New Brunswick reopens the AIP to food services. Eight occupations stay shut.
On 14 September 2026 Immigration New Brunswick published two Atlantic Immigration Program notices. The first reopens endorsement to candidates working in accommodation and food services. The second keeps new employer designation closed until the end of 2026. Together they change who can move forward under the AIP in New Brunswick, and who still cannot.
What changed on 14 September 2026
- Sector restriction removed. New Brunswick no longer restricts AIP candidates working in the accommodation and food services sector (NAICS 72).
- Eight occupations still restricted. These stay closed for the AIP in every sector (listed below).
- Candidates outside Canada: endorsement only through government-led recruitment in health care, education and construction.
- Employer designation: applications stay paused for the remainder of 2026.
Now eligible under the AIP: food services and accommodation roles
The notice lifts a sector restriction rather than publishing a list of codes. In practice, these are the accommodation and food services occupations New Brunswick names in its own restriction list. Under the AIP they are no longer blocked when the job is in the accommodation and food services sector:
| NOC 2021 | Occupation | AIP from 14 Sept 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 62021 | Executive housekeepers | Eligible |
| 62024 | Cleaning supervisors | Eligible |
| 62200 | Chefs | Eligible |
| 63200 | Cooks | Eligible |
| 63202 | Bakers | Eligible |
| 64300 | Maîtres d’hôtel and hosts/hostesses | Eligible |
| 64301 | Bartenders | Eligible |
| 64314 | Hotel front desk clerks | Eligible |
| 65200 | Food and beverage servers | Eligible |
| 65201 | Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related occupations | Eligible |
| 65310 | Light duty cleaners | Eligible |
“Eligible” means the sector no longer stops the file. The job offer, the designated employer, the candidate’s education, language and experience, and the settlement plan still have to meet every AIP requirement, and endorsement remains the province’s decision.
Still restricted under the AIP: eight occupations
These stay closed for AIP endorsement in New Brunswick, whatever the sector:
| NOC 2021 | Occupation | AIP from 14 Sept 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 14400 | Shippers and receivers | Restricted |
| 60020 | Retail and wholesale trade managers | Restricted |
| 60030 | Restaurant and food service managers | Restricted |
| 62010 | Retail sales supervisors | Restricted |
| 62020 | Food service supervisors | Restricted |
| 62101 | Retail and wholesale buyers | Restricted |
| 64100 | Retail salespersons and visual merchandisers | Restricted |
| 94142 | Fish and seafood plant workers | Restricted |
Two of these sit inside the food services sector. A restaurant manager (60030) or food service supervisor (62020) still cannot be endorsed under the AIP, even though a cook or server in the same restaurant now can.
Candidates outside Canada
The reopening mainly helps people already working in New Brunswick. A candidate living outside Canada can be endorsed only through government-led recruitment in health care, education and construction. A food services job offer does not change that.
Employer designation stays paused
New Brunswick will not accept new AIP employer designation applications for the rest of 2026 while it reassesses existing designated employers and how the program fits the province’s economic needs. A restaurant or hotel that is not already designated cannot offer an AIP job this year. Employers that already hold designation can continue to use it.
The New Brunswick PNP has not changed
The AIP notice does not touch the provincial nominee streams. Under the NB Skilled Worker and NB Express Entry streams, the 3 February 2026 restrictions remain:
- no invitations for candidates working in accommodation and food services (NAICS 72), including the 11 occupations in the first table plus 60030 and 62020; and
- no invitations in any sector for NOC 14400, 60020, 62010, 62101, 63201, 64100, 64409, 65100, 65101, 65102, 65202, 94142, 95106 and 95107.
Since 4 May 2026, NB Experience invitations under the Skilled Worker stream are also limited to health care, education and construction. For a cook or server in New Brunswick, the AIP is now the open route, and the PNP is not.
What to do now
- Working in a hotel or restaurant in New Brunswick? Confirm your NOC against the tables above and confirm your employer is already AIP-designated. If both check out, prepare for endorsement now, before the pool fills.
- Employer without designation? You cannot apply in 2026. Plan for 2027, or look at other work permit routes.
- In a restricted NOC? The AIP stays closed in New Brunswick. Look at your options in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland and Labrador, or at federal streams.
See our Atlantic Immigration Program guide, the New Brunswick PNP page and the policy ledger for every 2026 change. Want an RCIC to check your NOC and your endorsement chances? Contact us today to discuss your case.
Source: Government of New Brunswick, Immigration: Important notices (notices dated 14 September 2026, 4 May 2026 and 3 February 2026), checked 16 September 2026.
