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Latest round Aug 20, 2026 · Live data, checked Oct 19, 3:15 PM ET

Provincial Nominee Program · New Brunswick

New Brunswick NBPNP 2026Points, invitation rounds and NOCs

New Brunswick is running the tightest sector filter in Atlantic Canada. Since May 4, 2026 its main worker pathway — NB Experience — issues invitations only to health care, education and construction trades workers "until further notice", and accommodation and food-service occupations have been closed to new invitations since February, along with a published blacklist of NOC codes from cooks to retail supervisors. Candidates outside the priority sectors are told plainly that their EOIs can be withdrawn.

Calculate my NB points Check my NBPNP odds
Alberta — AAIP British Columbia — BC PNP Manitoba — MPNP New Brunswick — NBPNP Newfoundland and Labrador — NLPNP Nova Scotia — NSNP Northwest Territories — NTNP Nunavut — No PNP Ontario — OINP Prince Edward Island — PEI PNP Quebec — Own system Saskatchewan — SINP Yukon — YNP
rounds in 2026
25
latest round
Aug 20
CRS, enhanced nomination
+600

Free tool · Express Entry stream

NB PNP points calculator, the 67 line.

Express Entry stream only, scored out of 100 with a pass mark of 67. New Brunswick’s other pathways publish no score.

—
0/12
Educationwith ECA
0/25
First languagelowest ability
0/28
Second languageEnglish + French
0/4
Work experienceTEER 0–3, last 10 yrs
0/15
Job in NBarranged employment
0/10
Adaptabilitystrongest one counts
0/10
Total—

Live status

Where the NBPNP stands today.

Three priority sectors, a bilingual advantage, and rationed space. Every NBPNP invitation round is published by stream and counted in the tracker above. Since May 4, 2026 NB Experience invites only health care, education and construction trades.

3,170invitations to apply issued across NBPNP streams in 2026 · 25 rounds

Invitations by month · 2026

Recent rounds
DateRoundInvited
Aug 20Atlantic Immigration Program (rounds of 10 and 20 August)68
Jul 22Atlantic Immigration Program114
Jul 18NB Skilled Worker — NB Graduates209
Jul 18NB Skilled Worker — NB Experience / NB Priorities58
Jul 16NB Strategic Initiative — Francophone workers in NB / NB Francophone priorities254
Jul 16NB Express Entry — Employment in New Brunswick115

Program status

New Brunswick publishes every NBPNP invitation round by stream and separately selects Atlantic Immigration Program applications for processing in rounds of their own, which sit outside the PNP figures. It also publishes a long list of live restrictions, and they are unusually aggressive.

What to watch next

Three things matter before you spend anything. First, check your NOC against the exclusion lists - if it is on them, New Brunswick is closed to you today no matter how strong your profile is.

Source: the province’s own page (opens in a new tab), verified October 9, 2026. Verify before you rely on them. Every province in the live tracker

Atlantic Immigration ProgramREVIEWED

A separate federal program with its own allocation. These figures are not provincial nominations and are never added to the PNP totals above.

572
applications selected for processing
6 rounds in 2026

Latest round · August 10 and 20, 2026 — 68 selected

New Brunswick is the only Atlantic province that rations AIP endorsements through the same EOI pool as its PNP, so AIP runs through published selection rounds here. 2026 rounds: Mar 3-6 (125), Apr 1 (118), May 1 (50), Jun 3 (97), Jul 22 (114), Aug 10 and 20 (68). Since September 14, 2026, accommodation and food services positions can be endorsed again; eight occupations remain restricted (including restaurant managers, food service supervisors, retail roles, shippers and fish plant workers), candidates outside Canada are limited to government-led recruitment in health care, education and construction, and new employer designation applications are paused for the rest of 2026.

IRCC allocated 3,315 AIP endorsement spaces across the four Atlantic provinces for 2026, against an admissions target of 4,000 landings. IRCC has not published the per-province split — only Nova Scotia publishes its own share.

Source: official source ↗, verified September 16, 2026.

Analyst’s read

New Brunswick in 2026: the picture.

Two things set NB apart beyond the squeeze. As Canada's only officially bilingual province it runs a dedicated Francophone stream — the Strategic Initiative Stream, reopened in January 2026 — and it is the only Atlantic province that rations Atlantic Immigration Program endorsements through the same EOI pool as its PNP, so even the AIP runs through provincial draws here. New Brunswick has not published a 2026 allocation.

Where people settle

Where people settle in New Brunswick.

New Brunswick is officially bilingual, and French ability opens the Strategic Initiative stream wherever you settle.

  1. 01

    Moncton

    The largest and fastest-growing centre: transport, distribution, contact centres and health care.

