What is AIPP?

The pilot program, that launched in 2017 to help employers in Atlantic region of Canada to hire foreign skilled workers who want to immigrate to Atlantic Canada and international graduates who want to stay in Atlantic Canada after they graduate.

About the AIPP

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program helps local employer to hire qualified candidates for jobs that they haven’t been able to fill locally. These candidates can be overseas or living in Canada temporarily.

There are 3 programs that Atlantic region employer can use to hire someone:

• Atlantic International Graduate Program
• Atlantic High-skilled Program
• Atlantic Intermediate-skilled Program

Each program has its own conditions and requirements that employer and the candidate must meet before they can hire or apply at IRCC.

Conditions applies to Employer:

• Before you make a job offer, employer must be designated by the provincial government of the Atlantic province where the candidate will be working.
• Employer has to be in good standing.
• He/she has been operating business in the Atlantic region for at least 2 years.
• He/she Must work with a settlement service provider organization to help your candidates get settlement services.
• Employer can’t hire someone under the Atlantic Immigration Pilot if they won’t be working in an Atlantic province.

Job Conditions, Employee Requirements & Obligations

Candidate should ask which program employer want to use to hire them. Ask them to make sure they meet all the requirements for that program.

Submit an endorsement application to the province

The province must endorse your job offer before the candidate can apply for permanent resident status.

The provinces handle endorsement. Send any questions about endorsement to them. We aren’t involved in the endorsement process.

Visit the province’s website to get their endorsement application:

• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Nova Scotia
• Prince Edward Island

The endorsement applications will ask you to:

• Show that you haven’t been able to fill the job with someone locally. You don’t need a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)
• Show the job offer meets the requirements of 1 of the 3 programs
• Send the completed and signed Offer of Employment to a Foreign National [IMM5650] (PDF 817.97 KB)
• Send the settlement plan for the candidate and their family members coming to Canada with them

The provincial forms will tell you how to do this. They may also ask for additional documentation. The candidate may need to send you more documents or sign the province’s forms.

If the province endorses the job offer, they will send a Certificate of Endorsement to the candidate. Once your candidate gets the endorsement certificate, they can apply for permanent resident status.

Optional: referral letter for temporary work permit

Candidates who meet the requirements to apply for permanent resident status may be eligible to apply for a temporary work permit.

This permit lets the candidate begin work while their permanent resident application is being processed.

The permit:

• is only for the Atlantic Immigration Pilot
• is valid for 1 year
• only lets the candidate work for you

The candidate must send their permanent resident application within 90 days of submitting the temporary work permit application.

In order for the candidate to apply for a work permit, you must request a Referral Letter from the provincial government when you apply for endorsement. When the candidate applies for a temporary work permit, they must include the Referral Letter with their application, and you must complete some more steps.

Getting a temporary work permit doesn’t guarantee IRCC will approve the permanent resident application.

1. Atlantic International Graduate Program (Only for students that graduated from Atlantic Provinces college or university)

2. Atlantic High-skilled Program

To apply for the Atlantic High-Skilled Program, you must:

1. Find out if you’re eligible

2. Get a job offer

3. Submit your application

3. Atlantic Intermediate-skilled Program

Work experience

In the last 3 years, you must have worked at least 1,560 hours. This is how many hours you would have worked in 1 year if you worked 30 hours per week.

Here is how to calculate your hours:

Count hours worked in part-time and full-time jobs.

• The hours must be in one occupation, but they can be with different employers.
• You must have been paid for these hours. Volunteering or unpaid internships don’t count.
• These working hours can be inside or outside Canada.
• The hours must have been accumulated over a period of at least 12 months.

Don’t count hours when you were self-employed.

• Any periods of self-employment will not be included when calculating the period of qualifying work experience.

Option 1

• You have work experience at National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill level C.
• NOC skill level C is a type of job that usually requires a secondary (high school) education and/or job-specific training, such as:
  • industrial butchers
  • long-haul truck drivers
  • food and beverage servers

Option 2

You have work experience as one of the following:

as a registered nurse or registered psychiatric nurse (NOC skill level A 3012) as a licensed practical nurse (NOC skill level B 3233)

You also have one of the following job offers:

a nurse’s aide, orderly or patient services associate (NOC skill level C 3413) a home support worker (NOC skill level C 4412)

Education

You must have 1 of the following:

• a Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree from a recognized institution a foreign degree, diploma, or certificate equal to a Canadian credential. You need an educational credential assessment (ECA) report from a recognized organization to show your credential is valid and equal to a Canadian credential. If you already have an ECA report, it must be less than 5 years old when we receive your permanent resident application.

Language testing

You must take one of the language tests we approve. It will show you can communicate in English or French well enough to live and work in Canada.

Learn about language testing for the AIP.

If you have taken an approved test, you can send those results if they:

• are less than 2 years old
• show you meet the level the program requires

Proof of funds

You need to have enough money to support yourself and your family when you get to Canada. The amount you need depends on the size of your family. The size of your family also includes anyone you support who isn’t immigrating with you.

Learn how much money you should have when you arrive in Canada.

If you’re already living and working in Canada with a valid work permit, you don’t need to show proof.