Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) [R204(c) – C18] - Agreements or arrangements – International Mobility Program 

In these instructions ‘officer’ refers to an employee of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. These instructions do not apply to the Canada Border Services Agency as applicants are not eligible to apply for this program at the port of entry.

The Atlantic Immigration Class (referred to as Atlantic Immigration Program or Program) was established through regulations on January 1, 2022. The goal of this Program is to attract and retain skilled immigrants and international graduates in Atlantic Canada through an employer-driven approach.

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot (referred to as Pilot) agreements expired on December 31, 2021.

Transition provisions: IRCC included transition provisions in the new bilateral agreements, starting January 1, 2022, which provide the following authority:

1. to accept and process complete work permit applications under the Pilot received up to midnight UTC on March 5, 2022. Processing may continue beyond this date so long as the complete application was received by March 5, 2022.
2. to accept work permit renewal applications under the Pilot for applicants who have submitted their complete application for permanent residence on or before March 5, 2022 and are still waiting for a decision. These work permit applications will be assessed against the Pilot work permit requirements.

Categories under the Pilot include

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

Facilitating entry for these workers, under the International Mobility Program, supports paragraph 3(1)(e) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act by encouraging the settlement and retention of workers in the Atlantic region.

On this page

• Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)
• General eligibility
  • Recent graduate requirements
• Documentary evidence
• Provincial letter from the endorsing Atlantic province
• Fields to review in the Global Case Management System (GCMS)
• Qualifying language results
• Qualifying educational credential
  • Applicants other than those applying as a recent graduate
  • Recent graduate from an institute in an endorsing Atlantic province
• Qualifying work experience
  • Offer of employment
• Atlantic Immigration Pilot Programs (AIPP) requirements
  • AIPP official language proficiency
  • AIPP education requirement
  • AIPP work experience requirement
  • AIPP provincial referral letter
• Work permit issuance in the GCMS
• Work permit extension
• Open work permits for spouses and common-law partners

Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)

Under the new regulations and federal–provincial agreements, the categories under the former Pilot have been simplified to Skilled Workers and International Graduates. 

Instructions for processing the previous categories under the Pilot are found below: Atlantic Immigration Pilot Programs (AIPP) requirements

General eligibility  

To be eligible for a work permit under the Program, the foreign national must

• submit their work permit application online
  • An application made at a port of entry under the Program is not eligible.
• have a job offer from a designated employer under the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)
• have a letter from the Atlantic province where the applicant will be working, issued as per the Agreement
• commit to submitting an AIP permanent residence application within 90 days from the date of work permit application submission (IMM 0156E (PDF, 255 KB))
• demonstrate their proficiency in an official language according to Program requirements
• have an acceptable educational credential for this Program
• have acceptable work experience or meet recent graduate requirements for this Program

Recent graduate requirements

To be eligible as a recent graduate, the applicant must have, in addition to the general criteria, all of the following:

• obtained an eligible educational credential
• lived in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador or Prince Edward Island for at least 16 months (cumulative) within the 24-month period before their credential was granted
• had valid temporary resident status throughout their stay in Canada and had authorization for any work, study or training they engaged in while in Canada

Recent graduate applicants do not require work experience in the occupation listed in the job offer.

Documentary evidence 

Applicants for a work permit under the Program must provide the following:

• a complete work permit application submitted electronically
• a letter issued by the endorsing Atlantic province requesting that IRCC issue a work permit
• a completed and signed Undertaking for an application for a work permit exempted from a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) as part of the Atlantic Immigration Program (IMM 0156E (PDF, 255 KB)) form
• an offer of employment number (LMIA exemption number) received from a designated employer under the AIP (see Employer Portal for details)
• proof of qualifying work experience in the occupation sought, except recent graduates
• proof of a qualifying educational credential. The education credential assessment (ECA) must be less than 5 years old.
• qualifying language test results that are less than 2 years old

Recent graduates must also provide

• proof of residence in one of the Atlantic provinces
• proof of valid temporary resident status throughout their stay
• proof of an eligible educational credential

Provincial letter from the endorsing Atlantic province

Applicants under the Program must include a letter, issued by the endorsing Atlantic province, with their work permit application. This letter should include the following information:

• biographical information for the applicant
• employer name, address and contact information
• occupation title and National Occupational Classification (NOC) code
• an employment start date
• a request for IRCC to issue an employer-specific work permit
• a statement that the employer urgently needs the applicant before the application for permanent residence is complete
• a statement that the province has determined that the
  • job offer is consistent with the requirements of the regulations
  • employment is not part-time or seasonal
  • wages and working conditions of the employment are sufficient to attract and retain Canadian citizens and permanent residents

Fields to review in the Global Case Management System (GCMS)

When assessing the work permit application, officers should review the following fields under the Employment Details tab in the Global Case Management System (GCMS) for information provided by the employer:

Qualifying language results

Applicants under the AIP (as of January 1, 2022) must demonstrate, in the Canadian Language Benchmarks for English or the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens for French, in each of the 4 language skill areas based on an IRCC-approved language test, a minimum language level of

• five (5) for a NOC 0, A or B level job offer
• four (4) for a NOC C level job offer

See the language requirements section for evidence of language proficiency.

