Atlantic Immigration Program

The Atlantic Immigration Program in Canada helps skilled workers and international graduates obtain permanent residency by working with an employer in Atlantic Canada. It was built to solve a critical problem. Businesses in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador need workers, and this program connects them with people who want to build a life in Canada.

Unlike some immigration pathways, the AIP does not rank you against other applicants. It runs on a job offer, a provincial endorsement, and a settlement plan. If you meet the requirements, you move forward.

At the Law Office of Karan Mahal, we help applicants and employers understand each step of this process, from checking eligibility to preparing a complete file for IRCC.

Book a consultation with our immigration team to find out if AIP is the right pathway for you.

What Is the Atlantic Immigration Program?

The Atlantic Immigration Program of Canada is a federal-provincial partnership. IRCC sets the national rules, and each Atlantic province manages endorsements for its own labor market.

The program exists because Atlantic Canada has an older population and a shrinking workforce in several sectors. Employers often cannot fill positions locally, so the Canada Atlantic Immigration Program lets them hire from abroad and support that worker’s path to permanent residency.

It started as a pilot in 2017. It worked well enough that it became a permanent immigration pathway on January 1, 2022, and IRCC began accepting permanent residence applications under it on March 6, 2022.

A few things make Atlantic Canada immigration through this program different from other economic streams:

• There is no comparative ranking system like CRS.
• The employer plays an active role in your settlement, not just your job.
• A registered settlement service provider must be involved before you apply.

How the Atlantic Immigration Program Works

The process has clear stages. This is a step-by-step guide to the process.

• Find a designated employer. Only employers approved by an Atlantic province can make a qualifying job offer.
• Receive a job offer. The offer must be full-time and non-seasonal, and it must meet specific duration rules based on the job’s TEER level.
• Meet eligibility requirements. This covers education, language, and work experience, explained below.
• Work with a settlement service provider. You and your family go through a needs assessment. This becomes your settlement plan.
• Employer applies for endorsement. The province reviews the job offer and settlement plan, then issues an endorsement certificate if approved.
• Submit your PR application to IRCC. This must happen before the endorsement certificate expires.
• Receive a decision. If approved, you and your family become permanent residents.

One point worth knowing early: the AIP does not require an LMIA. If you are used to the standard LMIA application process for other work permits, this is one less step here. You can read more about how that process usually works on our LMIA application page.

Some applicants also apply for a temporary work permit so they can start working while the PR application is in process. The temporary work permit is optional, and it runs alongside the main AIP application rather than replacing it. Our work permits page covers how this option fits in.

Atlantic Immigration Program Eligibility

Atlantic Immigration Program eligibility comes down to four pass-or-fail criteria: provincial endorsement, education, language, and work experience. You need all four, along with a qualifying job offer and enough settlement funds.

Skilled Workers

To qualify for work experience, you need at least 1,560 hours of paid work (about 1 year full-time) within the last 5 years, at TEER 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4.

A few rules apply to this experience:

• It must be paid. Volunteer work and unpaid internships do not count.
• You cannot count time as self-employed.
• It does not need to be continuous, but the required 12 months cannot include long breaks, unemployment, or extended leave.
• Work in Canada counts only if you had legal authorization to work at the time.

The TEER level of your work experience must match or exceed the TEER level required by your job offer. For example, a TEER 2 job offer accepts work experience from TEER 2, 3, or 4, but not from a lower level than what the job needs.

International Graduates

If you graduated from a recognized post-secondary institution in Atlantic Canada, you may skip the work experience requirement entirely. To qualify this way, you need to show that you:

• Earned at least a 2-year degree, diploma, certificate, or apprenticeship credential from an Atlantic institution.
• Be a full-time student for your entire program.
• Lived in an Atlantic province for at least 16 months within the 2 years before completing your credential.
• Held valid temporary resident status throughout your time in Canada.

Your credential must also be recent. IRCC only accepts credentials completed within 24 months of your PR application date. Programs that were half English or French language training, or half distance learning, do not qualify.

Education Requirements

Your education requirement depends on the TEER level of your job offer, not your own background.

If you studied outside Canada, you will need an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) that is less than 5 years old at the time of application.

Language Requirements

Your job offer’s TEER level also sets your minimum language score. You need results in all four skill areas: speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

Test results must be from an IRCC-approved test and less than 2 years old when you apply.

Settlement Funds

If you are not already working in Canada under a valid work permit, you must show enough money to support your family after arrival. IRCC sets this amount based on family size, and it is updated periodically.

Family size includes your spouse or partner and all dependent children, even if they are not traveling with you. The funds must be unencumbered, meaning free of debt, and legally accessible once you arrive.

This combination of Atlantic Immigration Program requirements can feel like a lot to track at once. This is one of the areas where our team at the Law Office of Karan Mahal spends the most time with clients, since a small gap in any one category can hold up the entire file.

