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FEDFederal · Federal program

Atlantic Immigration Program

AIPJob offer: RequiredVerified against official sources on 2026-10-01
FED
Limited intake Open and permanent, but run through provincial endorsement with a fixed 2026 allocation (3,315 provincial spaces, 4,000 federal admissions target), so each province can slow or restrict intake; Nova Scotia has paused accommodation and food services employers and PEI reports reduced allocations.

Employer-driven permanent residence route for skilled workers and recent graduates of Atlantic Canadian schools. A designated employer in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador or Prince Edward Island offers the job, the province endorses the candidate, and IRCC then processes the PR application. There is no points ranking.

Who it suits

  • Workers (abroad or already in Atlantic Canada) with a full-time, permanent-type job offer from a designated Atlantic employer
  • Graduates of a 2-year-or-longer program at an Atlantic Canadian institution, who do not need prior work experience
  • People whose language results are CLB 5 (TEER 0-3 offers) or CLB 4 (TEER 4 offers)

Requirements

  1. Job offerJob offer from an employer designated by the province, full-time (at least 30 hours a week), non-seasonal. For TEER 0-3 jobs it must last at least 1 year from PR; for TEER 4 it must be permanent with no end date. Must be at the same or higher skill level as the qualifying experience. Cannot come from a company that the applicant or a spouse/partner majority-owns. ↗ canada.ca
  2. Work experience1,560 hours (about 30 hours a week for 1 year) of paid, non-self-employed work in the past 5 years, in a TEER equal to or higher than the job offer (TEER 4 offers accept TEER 4 only; TEER 0 offers accept TEER 0-4). Graduates of a 2-year-plus program at an Atlantic institution (credential under 2 years old, full-time study, at least 16 months living in the region in the last 2 years of study) are exempt. ↗ canada.ca
  3. LanguageCLB/NCLC 5 in all four abilities for TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 job offers; CLB/NCLC 4 for TEER 4 offers. Approved test results under 2 years old (CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training, PTE Core, TEF Canada, TCF Canada). ↗ canada.ca
  4. EducationTEER 0 or 1 offers: a Canadian one-year post-secondary credential or higher, or a foreign equivalent shown by an ECA less than 5 years old. TEER 2, 3 or 4 offers: a Canadian high school diploma or higher, or foreign equivalent. ↗ canada.ca
  5. Settlement fundsSettlement funds CAD 3,815 (1 person), 4,750 (2), 5,840 (3), 7,090 (4), 8,042 (5), 9,070 (6), 10,098 (7), plus 1,028 per extra person. Not required if already working in Canada on a valid work permit. ↗ canada.ca
  6. EndorsementThe designated employer applies to the province for endorsement; the candidate also needs a settlement plan from a service provider organization and a provincial endorsement certificate before applying to IRCC. Employer designation is free and handled by each province. ↗ canada.ca
  7. Provincial limitsProvinces can restrict intake. Nova Scotia has paused new applications from the accommodation and food services sector (NAICS 72) and currently does not accept NOC 62020 food service supervisors; PEI says it has high volumes and a reduced federal allocation. ↗ liveinnovascotia.com

How candidates are selected

No ranking pool. The employer must be designated, the province endorses each job offer and candidate within its annual allocation, then IRCC assesses the PR application against the criteria.

Location requirement: must work in, and intend to live in, the endorsing Atlantic province (NB, NS, NL or PE)

Processing: IRCC forward-looking estimate (updated 2026-09-03): about 26 months for the PR stage, about 11,800 people waiting. Provincial designation and endorsement come first and are not included.

Related pathways

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Agriculture and agri-food occupations category

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Education occupations category

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Healthcare and social services occupations category

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Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) occupations category

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Trade occupations category

Official sources

Program rules change often. This page summarizes the official pages listed above; the official page always takes precedence.

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