Qualifying educational credential

Applicants other than those applying as a recent graduate

Applicants, other than those applying as a recent graduate, must demonstrate they have 1 of the following educational credentials:

• a minimum of a Canadian 1-year post-secondary credential, or the foreign equivalent with an ECA, where the job offer is in the NOC type 0 or skill level A
• a minimum of a Canadian high school certificate, or the foreign equivalent with an ECA, where the job offer is in the NOC skill level B or C

Recent graduate from an institute in an endorsing Atlantic province

To meet requirements as a recent graduate under the AIP as of January 1, 2022, applicants must have obtained an eligible educational credential.

To be eligible, the credential must be

• a degree
• a diploma
• a certificate
• a trade or apprenticeship credential

and have been obtained

• as a full-time student
• after completion of a minimum 2-year program
• from a recognized, publicly funded institution
• in one of the 4 Atlantic provinces
• within the 24 months before the date of submission of the work permit application

An educational credential is not eligible if the credential was obtained in a study or training program where

• the study of English or French as a second language was at least half of the program
• distance learning was at least half of the program
• a scholarship or fellowship stipulated that the recipient return to their home country to apply the knowledge and skills gained

Qualifying work experience

Applicants under the AIP (as of January 1, 2022) must have 1 year of experience within the 5 years preceding the date of work permit application. The work experience must

• be in occupations that are listed in Skill Type 0 Management Occupations or Skill Level A, B or C of the NOC matrix, exclusive of restricted occupations
• include the actions described in the lead statement for the occupation in the NOC
• include a substantial number of the main duties of the occupation as per the NOC

Foreign nationals who meet the recent graduate requirements do not need to meet the qualifying work experience requirement.  

Offer of employment

Under the Atlantic Immigration Class regulations [R87.3(6)(d)], the occupation in the offer of employment may be for a higher skill level than the qualifying work experience. When assessing if the applicant can perform the work sought as per paragraph R200(3)(a), officers should consider all of the following:

• that the employer is satisfied the applicant can perform the higher-level occupation
• that the employer has worked with a settlement service provider organization to develop a settlement plan for the employee and their family
• that the province has assessed the offer and determined that it is genuine as per the Agreement
• that during their work experience at the lower-level occupation, the applicant may have performed some of the duties of the higher-level occupation

For example, an applicant has worked as a fish and seafood plant worker under NOC 9463, a NOC level C occupation. The offer of employment under the AIP is for a fish processing supervisor under NOC 9213, a NOC level B occupation. The worker may have sufficient years of experience, so they could progress easily to the higher occupation, or they may have acted in that occupation, so they have sufficient experience to satisfy an officer that they can perform the work sought.

Atlantic Immigration Pilot Programs (AIPP) requirements

AIPP official language proficiency

Foreign nationals applying for a work permit under the Pilot, and who received an endorsement certificate on or before December 31, 2021, must provide a copy of a language test approved by IRCC that shows the applicant meets either the minimum language level of 4 in either the Canadian Language Benchmarks in English or the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens in French for each of the 4 language skill areas.

See the language requirements section for evidence of language proficiency.

AIPP education requirement

Atlantic International Graduate Program (AIGP)

The applicant must demonstrate that they meet all of the following minimum education and residence requirements:

• that, as a full-time student, they have obtained a degree, diploma, certificate, or trade or apprenticeship credential following completion of a post-secondary education program of at least 2 years from a recognized publicly funded institution in 1 of the 4 Atlantic provinces (New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia or Newfoundland and Labrador)
• that they resided in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador or Prince Edward Island for at least 16 months (cumulative) within the 24-month period before their credential was granted
• that they maintained valid temporary resident status throughout their stay in Canada and had authorization for any work, study or training they engaged in while in Canada

Eligible educational credentials

Only certain educational credentials are eligible for the Atlantic International Graduate Program (AIGP). An educational credential is not eligible if the credentials were obtained in a study or training program where

• the study of English or French as a second language was at least half of the program
• distance learning was at least half of the program
• a scholarship or fellowship stipulated that the recipient return to their home country to apply the knowledge and skills gained

Atlantic High-Skilled and Intermediate-Skilled Programs

Applicants must demonstrate they have one of the following:

• a Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree
• a completed foreign credential and an ECA report from an agency approved by IRCC. The ECA report must show that the foreign education is equal to a completed Canadian secondary (high school) diploma or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree. The ECA report must be less than 5 years old at the time of application.

