ACOA’s service standards

The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) provides quality service to all its clients. When you contact us, you will find friendly professionals ready to meet your business needs.

Our service standard is our commitment to you. It’s the level of performance you can expect from us. We have three main standards:

• Receipt of application 
  • ACOA will acknowledge receipt of your application within 10 business days. 
  • We aim to meet this standard 90% of the time.
• Evaluation decision (approval, rejection or withdrawal)
  • ACOA will issue a written decision within 75 business days for REGI, BDP, ICF and APRI programs, and within 120 business days for the AIF. 
  • We aim to meet this standard 90% of the time.
• Payment decision
  • ACOA will render a payment decision within 25 business days of receiving a signed claim. 
  • We aim to meet this standard 90% of the time.

Your co-operation

Meeting these service standards is a shared responsibility. To offer the best service, we rely on you to provide complete and accurate information. Incomplete applications or claims may cause delays and affect the time needed to complete your request.

Our commitment

ACOA will provide you with excellent service that meets your needs. When you contact us, you can expect the following:

• Our employees are available to speak to you from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Atlantic time) every business day. You can always leave a message outside of business hours.
• A toll-free number (1-800-576-4444) and teletypewriter service (TTY 7-1-1) are available throughout Atlantic Canada.
• If we can’t help you, we will do our best to direct you to an organization that can. 
• We strive to provide information in the manner of your choice (in person, by mail, email or fax).
• We will make arrangements to provide service in the official language of your choice.

We’d like to hear from you

So that we can better understand your needs, we encourage you to share your views on our service. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome. Send them to information@acoa-apeca.gc.ca, or to:

Programs Support Unit
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Head Office
644 Main Street
P.O. Box 6051
Moncton, New Brunswick
E1A 7R4

(Remember that messages you send by email are not always secure. Do not send any confidential information by email.)