employer for a minimum of 12-months duration.
• The designated employer should have a valid confirmation of designation from the province.
• The job offer should be skill type/ level 0, A, B or C under the National Occupational Classification (NOC).
• The job should be full-time and non-seasonal (regular scheduled paid employment throughout the year)

Atlantic High-skilled Program

Before applying for the Atlantic High-skilled Program, an applicant must check the eligibility requirements in various categories mentioned below.

Educational Requirement:

• An applicant must have a Canadian secondary diploma or degree certificate or a foreign equivalent from a recognized institution.

Work Experience Requirement:

• Applicants should have worked in management, professional or technical/skilled jobs that lasted for a minimum of one year.

Language Proficiency Requirement: 

• Applicants should have taken any of the approved language tests proving that their communication proficiency in either English or French is good enough to settle in Canada.

Proof of Funds Requirement:

• Applicants must have the requisite funds to support themselves and their families on their arrival in Canada.

Job Offer Requirement:

• In order to qualify for the Atlantic High-skilled Program, an applicant should have a valid employment offer from a designated employer for a duration of a year.
• The job position should be under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill level/ type 0, A, or B.
• In addition, the job should be full-time, where the applicant can work for a minimum of 30 paid hours per week.
• The job should be non-seasonal

However, if an applicant doesn’t meet the eligibility criteria for the Atlantic High-skilled Program, they can check if they’re eligible for the Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program.

Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program

To qualify for the Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program, an applicant should meet the necessary eligibility requirements, which are as follows,

Educational Requirement:

• Applicants should possess a Canadian high school diploma or degree certificate or the foreign equivalent from a recognized institution/ organization.

Work Experience Requirement: 

• Applicants must have worked full-time for at least 12 months or the equivalent amount in part-time employment at NOC level 0, A, B or C.
• It should be noted that skill level C in NOC is a type of job that requires either a high school education or job-specific training for a minimum of one year.

Language Proficiency Requirement:

• Applicants should have taken an approved language proficiency test and scored a minimum of CLB level 4 in either English or French language test to show that they’re capable of communicating fluently with others.

Proof of Funds Requirement:

• In order to settle down in Canada, an applicant must produce proof of funds indicating that they’ve adequate funds to establish themselves and their family as they integrate into their new life in Canada.

Job Offer Requirement:

• Applicants should possess an employment offer from a designated employer for a permanent position, which means there’s no end to the job.
• The employment offer should be the skill level 0, A, B or C under the National Occupational Classification (NOC).
• It should be full-time and non-seasonal.

Getting a Settlement Plan

Applicants through all the three Atlantic Immigration Pilot Programs require a settlement plan. Therefore, the designated employer should assist the employed applicant through the pilot program with a participating settlement service provider in their respective province. After that, the settlement service provider organization will provide the applicant with a settlement plan to assist the applicant and their family in settling in Canada. Once the settlement plan is ready, a copy of the plan should be sent to the designated employer.

Settlement plans for Foreign Worker 

Once an applicant receives an employment offer from the designated employer, they need a settlement plan in order to apply for the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program. The applicant can contact a settlement service provider organization/ settlement agency to get a personalized settlement plan.

Settlement plans for International graduates 

After the graduates receive an offer of employment, they should get help from a settlement service provider agency to design a customized settlement plan, which will assist the graduates to establish and adapt to the Canadian lifestyle.

Receiving an Endorsement Certificate

All the employment offers made through the Atlantic Immigration Pilot requires a provincial endorsement. It is the responsibility of the employer to complete the provincial endorsement application process, wherein the province will endorse the applicant’s employment offer. Once the province reviews and approves the endorsement application, the endorsement letter/ certificate of endorsement will be sent to the applicant via mail.

Submit PR application through Atlantic Immigration Pilot

If an applicant is interested in permanent residency, they can choose the application package for the respective Atlantic program they have applied through. There will be an instruction guide and forms included in the application package, which should be filled along with the Atlantic Immigration Pilot documents such as,

• Endorsement Certificate
• Employment Offer to an International applicant
• Biometrics (if required)

Immigration Application

Once the applicant completes the Permanent Residency (PR) application, they should send it along with the documents mentioned above to the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), who will process the application within six months or less. After the approval, the applicant and their family are eligible to visit any provinces, where the designated employer will help and guide the applicant and their family to settle and integrate and adjust to their new lifestyle in Atlantic Canada.