Get designated

About the designation

Before you can make a job offer to hire a candidate, you must first become designated by the provincial government of the Atlantic province where the candidate will be working.

Being “designated” means you can hire candidates under the Atlantic Immigration Program. The provinces are responsible for designating employers.

To be designated, your organization must

• not be in violation of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) or the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR)
• be in good standing and comply with employment standards and occupational health and safety legislation
• not recruit or hire workers for the purpose of establishing a pool of candidates that can be later transferred or contracted out to separate businesses for staffing purposes
• have been in continuous, active operation under the same management for at least 2 years in 1 of the Atlantic provinces, or be able to show continuous, active operation in another location with confirmation of approval from the province in which you’re applying for designation
• work with a settlement service provider organization to help your candidates get settlement services
• complete the free onboarding training
• complete the free intercultural competency training, unless you’re exempted by the province

Apply to the province to become designated

Each province has its own application process. There is no cost to become a designated employer. You can find applications to become designated on the provinces’ websites:

• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Nova Scotia
• Prince Edward Island

The provinces are responsible for designating employers. Contact the provinces directly for any questions about the designation process.  

Things to remember about designation:

• You only have to apply once to be designated by a province. You don’t need to apply for each candidate.
• You can apply for designation even before you find a candidate.
• You must be designated in the province where the candidate will be working. If the candidate will be working in several provinces, you must be designated in all those provinces.
• You can’t hire a candidate under the Atlantic Immigration Program if they won’t be working in an Atlantic province.

Once you’re designated, you’ll receive a Confirmation of Designation from the province.