4 February 2022
Launching as a pilot program in 2017, the Atlantic Immigration Program has now become permanent. This program has brought in over 10,000 new permanent residents to Canada since its inception. The pilot version of the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP) was closed on December 31st, 2021. It will be replaced by the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program, coming into effect on March 6th, 2022. The program will accept 6,000 candidates a year.
(NOTE: If you received a valid provincial certificate of endorsement before Dec 31, 2021, you are still eligible to apply for PR under the Atlantic Immigration Pilot until March 5, 2022.)
The Atlantic Immigration Program was designed to allow skilled workers to find a job in Atlantic Provinces of Canada such as Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. This program also allows them to immigrate with family members.
There are over 90 percent of newcomers through AIP and are still residing in Canada, which is more than other immigration programs in the nation.
This program also helps employers hire qualified candidates from other nations for jobs they are not able to fill locally. They are required to become designated by the provincial government of the Atlantic province where the candidate will be employed.
Since 2017, the Canadian employers who have participated in AIP have created over 9,800 job offers in major sectors, including healthcare, food services, accommodation, and manufacturing. This way, the program acts as a platform between skilled workers and employers.
WHAT ARE THE CHANGES IN THE NEW ATLANTIC IMMIGRATION PROGRAM?
There are some small updates made to the Atlantic Immigration Program as it has been changed from pilot to permanent status. The new changes include clarifying roles between partners, improving employer support, and reinforcing program requirements to make sure newcomers can successfully establish themselves in the Atlantic regions.
Apart from these changes, the Atlantic Immigration Program is the same as before.
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE ATLANTIC IMMIGRATION PROGRAM
The Atlantic Immigration Program doesn’t have a point system to accept an application. It works on the model of a “first-come, first-served” basis.
The AIP includes two sub-programs for skilled workers and one sub-program for international student graduates.
WHY AIPP IS A CRUCIAL IMMIGRATION PROGRAM FOR CANADA?
The Atlantic Immigration Program has been a crucial program for the Canadian government even in its pilot form. It has brought over 90% of immigrants to the Atlantic region of Canada. AIP in its pilot form has also helped employers fill job gaps.
This statement from Gerry Byrne, Minister of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills, Newfoundland and Labrador, says it all…
“The Atlantic Immigration Pilot’s great success for Newfoundland and Labrador resulted from it being both flexible and precise in responding to our province’s challenges in attracting newcomers. 2021 will be the first year that targets were not only met, but exceeded. This demonstrates that flexibility is crucial to resolving the unique challenges we face as a province, while also building on and maximizing the many strengths of the Federation. We will now make every effort to ensure our new Atlantic Immigration Program builds on work to accelerate the arrival of more newcomers to Newfoundland and Labrador than ever before, while also being responsive to the needs of employers to meet evolving labor demands.”
How to Immigrate Through the Atlantic Immigration Program?
The AIP is a pathway to PR for skilled foreign workers and graduates who want to work and live in Canada’s Atlantic Provinces.
Since it is an employer-driven program to hire a skilled candidate for jobs, you should have a job offer from a designated employer in Atlantic Canada to become eligible for the program. Here are some of the factors determining your eligibility for immigration through AIP.
Work Experience:
You should have work experience of at least 1,560 hours for the last 5 years. This is equivalent to work hours in 1 year if you were working 30 hours per week. One more thing—match this work with the skill levels of NOC or National Occupational Classification (there are 0 through C skill levels for the jobs such as healthcare, hospitality, technical jobs, traders, drivers, and school.)
If you are an international graduate, you don’t need to meet the work experience criteria. However, you are required to have a degree, diploma, certificate, or trade or apprenticeship certificate of at least 2 years of studies from a recognized post-secondary institution in one of the four regions of Atlantic Provinces.
Besides, a graduate is required to live in any of the four Atlantic Provinces for at least 16 months during the last 2 years before they graduated. Last but not least—they should have a visa or permit allowing them to work, study or get training in Canada.
Educational Requirements:
Educational requirements for AIP vary based on your job on the scale of NOC. The NOC 0 or A skill type or level requires you to have a Canadian one-year post-secondary educational credential or higher, or the same outside Canada.
For a job offer at the NOC B or C skill level, you should have a Canadian high school diploma or the same outside Canada.
If you have studied outside Canada, you are required to get your credentials assessed through ECA or Educational Credential Assessment to confirm that your studies are equivalent to or higher than the required level of education for your job offer.
Language:
The minimum language requirement is again determined by the NOC category that defines your job based on the CLB (Canadian Language Benchmarks) or Niveaux de compétence Linguistique canadiens (NCLC) score. The minimum language requirements for each NOC category are CLB/NCL 5 for NOC 0, A, and B while CLB/NCL 4 for NOCC.
Funds:
Make sure to have sufficient funds to support yourself and your dependents when you live and work in Canada. The amount varies based on the size of your family.
So these are important details about AIP that has been upgraded after being launched in 2017. It is one of the important immigration programs to work and live in Canada. If you have any queries about AIP, you can get in touch with our immigration consultants.
