The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIP) is a new program for skilled professionals and university graduates from the Atlantic provinces of Canada.
The AIP allows foreign skilled workers and international graduates and their families to immigrate to the Atlantic provinces of Canada – Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, and get permanent residence.
The program sets low requirements for language proficiency and for the amount of money needed for immigration. However, the AIP requires a job offer from a designed employer in one of the Atlantic provinces.
The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program is divided into 3 categories:
- Atlantic High-Skilled Program
- Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program
- Atlantic International Graduate Program
As of spring 2019, almost 2,000 employers participate in this immigration pilot. They have already made about 4,000 job offers to qualified foreigners or foreign graduates. As a result, more than 2500 immigrants received permanent resident status in Atlantic Canada.
The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program has a positive feature: when immigrating through this program, spouses or partners of the main applicants, if the profession of the latter refers to skills level 0, A, B and C according to the NOC, are eligible to apply for a Canadian open work permit.
High-Skilled and Intermediate-Skilled Programs
The High-Skilled Program and Intermediate-Skilled Program are the most popular among the foreign workers who plan to immigrate to Canada’s Atlantic provinces.
Requirements
Experience
- At least 1 year of work in the last 3 years
- Experience can be gained inside or outside of Canada.
- Experience must be in a full-time job and continuous, or part-time, but in total must be at least 1,560 hours.
- Experience must be in 1 occupation (but they can be with different employers) and in paid work (volunteering or unpaid internships are not taken into account).
Workers can apply as High-Skilled (work experience in a skill level 0, A or B job under the NOC) or Intermediate-Skilled (work experience in a skill level C job under the NOC).
Education
- Canadian school education or higher education, with obtaining a Canadian certificate, diploma or degree or
- Completed Foreign Education, equal to a Canadian. You’ll also need an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report.
Job Offer
The applicant must have a job offer:
- From a designed (approved) employer in the Atlantic Provinces (New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia or Prince Edward Island).
- The job must be non-season and full-time (30 hours per week).
A job for High-Skilled workers must be skill level 0, A or B under the NOC and last for at least 1 year.
A job for Intermediate-Skilled workers must be skill level 0, A, B or C under the NOC, and permanent.
A job offer may not be in the same profession (NOC) as the applicant’s past experience. However, the applicant must meet the requirements for the proposed work. Requirements are described in the NOC.
Language
Applicant must take one of the approved language tests (CELPIP, IELTS, TEF, TCF Canada) and have a language level of CLB 4 for English or NCLC 4 for French.
Proof of funds
The applicant will have to prove that they have enough money to support themselves and their family after coming to Canada. The amount of money required depends on the size of the family, including family members who do not immigrate with the main applicant, but need their support.
| Number of Family Members (including those you support that aren’t immigrating with you) |
Funds Required (in Canadian dollars) |
| 1 | $3,167 |
| 2 | $3,943 |
| 3 | $4,847 |
| 4 | $5,885 |
| 5 | $6,675 |
| 6 | $7,528 |
| 7 or more | $8,381 |