Stage one
The employer secures designation
Nothing can start until the employer is designated by the province. If your prospective employer is not designated, that is the first conversation to have, and we can guide them through it.
Employer-led
Atlantic Immigration Program · 2026
No score to beat. Atlantic Immigration Program: permanent residence through an Atlantic job offer
The AIP is employer-driven: a designated employer in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland and Labrador offers you a job, the province endorses it, and you apply for permanent residence. No LMIA, and no points score to clear.
At a glance
What makes the AIP different
Most permanent residence routes rank you against everyone else. The AIP does not. If a designated Atlantic employer wants you and you meet the minimum thresholds, there is no cut-off to beat.
That is why it suits people whose CRS score will never be competitive.
Employer first
You cannot apply to the AIP on your own. The employer must already hold provincial designation, and the job offer has to be supported by an endorsement application. If an agent tells you they can enrol you without an employer, walk away.
Where it fits
AIP, Express Entry or a nominee stream?
Compare with Express Entry and the CRS · See every provincial nominee program
| Feature | Atlantic Immigration Program | Express Entry | Provincial nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Job offer | Required, from a designated employer | Not required | Required by many streams |
| Competitive score | No score to beat | CRS cut-off each round | Stream-specific ranking |
| LMIA | Not required | Not required | Varies by stream |
| Where you settle | One of the four Atlantic provinces | Anywhere outside Quebec | The nominating province |
| Settlement plan | Required before endorsement | Not required | Not usually required |
How it runs
Five stages, employer first.
The order matters. Most failed AIP attempts are really sequencing failures: documents gathered in the wrong order, or an endorsement sought before the settlement plan exists.
Stage two
A qualifying offer is made
The offer is recorded on IMM 0157, the federal Offer of Employment to a Foreign National form, with the occupation, TEER, wage and duration set out precisely. Your employer also gives you a copy of their confirmation of designation. Loose wording here creates problems later.
Days to weeks
Stage three
You complete a settlement plan
A designated settlement organisation assesses your needs and those of your family, then issues the plan. Book this early; capacity is limited and it gates the endorsement.
Two to four weeks
Stage four
The province endorses
The province reviews the whole package and issues an endorsement certificate. Endorsement is provincial; it is not the permanent residence decision.
Weeks, varies by province
Stage five
You file for permanent residence
The PR application goes to IRCC with the endorsement attached. Where the job needs filling quickly, a temporary work permit can often bridge the gap while the PR file is processed.
Federal processing
Then
A permanent resident of Atlantic Canada.
Endorsement is the province’s step; the decision is IRCC’s. We map both sides, employer and candidate, before anything is filed.
Requirements by job type
What your job offer has to clear.
There are no longer separate named streams. Since the pilot became a permanent programme in 2022 there is one set of criteria, and what you must meet is set by the TEER category of the job you are offered. Recent graduates of an Atlantic institution are exempt from the work experience requirement.
Managerial, professional and supervisory roles
Offers in TEER 0 or TEER 1 occupations. These carry the highest education bar in the programme.
- Job offer
Full-time at 30 hours a week or more, non-seasonal, and lasting at least one year from the day you become a permanent resident.
- Work experience
1,560 paid hours in the last five years. A TEER 0 offer accepts TEER 0 to 4 experience; a TEER 1 offer accepts TEER 1 to 4. Self-employment does not count.
- Language
CLB or NCLC 5 in all four abilities, from a test less than two years old.
- Education
A Canadian one-year post-secondary credential or higher, or a foreign equivalent with an ECA.
Technical, skilled trades and intermediate roles
The broadest band in practice, covering most trades, technicians and administrative occupations.
- Job offer
Full-time at 30 hours a week or more, non-seasonal, and lasting at least one year from the day you become a permanent resident.
- Work experience
1,560 paid hours in the last five years, at the TEER of the offer or higher: a TEER 2 offer accepts TEER 2 to 4, a TEER 3 offer accepts TEER 3 or 4.
- Language
CLB or NCLC 5 in all four abilities, from a test less than two years old.
- Education
A Canadian high school diploma or higher, or a foreign equivalent with an ECA. Some occupations demand more.