  2. 02

    Saint John

    Port city with energy, shipping and industrial employers.

  3. 03

    Fredericton

    Provincial capital: public administration, universities and a technology cluster.

  4. 04

    Dieppe

    Majority-francophone city beside Moncton, relevant to the francophone streams.

Living in New Brunswick is what the NBPNP is for: a nomination ties you to this province, and you are expected to settle here. Talk to a licensed RCIC before you commit to a destination.

The program

How the NBPNP works.

New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program, run by Government of New Brunswick with IRCC. You qualify under a stream, get selected or nominated, then IRCC decides your PR. Official site

EOI

Scoring

  • New Brunswick invites from its EOI pool by sector rather than by a published points cut-off — since May 2026 the main worker pathway invites only health care, education and construction trades.

Allocation and fees

2026 snapshot

2026 nomination allocation
Not published for 2026
Application fee
$250 ($2,000 entrepreneur)

Source: the province’s own site (opens in a new tab), verified October 9, 2026.

  1. 01Step

    Qualify under a stream

    EOI criteria. Job offer, work experience and language set the floor.

  2. 02Step

    Get selected

    EOI or registration; ranked provincial draw. Selection is competitive; eligibility alone is not enough.

  3. 03Step

    Provincial nomination

    Nomination certificate. An enhanced nomination adds +600 CRS in Express Entry.

  4. 04Step

    Permanent residence

    IRCC assesses admissibility and issues PR. Federal processing, not provincial.

Pathways

NBPNP streams.

Choose the stream that fits your profile. Criteria and open or closed status change often; we confirm what is live before you file.

  1. Stream 01

    New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot

    Employer-driven pilot for designated New Brunswick employers, running to the end of 2027.

  2. Stream 02

    Skilled Worker — NB Experience

    The main pathway, currently restricted to health care, education and construction trades invitations only.

  3. Stream 03

    Skilled Worker — NB Graduates

    For graduates of New Brunswick institutions with provincial job offers.

  4. Stream 04

    Express Entry — Employment in NB

    Enhanced 600-CRS-point stream, with an expanded excluded-NOC list since February 3, 2026.

  5. Stream 05

    Strategic Initiative Stream

    The Francophone stream — Francophone Workers and Francophone Priorities pathways — reopened January 2026 after a year paused; 189 invitations in the March round.

  6. Stream 06

    Atlantic Immigration Program

    Endorsements rationed through the same provincial EOI pool (125 AIP invitations in March 2026); employer designation intake paused since February, and on 14 September 2026 NB extended the pause to the end of the year while it reassesses designated employers.

  7. Stream 07

    Private Career College Graduate Pilot

    Extended in limited capacity to the end of 2027.

What matters: where New Brunswick selection actually turns

  1. 01

    3,538 invitations in 2026

    Twenty-six NBPNP rounds through September 18, plus 695 Atlantic Immigration Program applications selected across eight rounds to October 2 — New Brunswick does publish its round data, at gnb.ca.

  2. 02

    Three sectors only

    Health care, education and construction trades are the whole invitation universe for NB Experience right now — the bluntest priority filter of any PNP.

  3. 03

    The bilingual card

    French ability opens the Strategic Initiative Stream and its recruitment-mission pipeline — the one NB door not sector-restricted.

  4. 04

    AIP behind the same gate

    Unlike the rest of Atlantic Canada, you cannot simply find a designated NB employer and file for AIP endorsement — NB invites AIP candidates from its EOI pool.

  5. 05

    Cheap but scarce

    The fee is only $250 ($2,000 entrepreneurial), but NB warned in May 2026 that limited nomination spaces remain.

A NBPNP nomination adds 600 CRS points.

Through the New Brunswick Express Entry Stream, an enhanced nomination lifts your Comprehensive Ranking System score by 600, which in practice means an invitation in the next round that includes provincial nominees.

See your CRS

Answers

NBPNP questions.

