COW - Atlantic Immigration Pilot Overview – June 10, 2021

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot was launched in 2017 as a key pillar of a broader economic development strategy led by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency: the Atlantic Growth Strategy, to help address regional labour market needs and test innovative approaches to permanent immigration. To meet varying labour market and skill level needs, three immigration pathways are available under the pilot, depending on an individual’s work experience (high-skilled; intermediate-skilled; and international graduates). Specifically, the pilot tested three innovative aspects that aimed to attract and retain skilled immigrants in Atlantic Canada in support of regional economic growth:

• An employer-driven focus: In addition to guaranteeing full-time employment for the principal applicant, employers play a more active role in the retention of candidates than in other programs by supporting newcomers with language training, housing, transportation, and other settlement factors to help with integration. This includes fostering a welcoming workplace.
• Individualized settlement supports: The pilot is also the first immigration program which requires 100% of participants to obtain a settlement plan from a settlement service provider organization to enhance integration into the community and long term retention.
• Pan-Atlantic governance approach: The pilot is governed by the Department in close partnership with the Atlantic provinces on a pan-Atlantic basis, and leverages the expertise of delivery partners in the region such as the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, federally- and/or provincially-funded settlement service provider organizations, and other regional stakeholders (e.g. universities and colleges, economic development organizations).

The pilot was launched through Ministerial Instructions under section 14.1 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. It was accompanied by bilateral agreements between Canada and each of the four Atlantic provinces to define the roles and responsibilities of each party in relation to the pilot. The pilot was designed to address varying labour market and skill level needs, as well as to provide enhanced flexibility by including different skill levels and establishing flexible selection criteria, compared to the PNP. The pilot operates through the following stages:

1. Designation process: An employer must first become designated under the pilot, which requires that they meet a set of requirements (i.e. be in good standing with provincial occupational health and safety and labour authorities and not be in violation of the Immigration, Refugee and Protection Act or the Regulations). An employer would then connect with a settlement service provider organization to learn about the settlement needs of their newcomer employees, and to commit to preparing their workplace to welcome newcomers. Settlement service provider organizations are agencies that provide services to newcomers to Canada. These services include language training, information and orientation, community connections and employment-related services.
2. Endorsement process: Once designated and a candidate has been identified, the employer connects the candidate with a settlement service provider organization to obtain a settlement plan for them and their family members. Employers are responsible for finding prospective candidates that best meet their labour needs, for example through recruitment missions, job postings, and campus recruitment sessions. Employers have the flexibility of hiring candidates that are already in Canada on a work permit, recent international graduates, or candidates outside of Canada. The employer submits an endorsement application, containing the, job offer, and settlement plan to the province for approval. The province, ensuring that these program requirements are met, would then need to approve the employer’s endorsement of the candidate.
3. Immigration application process: Once endorsed, the candidate would complete a permanent residence application, and send it to the Department. Candidates may be eligible to apply for a temporary work permit, as an optional step in the process, should the employer demonstrate an urgent need for the candidate to arrive and begin work. Once the application is approved, the candidate and their family can come to Atlantic Canada, and the employer would support their settlement and integration into the workplace and community in partnership with settlement service provider organizations.