Entry-level roles with a permanent offer
Often the realistic route in care work, food processing and trades support. Note that TEER 5 occupations do not qualify for the AIP.
- Job offer
Full-time and non-seasonal, and permanent: the offer must have no set end date, not a fixed term.
- Work experience
1,560 paid hours in the last five years, and it must be TEER 4 experience specifically.
- Language
CLB or NCLC 4 in all four abilities, from a test less than two years old.
- Education
A Canadian high school diploma or higher, or a foreign equivalent with an ECA.
Recent graduates of an Atlantic institution
Not a separate stream, but a work experience exemption. Everything else still follows the TEER of the job you are offered.
- Credential
A degree, diploma, certificate, or trade or apprenticeship certification that took at least two years, from a recognised post-secondary institution in one of the four provinces.
- How recent
Obtained within the two years before you apply, with a valid study or work permit held throughout your studies.
- Residence
You lived in an Atlantic province for at least 16 months in the two years before you graduated.
- What does not count
Programmes where half or more was distance learning or language training, and study under a repatriation agreement.
What you must have
The seven things every AIP file needs.
Thresholds, not targets. Meeting the minimum in every box is enough; there is no bonus for exceeding it. Effort is better spent on evidence quality than on retaking a language test you have already passed.
1. A designated employer
The employer must hold designation from the province before it can offer you an AIP job. Designation is granted to the employer, not to you, and it can be revoked.
2. A qualifying job offer
Full-time means at least 30 hours a week, and the work must be non-seasonal. TEER 0 to 3 offers must run at least one year from the day you become a permanent resident; TEER 4 offers must be permanent with no set end date. It cannot come from a business you or your partner majority-own.
3. A settlement plan
Prepared with a designated settlement service provider, covering you and any family joining you. Endorsement will not be issued without it, and this is the step applicants most often overlook.
4. Provincial endorsement
The province reviews the employer, the offer and the settlement plan, then issues an endorsement certificate that you file with your PR application.
5. Language
CLB or NCLC 5 for TEER 0 to 3 roles, or CLB 4 for TEER 4, in all four abilities. Results must be less than two years old on the day you apply. TEER 5 jobs do not qualify for the AIP at all.
6. Education
A Canadian one-year post-secondary credential or higher for TEER 0 and TEER 1 jobs; a Canadian high school diploma or higher for TEER 2, 3 and 4. Foreign credentials need an ECA that is less than five years old. Recent Atlantic graduates rely on their Atlantic credential instead.
7. Settlement funds
Proof that you can support yourself and your family on arrival. IRCC sets the amount by family size: $3,815 for one person, $4,750 for two, $5,840 for three, $7,090 for four, $8,042 for five, $9,070 for six and $10,098 for seven, plus $1,028 for each additional person. Count yourself, your spouse or partner and every dependent child, even those not coming with you. Not required if you are already working in Canada on a valid work permit. Source: IRCC's AIP proof-of-funds page, verified October 9, 2026.
And no prohibitions
Medical and security admissibility apply as they do to every PR route. Past refusals, misrepresentation findings or unpaid removal orders need to be dealt with before you file.
Before you start
Two 2026 changes that affect AIP plans.
New Brunswick has narrowed its intake
Since 3 February 2026 the province has paused new employer designation applications, and on 14 September it extended that pause to the end of 2026. Endorsement is no longer first come, first served: applications go into a pool and the province selects them on its priorities. On 14 September New Brunswick lifted its ban on accommodation and food services (NAICS 72) endorsements, and since 14 October 2026 it accepts endorsements in all occupations except shippers and receivers (NOC 14400), restaurant and food service managers (60030), food service supervisors (62020) and fish and seafood plant workers (94142); TEER 5 jobs are not eligible. Candidates living outside Canada can still only be endorsed through provincial recruitment drives in health care, education and construction trades. The other three provinces are unaffected. Source: Immigration New Brunswick notices, verified October 9, 2026.
