Atlantic Immigration Program: What candidates are Canada’s Atlantic provinces prioritizing for immigration in 2025?
With a reduced allocation in 2025, Canadian provinces have begun prioritizing specific occupations and sectors under the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP).
In general, individuals working in healthcare, construction, manufacturing, and select other sectors may have an advantage when applying through the AIP in 2025.
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Here’s a look at the sectors being prioritized for AIP in 2025.
ProvinceSectors being prioritized for AIP
Prince Edward IslandHealthcare, construction, and manufacturing.
Nova ScotiaHealthcare and social assistance, and construction.
Newfoundland and LabradorSpecific occupations in healthcare, information and communication technology, and agriculture.
New BrunswickHas paused program for the rest of 2025.
The AIP is an employer-driven pathway to permanent residence (PR) for skilled workers and certain international graduates who wish to settle in one of Canada’s Atlantic provinces.
To be eligible, applicants must have a job offer from a designated employer in one of the participating provinces, and the job offer must be endorsed by the province.
Unlike Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs), which require candidates to first receive a provincial nomination, eligible candidates under the AIP can apply directly to the federal government for PR. They may also qualify for a temporary work permit, allowing them to begin working for their employer while their PR application is being processed.
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island was the first of the Atlantic provinces to announce an update to its AIP.
In January, the province revealed that, due to a high volume of applications and a reduced federal allocation, it would be prioritizing skilled workers in “high-demand sectors:”
Healthcare.
Construction.
Manufacturing.
PEI will only accept AIP endorsement application packages for workers in these three sectors for the remainder of 2025.
Foreign nationals working in other sectors may still submit Expressions of Interest (EOI) through the PEI PNP.
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Nova Scotia
In July Nova Scotia announced that it would prioritize foreign nationals currently living and working in Nova Scotia with work permits expiring in 2025.
Of these, workers in healthcare and social assistance (NAICS 62) and construction (NAICS 23) would be further prioritize.
Applications from candidates outside Canada would be prioritized if they worked in healthcare, social assistance or construction. Moreover, the province will make exceptions for employers in the AIP hiring in
Trucking;
Science and technology;
Clean energy sectors; and
Resource development.
Newfoundland and Labrador
While Newfoundland and Labrador has not paused its AIP, it has listed some in-demand occupations that are exempt from provincial labour market testing processes (such as the AIP labour market testing requirements), and will receive priority processing.
In-demand Health Care sector occupations for public and private healthcare providers:
Physician: Family Medicine; Psychiatry; Pathology; General Internal Medicine; Radiology; Obstetrics and Gynecology; Anesthesia; Pediatric Intensivists (PICU); Neonatologists (NICU); Pathology (Hemopathology).
Nurse Practitioner (NP).
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN).
Personal Care Attendant (PCA).
Clinical Psychologist.
Medical Physicist.
Radiation Therapist.
Dosimetrist.
In-demand Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector occupations:
Engineers and Developers.
Software Developer.
Biomedical Engineer.
UI/UX Developer.
Electrical Engineer.
AI Developer.
Mechanical Engineer.
Python Developer.
Web Developer.
.NET Developer.
Infrastructure Engineer.
Technical Specialists.
Security Specialist.
Cloud Specialist.
Bioinformatician.
Computer Network Support.
Research Associate.
Data Analytics.
Offshore Technician.
ROV Operator.
Ocean Mapping Specialist.
Technical Writer.
In-demand aquaculture sector occupations:
Captain (FM4 certification required).
Farming and Feeding Manager.
Facility Technician.
Assistant Manager.
Cage Site Technician.
Site Manager (with water quality expertise).
Area Manager.
Newfoundland and Labrador adopted an EOI model for its PNP and its AIP, effective February 19, 2025.
This means that foreign nationals cannot apply directly but must first submit an EOI and receive an invitation before being included in an AIP Endorsement application.
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New Brunswick
The province announced that its AIP would be paused for the remainder of the year, starting April 4, as its allocation had been reached.