When was the latest NBPNP draw?
The most recent NBPNP round on record was held on August 20, 2026, issuing 68 invitations (Atlantic Immigration Program (rounds of 10 and 20 August)). In 2026 so far, New Brunswick has held 25 rounds for 3,170 invitations. Every round is listed in the live tracker on this page and in our Canada PR draw tracker.
When is the next NBPNP draw?
Three things matter before you spend anything. First, check your NOC against the exclusion lists - if it is on them, New Brunswick is closed to you today no matter how strong your profile is. Second, AIP endorsement applications now go into a pool that is selected monthly on provincial priority rather than first-come-first-served, and anything not selected expires after 365 days, so a fresh complete application is needed after that. Third, offers to candidates living outside Canada are limited to Government of New Brunswick recruitment drives in healthcare, education and construction trades. AIP endorsees cannot use a bridging open work permit, but ImmigrationNB can issue a letter of support for a closed work permit under LMIA exemption C18 while permanent residence is pending. The Private Career College Graduate Pilot has been extended in limited form to the end of 2027, and no new nominations will be issued after it closes. Based on 2026 rounds to date, New Brunswick has drawn roughly every 18 days, and the last round was 60 days ago. The tracker on this page updates automatically when a new round is published.
Does the New Brunswick PNP have a points system?
Partly, and the distinction matters. The Express Entry stream is scored: it uses a selection-factor grid out of 100 covering age, education, language, work experience, arranged employment and adaptability, and you need 67 to be eligible. Every other pathway \u2014 Skilled Worker, Strategic Initiative and the Critical Worker Pilot \u2014 publishes no score at all. New Brunswick reviews the expression-of-interest pool and invites on labour-market need, sector targeting and available allocation, so there is no ranking number to chase and no published cut-off. Any site showing you a general \u201CNB PNP score\u201D for those streams has invented it.
What score do I need for the NB Express Entry stream?
67 out of 100. That is a threshold, not a ranking: clearing it makes you eligible, it does not put you ahead of anyone. Language carries the most weight at 28 points, and the stream separately requires CLB 7 in every ability \u2014 below that the score is irrelevant because the stream is closed to you. Education is worth up to 25, work experience 15, age 12, arranged employment 10 and adaptability 10. The calculator on this page runs the same grid and shows which factor is costing you the most.
My occupation is not in health care, education or construction. Is New Brunswick closed to me?
Largely, for now. Since May 2026 the NB Experience pathway invites only those three sectors, and food-service and several retail and kitchen NOCs are excluded from the Skilled Worker and Express Entry streams. The exceptions are Francophone candidates (Strategic Initiative Stream) and anyone NB chooses to invite through Express Entry despite the narrowed lists.
How is the Atlantic Immigration Program different in New Brunswick?
In the other Atlantic provinces AIP is employer-driven and independent of the PNP. New Brunswick invites AIP endorsement candidates from the same provincial EOI pool as its PNP draws, paused new employer designations in February 2026 (a pause now extended to the end of 2026), and still refuses endorsements in eight occupations, including restaurant and food service managers and food service supervisors, even though it lifted its sector-wide ban on accommodation and food services on 14 September 2026 — so the AIP shortcut others enjoy is rationed here.
Does speaking French help in New Brunswick?
More than anywhere outside Quebec. The Strategic Initiative Stream exists specifically for Francophone workers, reopened in January 2026, and took 115–189 invitations in early-2026 rounds — while anglophone candidates in non-priority sectors wait.
What does the NBPNP cost?
The processing fee is $250 for the worker, Express Entry and strategic initiative streams and $2,000 for the Entrepreneurial Stream. AIP endorsement itself carries no provincial fee.
Does a NBPNP nomination guarantee permanent residence?
No. New Brunswick nominates you, but Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) makes the final permanent-residence decision after its own admissibility, medical and security checks.
How does the NBPNP connect to Express Entry?
If you're nominated through the New Brunswick Express Entry Stream, an Express-Entry-aligned stream, you receive 600 additional CRS points, which effectively guarantees an invitation to apply in a following Express Entry round.
What is the NBPNP scoring system?
EOI. New Brunswick invites from its EOI pool by sector rather than by a published points cut-off — since May 2026 the main worker pathway invites only health care, education and construction trades.
Can CHK Immigration help if I'm not in Ontario?
Yes. We're a licensed RCIC practice based in Brampton and London, Ontario, and we assist clients applying to provincial programs across Canada, working remotely and by video.

NBPNP eligibility review

Would New Brunswick actually invite you?

Send a few details and a licensed RCIC will tell you where you would rank under EOI, which NBPNP stream fits, and whether another province is a faster route.

  1. 01Scored against the live NBPNP cut-offs, not last year’s
  2. 02A written shortlist of the streams you realistically qualify for
  3. 03Reviewed by a CICC-licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant
  4. 04Consultations are fee-based; you get the fee and available times by reply

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.

Compare

Every other province.

The right province is often the one where your points go furthest. See every program on one map.

Next on your path

Keep your file moving.

The checklist, free tools and guides that usually come next.

  1. ChecklistProvincial nominee checklistThe nomination and federal-stage documents in one list.
  2. GuideLatest Express Entry and PNP drawsEvery 2026 round: CRS cut-offs, ITAs and provincial draws.
  3. GuideProvincial nominee programsEvery province's streams side by side.
  4. Free toolCRS calculatorYour Express Entry score, line by line.