Processing is long, but improving
IRCC published 26 months for AIP permanent residence applications on 8 June 2026, down from 38 months a month earlier, against an 11-month service standard. That matters for timing, but a long queue no longer has to mean a gap in your status. An AIP work permit is issued for up to two years and it can be renewed. IRCC’s C18 instructions, updated on 25 August 2026, confirm that successive permits may be issued until a decision is made on your permanent residence application, provided your endorsement certificate was still valid when the work permit application went in, or your PR application was filed before that certificate expired. Each renewal needs a fresh offer of employment submitted through the Employer Portal, and the employer compliance fee is payable again.
Where you would live
Four provinces. One coast.
Each province designates its own employers, runs its own endorsement queue and also operates a separate provincial nominee program. If the AIP does not fit, the nominee stream next door often does.
The four Atlantic provinces
Pick the place, then the employer.
Each one also has its own nominee program, with its own live draws.
- New BrunswickCanada’s only officially bilingual province, with strong French-speaking demand.→
- Nova ScotiaThe largest Atlantic labour market, centred on Halifax.→
- Prince Edward IslandSmall intake, quick decisions, and a tight designated-employer list.→
- Newfoundland and LabradorHealth care, marine and resource roles across a wide geography.→
Questions we are asked
Atlantic Immigration Program FAQ.
Do I need a job offer for the Atlantic Immigration Program?
Yes. The AIP is employer-driven, so a qualifying offer from an employer that already holds provincial designation is the starting point. There is no way to apply without one.
Does the Atlantic Immigration Program require an LMIA?
No. That is one of its main attractions for employers. Designation and endorsement replace the labour market impact assessment, which removes both cost and delay.
Is there a CRS score or points cut-off?
No. Unlike Express Entry there is no ranking and no cut-off to beat. You either meet the minimum requirements for your stream or you do not, which makes the AIP valuable for candidates whose CRS score is not competitive.
What is a settlement plan and who prepares it?
It is an assessment of what you and your family will need to settle in the province, prepared with a designated settlement service provider organisation. The province will not endorse an application without one, and it is the step applicants most often leave too late.
Which provinces take part?
New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Quebec and the rest of Canada are outside the programme.
Can I move to another province after I get PR?
Once you are a permanent resident, mobility rights apply. That said, the endorsement rests on a stated intention to settle in the endorsing province, so intention at the time of applying must be genuine.
How much work experience do I need?
At least 1,560 hours, roughly one year of full-time work, within the previous five years. Recent graduates of an Atlantic institution are the exception and need none.
Do I have to wait for PR before I start the job?
Not necessarily. Where the employer needs the role filled sooner, a temporary work permit can often be arranged under LMIA exemption code C18, so you can begin working while the permanent residence application is processed. That permit runs up to two years and can be renewed for as long as your PR application is pending. Note that AIP and AIPP applicants are not eligible for a bridging open work permit — renewal goes through a fresh C18 employer offer instead.
Written and reviewed by a CICC-licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant. General information only, not legal advice, and not affiliated with the Government of Canada. Programme requirements change; confirm details against current IRCC and provincial guidance.
AIP assessment
Do you have an employer, or do you need one?
The answer changes the whole strategy. Tell us where you stand and a licensed RCIC will tell you whether the AIP is realistic, which stream fits, and what to fix first.
- 01Your job offer checked against the stream rules before you rely on it
- 02Employer designation and endorsement steps mapped out for both sides
- 03Reviewed by a CICC-licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant
CHK Immigration Services, Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (CICC). Offices in Brampton and London, Ontario. Submitting this form does not create a client–consultant relationship; IRCC makes all final decisions. Prefer to talk first? Call 647-948-7200 or book a paid consultation.
Next on your path
Keep your file moving.
The checklist, free tools and guides that usually come next.
- ChecklistProvincial nominee checklistThe nomination and federal-stage documents in one list.
- GuideProvincial nominee programsEvery province's streams side by side.
- GuideRCIP and FCIP communitiesAll 18 rural and francophone pilot communities compared.
- GuideNova Scotia nominee programNSNP streams and fees.
- Latest articleChanging jobs during an Atlantic Immigration Program application: three permissions, not oneOctober 19, 2026