Employers will not be designated under the AIP for the rest of 2025, and no new endorsement applications will be accepted by designated employers either, after this date.
Applications submitted on or before April 4 will continue to be processed, provided they are not in the list of occupations the province announced it would stop processing as of February 20.
It’s worth noting that in June 2025, New Brunswick received an additional 1,500 spots to the NB PNP. Those interested in immigrating to the province can check individual PNP streams to see if they qualify.
What is the Atlantic Immigration Program?
The AIP is a pathway to PR in Canada for those who want to live and work in one of Canada’s four Atlantic provinces.
To be eligible, a foreign national needs a job offer from a designated employer in Atlantic Canada, and that job offer must be endorsed by the province.
In addition, they must either
Meet the minimum work experience requirement; or
Be a recent graduate of a recognized post-secondary institution in the endorsing Atlantic province.
The AIP offers a number of benefits compared to other Canadian immigration pathways such as shorter processing times, individualized settlement services, and access to LMIA-exempt work permits so eligible candidates can legally work while their PR application is being processed.
Eligibility criteria
CategoryRequirement
Work ExperienceSkilled Workers:
– At least 1,560 hours in the last 5 years.
– Experience must be in NOC TEER 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4.
International Student Graduates:
– 2-year credential from a recognized institution in Atlantic Canada.
– Full-time study throughout.
– Lived in Atlantic region for at least 16 of last 24 months.
– Held legal status during stay in Canada.
Education- TEER 0 or 1: One-year post-secondary.
– TEER 2, 3, or 4: High school diploma.
Language Proficiency- TEER 0, 1, 2, 3: CLB/NCLC 5.
– TEER 4: CLB/NCLC 4.
Settlement Funds- Must show ability to support self and family
*Not required if already living and working in Canada with a valid work permit
Apart from having a job offer from a designated employer, AIP has additional criteria regarding work experience, education, language proficiency and settlement funds.
Work experience
Skilled workers
Skilled workers need to have worked at least 1,560 hours in the last five years.
The work experience should be one of the following National Occupational Classification (NOC) Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) categories: TEER 0, TEER 1, TEER 2, TEER 3, or TEER 4.
International students
International student graduates can qualify for the AIP without meeting the work experience requirement if
They have a two-year or longer credential from a recognized post-secondary institution in Atlantic Canada;
They were a full-time student for the entire duration of their studies; and
They lived in one of the Atlantic provinces for at least 16 months during the last two years before graduating.
Education
The educational requirements depend on the NOC TEER of the job offer
NOC TEER 0 or 1: One-year post-secondary or higher;
NOC TEER 2, 3, or 4: High school diploma.
Educational credentials can have been gained inside or outside Canada.
If the education was completed outside Canada, each non-Canadian credential requires an educational credential assessment (ECA).
Language proficiency
Candidates must have minimum language proficiency in English or French, depending on the NOC TEER of the job offer:
CLB/NCLC 5 for TEER 0,1,2,3.
CLB/NCLC 4 for TEER 4.
Settlement funds
Finally, candidates need to show that they can support themselves and their family when they move to Canada.
The current funds required depend on the size of the family and can be seen here.
Foreign nationals already living and working in Canada with a valid work permit are exempt from the settlement funds requirement.
Applying through the AIP
Those interested in immigrating through the AIP must first check if they meet the eligibility criteria.
If they meet the qualifying work experience, educational requirements, language requirements, and have enough settlement funds, they can start looking for a job with a designated employer.
Each Atlantic province has a list of designated employers for its AIP published on its website.
After getting a job offer from a designated employer, foreign nationals need to get a settlement plan. These are usually facilitated with the help of the employer and are designed to help candidates settle into their new provinces.
After they have their settlement plan, the next step is getting the job offer endorsed by the province. The employer handles this process. If successful, the foreign national will receive a certificate of endorsement.
This certificate can be used when applying to the federal government to get PR through the AIP.
Those who meet the requirements for PR through this program can also apply for a temporary work permit, which allows them to work while their application is being processed.