Designated Employers in Atlantic Canada

Not every business in the region can hire through this program. Only Atlantic Canada designated employers can make a qualifying job offer under the AIP.

To become a designated employer, a business applies to its provincial government. There is no fee to apply, but the employer must show it can support a newcomer’s settlement, not just offer them a paycheck. Provinces expect designated employers to:

• Confirm the job offer is genuine and reflects a real staffing need.
• Work with an approved settlement service provider to help build the settlement plan.
• Follow through on the job terms after the worker arrives.

Because designated employer lists change and provincial requirements are updated from time to time, it is worth confirming an employer’s current status before relying on their job offer.

Atlantic Immigration Program Settlement Plan

A settlement plan is a mandatory part of every AIP application. It is not just paperwork. It is meant to identify what you and your family will actually need to settle in your new community, from housing to schools to healthcare access.

An approved settlement service provider organization prepares this plan with you and your employer. It usually includes:

• An assessment of your family’s settlement needs.
• Information about local services relevant to those needs.
• A record of how the employer will support your transition.

Provinces will not issue an endorsement certificate without a completed settlement plan on file. Skipping or rushing this step is one of the more common reasons applications stall.

Atlantic Immigration Program Processing Time

Atlantic Immigration Program processing time is one area where we avoid giving applicants a fixed promise, and for good reason. IRCC’s official service standard for this program is 11 months, but actual processing has run well above that standard for much of the past year due to application volume.

Because these numbers shift, we recommend checking IRCC’s official processing times tool for the current estimate. It is important before making any firm plans, such as giving notice at a current job. What we can control is making sure your application has no gaps that trigger extra review.

Atlantic Immigration Program vs. Express Entry

Applicants often ask how AIP compares to other options. Here is a straightforward look.

If your CRS score is competitive, our Express Entry page walks through that program in detail. Many candidates who do not score well enough for Express Entry still qualify comfortably under AIP, since this pathway does not compare you against other applicants at all.

Atlantic Provinces Included Under AIP

The AIP covers four provinces, each with its own industries actively hiring through the program.

• New Brunswick has strong demand in healthcare, manufacturing, and skilled trades, particularly around Moncton and Saint John.
• Nova Scotia hires heavily in healthcare, technology, and hospitality, with Halifax as the main hub for job openings.
• Prince Edward Island has an ongoing need for agriculture, food processing, and healthcare support roles.
• Newfoundland and Labrador sees demand in oil and gas services, fisheries, and healthcare, especially outside St. John’s.

Across all four Atlantic provinces of Canada, immigration through AIP is closely tied to local labor shortages, so the strongest opportunities usually sit in whichever sector is short-staffed in that specific province at that time.

Common Mistakes Applicants Make

Small errors cause real delays under this program. The most common ones we see include:

• Using a job offer from a non-designated employer. If the employer’s designation lapses or was never valid, the whole application fails.
• Missing the work experience threshold. Applicants sometimes miscount hours or include unpaid or self-employed work that does not qualify.
• Weak or incomplete settlement plans. A plan that does not reflect the family’s actual needs can delay or block endorsement.
• Letting the endorsement certificate expire. Endorsements are valid for 12 months from issue, and IRCC does not grant extensions. If your PR application is not submitted before that date, you have to start the endorsement process again.
• Outdated language or education documents. Test results and ECAs both have expiry windows, and missing this detail is an easy way to get flagged.
• Employer endorsement delays. Provinces can take time to process endorsement requests, so waiting until the last minute to apply adds unnecessary risk.

At the Law Office of Karan Mahal, most of the applications we get asked to fix later share one of these same root causes. Catching them early is far easier than correcting them mid-process.

How Law Office of Karan Mahal Can Help

Every AIP file involves several moving parts working together at the same time: an employer, a province, a settlement service provider, and IRCC. Our team helps applicants and employers manage that coordination from start to finish.

As an Atlantic Immigration Program lawyer resource for our clients, our team supports you with the following:

• A full eligibility assessment before you commit time to an employer search.
• Document review for education, language, and work experience proof.
• Preparing and organizing your PR application.
• Guidance for employers going through the designation and endorsement process.
• Coordination with settlement service providers on your settlement plan.
• Direct communication with IRCC when questions come up.
• Ongoing tracking of your file status until a decision is made.

We do not promise a specific outcome or timeline, since IRCC makes the final decision on every case. What we do is make sure nothing in your control is left incomplete.

Ready to Apply Through the Atlantic Immigration Program in Canada?

No two applications look the same. Your job offer, work history, and your family situation all shape what your file needs. A small mistake in any one area can add months to your timeline.

Our team at the Law Office of Karan Mahal works through each requirement with you, from your first eligibility check to your final submission. Book your consultation today to see where you stand.