Equivalency assessments include an assessment of the authenticity of the applicant’s completed foreign educational credentials. This is not conclusive evidence of the authenticity of the foreign educational credentials.

If an officer has concerns about the authenticity of an applicant’s foreign educational credentials, they must communicate these concerns to the applicant and afford them an opportunity to respond to those concerns and provide additional information or documentation.

AIPP work experience requirement

Atlantic International Graduate Program

Applicants do not require any work experience.

Atlantic High-Skilled and Intermediate-Skilled programs

Applicants must demonstrate that they have obtained work experience

• for at least 1 year (1,560 hours total/30 hours per week), continuous or non-continuous, full-time or an equal amount in part-time, within the last 3 years
• that was for paid work (volunteer work and unpaid internships do not count)
• in an occupation with the following NOC codes
  • for high-skilled program – at skill type 0 or skill levels A or B
  • for intermediate-skilled program – at skill level C
• where they have carried out the activities listed in the lead statement of the NOC and a substantial number of the main duties
• that was obtained overseas or in Canada
  • To count, Canadian experience must have been obtained while the foreign national was authorized to work in Canada as a temporary resident.

For the periods of work experience claimed in the application, applicants under the Atlantic High-Skilled and Intermediate-Skilled programs must demonstrate they performed both of the following:

• the actions identified in the lead statement of the NOC description
• a substantial number of the main duties, including all the essential duties, listed in the NOC description
  • This means the applicant performed some or all of the main duties, including all the duties that distinguish one particular occupation from any other.

Applicants do not have to be employed at the time they apply.

Work experience does not need to be continuous to qualify, and can be accumulated within the previous 3 years. When calculating the period of 12 months of required employment, it cannot include periods of unemployment, prolonged sick leave or parental leave. However, a reasonable period of vacation time will be counted towards meeting the work experience requirement (such as a 2-week period of paid vacation leave within a given 52-week period in which the applicant was engaged in qualifying work).

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

Work experience acquired during a period of study is allowed, as long as the work hours did not exceed their authorization under the regulations or any applicable policies.

AIPP provincial referral letter

Applicants under the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Programs (AIPP) must include a referral letter, issued by an Atlantic province, with their work permit application. This letter should include the following information:

• the date of issue of the letter
• the applicant’s name and date of birth
• the applicant’s citizenship
• a designated employer name, address and contact information
• an employment start date
• the specific AIPP program the applicant is applying under
• a statement that the designated employer has submitted an endorsement application that includes a needs assessment and settlement plan for the applicant and each member of the family, signed by both the designated employer and the applicant
• a request for IRCC to issue a 1-year employer-specific work permit, with the validity dates as indicated in the offer of employment
• a statement that the employer urgently needs the applicant as an employee before the application for permanent residence is complete
• a statement that the province has determined that
  • the job offer is consistent with the requirements of the Ministerial Instructions classes
  • the employment is not part-time or seasonal
  • the wages and working conditions of the employment are sufficient to attract and retain Canadian citizens and permanent residents
• the NOC classification
• an occupation title
• the unique identifying number of the letter

Work permit issuance in the GCMS

Under the “Application” screen, enter the following:

Work permit extension

Permanent resident application submitted compliant with commitment

If the application for permanent residence takes more than 1 year to be processed, applicants may apply to extend their work permit under the program.

Applicants holding a work permit issued under the Pilot or Program do not have to provide the following supporting documents:

• referral letter, unless there is a change of employer
• commitment form indicating they will apply for permanent residence within 90 days of initial work permit application
• educational credentials
• language test results
• proof of qualifying work experience, if applicable

No permanent resident application submitted

For work permit extension applications where the applicant has not submitted an application for permanent residence within 90 days of the initial work permit, the application must include a new referral letter issued by a province.

De-designation of the employer by the province

Work permits cannot be made invalid, revoked or cancelled if an employer is de-designated by a province. However, if an employer is found to be non-compliant with employer conditions, through an inspection, the work permit may be revoked.

Officers may refuse work permit extension applications to work for an employer who has been de-designated by the province. Foreign nationals may apply to change their work permit to work for another employer, provided that the employer is designated and that the province has issued a referral letter to support the new work permit.

Open work permits for spouses and common-law partners

Officers may issue an open work permit to the spouse or common-law partner of a Program or Pilot applicant if that applicant is employed in a NOC 0, A, B or C position. See [C41] General eligibility for spouses or common-law partners of skilled workers for further information.