Anika Immigration

Your Passport to a Bright Future

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. The Atlantic Immigration Program replaced the Atlantic Immigration Pilot. You can now submit your permanent residence application to the program. This is an employer-driven program designed to help employers in Atlantic Canada hire qualified candidates for jobs they have been unable to fill locally. You must receive a job offer from a designated employer in Atlantic Canada to participate in the program. To immigrate to Atlantic Canada through this program, you must be either

A recent graduate of a recognized post-secondary institution in Atlantic Canada, or A skilled worker

You can be living abroad or already be in Canada as a temporary resident. To be eligible for the Atlantic Immigration Program, you must

Have qualifying work experience, unless you’re an international graduate of a recognized post-secondary institution in Atlantic Canada
Meet or exceed the educational requirements
Meet or exceed the language requirements
Show that you have enough money to support yourself and your family when you get to Canada
If you’re already living and working in Canada with a valid work permit, you don’t need to show proof.

If you meet all of these requirements, you can start looking for a job with a designated Atlantic employer.

Work experience

In the last 5 years, you must have worked at least 1,560 hours. This is the number of hours you would have worked in 1 year if you were working 30 hours per week.

International graduates

You do not need to meet the work experience requirements if you’re an international graduate who

Has a degree, diploma, certificate, or trade or apprenticeship certification that

Took at least 2 years of studies

Is from a recognized post-secondary institution in 1 of the 4 Atlantic provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, or Newfoundland and Labrador)

Was a full-time student for the entire time you were studying.

Lived in one of the following provinces for at least 16 months during the last 2 years before you graduated

New Brunswick
Nova Scotia
Newfoundland and Labrador or
Prince Edward Island

Had the visa or permit you needed to work, study or get training while you were in Canada

Educational requirements

You must have one of these:

If you have a job offer at the NOC 0 or A skill type or level, you must have a Canadian one-year post-secondary educational credential or higher, or the equivalent outside Canada.

If you have a job offer at the NOC B or C skill level, you must have a Canadian high school diploma or the equivalent outside Canada.

However, if you studied outside Canada, you need an educational credential assessment (ECA) to confirm that your studies are equal to or higher than the required level of education for your job offer.

Your ECA report must be less than 5 years old on the date we receive your application.

Language requirements

You must meet the minimum language requirements based on the NOC category that applies to your job offer. 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

CLB/NCLC 5 for NOC 0, A and B
CLB/NCLC 4 for NOC C

You must submit your results from a designated language testing organization with your application. These results must be less than 2 years old when you apply. Find out more about language testing.

Settlement 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 also includes anyone you support who isn’t immigrating with you. NOC level job offer and qualifying work experience requirement

NOC level job offer ----------- Work experience requirement

NOC 0 -----------NOC 0, A, B, C
NOC A -----------NOC A, B, C
NOC B -----------NOC B, C
NOC C -----------NOC C

When a designated employer offers you a job, they’ll give you an Offer of Employment to a Foreign National form [IMM 0157] (PDF, 317 KB). You must

Make sure you meet the employment requirements listed in the National Occupational Classification
Sign the form titled Offer of Employment to a Foreign National and keep a copy for your records
You’ll need this form when you work with a service provider organization on your settlement plan and for your permanent residence application.

If you receive a job offer from an employer

Ask for a copy of the employer’s Confirmation of Designation, or

Tell them about the Atlantic Immigration Program and ask them to consider becoming designated, if they aren’t already

Step 1: Get ready to apply
Step 2: Get your checklist and forms
Step 3: Complete your forms
Step 4: Pay your fees online
Step 5: Submit your application