Connect with us
Connect with us
The Atlantic Immigration Program is a pathway to Canada PR for skilled foreign workers and international graduates who would like to work and live in 1 of Canada’s 4 Atlantic provinces—New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, or Newfoundland. It’s one of the best Canadian PR programs out there.
The Atlantic Immigration Program replaced the original and previous Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program. This is a job offer stream, which means you need a local employer in one of these provinces to issue a job offer for you but, unlike many other similar streams, it’s a fast-tracked option with many advantages.
Are you interested in applying for the Atlantic Immigration Program but don’t know where to start? We are here to support you through the entire process. Get a FREE assessment with one of our licensed immigration consultants, click here.
Let’s start with the key advantages:
- It’s one of the fastest PR job offer streams in all of Canada. Your PR will be processed within 12 months, which is much faster than any Provincial Nominee Program in Canada. Only Express Entry is faster than this program in terms of PR applications in or outside of Canada.
- NOC Skill level positions in 0, A, B, and C are eligible. This means even intermediate skilled jobs in NOC C such as housekeepers are eligible which don’t necessarily need any post-secondary education. As you may already know, NOC C occupations are not eligible for Express Entry and are very restricted in Provincial Nominee Programs.
- Your work experience WHILE studying COUNTS!!! 99% of all Canadian immigration programs don’t count your work experience in Canada as an experience. Only 2 programs in Canada allow this and one of them is the Atlantic Immigration Program.
- It’s a work permit & PR program which means you can apply for both together
- Both inside and outside Canada applicants can be eligible to apply
- The lowest English or French language requirements for NOC 0, A, and B occupations to apply under this program, is CLB 5 equivalent to IELTS Reading 4.0 and 5.0 for writing, speaking, and listening and CLB 4 for NOC C occupations which is the equivalent of Reading 3.5, Writing 4.0, Listening 4.5, and Speaking 4.0.
- You don’t need any work experience if you are an international student inside Canada who has graduated from one of the approved schools in the 4 Atlantic provinces.
The AIP could be the answer four your immigration goals! Fill out the form and get a FREE assessment with our team of licensed immigration professionals, click here.
Of course, every program has its disadvantages, and here is the list with the ones you should be aware of before applying for the Atlantic Immigration Program:
- If you think it’s just any job offer, you’re wrong, your employer needs to be designated under the Atlantic Immigration Program which means they have been approved by the province and listed on the list of designated employers. If they’re not on this approved list in these 4 provinces, they can become designated, but until then, even if you have a job offer, you won’t be eligible to apply until your employer is approved. We help many employers become approved and designated under the Atlantic Immigration Program, get a FREE assessment with our team now, click here.
- Self-employed work experience does not count for eligibility under this stream
- If you plan to apply under the international student stream of the Atlantic Immigration Program, the diploma, certificate or degree has to be for a minimum 2-year program (1-year programs are not eligible unless you are applying under the other streams of the AIP which means you have previous work experience related to your job offer)
- The job offer must be at the same skill level as or higher than, the work experience that qualified you for the job unless you’re an international graduate from a recognized post-secondary institution in Atlantic Canada.
- This last point is not necessarily a disadvantage, but just an extra step. After you get a job offer from a designated employer, you need to get a settlement plan. These plans are free. A settlement plan will help you and your family adjust to your new home in Atlantic Canada. Once you have your settlement plan, give a copy to your employer, and keep a copy for yourself. If you’re not in Canada, bring the plan with you when you move to Canada.
Do you need any guidance with your job offer or settlement plan for the AIP? Fill out the form and get a FREE assessment with us! Our team is licensed and we speak +8 languages, click here.
Key Points you need to know regarding the job offer you have from a designated employer:
- As already mentioned, the employer must be designated under the Atlantic Immigration Program. If you don’t know what this means, reach out to us and we’ll provide you with the information. Get a FREE assessment now! Click here.
- The job offer must be full time and be for at least 1 year after you become a permanent resident in Canada unless the job offer is in NOC C in which case it has to be permanent with no end date.
- The job offer must be at the same skill level as, or higher than, the work experience that qualified you for the job that we previously discussed if you are applying under the skilled worker stream (not the internationall graduate stream). For certain health care occupations such as nurses, there are exemptions to this restriction.
Here is what you need to know if you plan to study in one of the Atlantic Provinces and apply as an international student graduate under the Atlantic Immigration Program for your Permanent Residency in Canada:
- You should have graduated from a 2-year program at one of the public post-secondary schools in one of the 4 Atlantic provinces. Private colleges are not eligible under this program.
- You should have been living in one of the 4 Atlantic provinces 16 months before you graduated in the past 2 years from the time you applied under this program
- You must take a language test and send the results with your application. You must do this even if you studied in Canada.
- Have your settlement plan ready
- After you have your settlement plan, the next step is to have the province endorse your job offer. If the province endorses your job offer, you’ll get a Certificate of Endorsement which must be included with your permanent residency application.
- You also need an Educational Credential Assessment if you have any post-secondary education from outside of Canada
Find out if you’re eligible for the AIP! Get a FREE assessment with us and kickstart your dream of becoming a PR in Canada, click here.
You have several options to apply for your PR if you are an international student who will or has graduated from one of the 4 provinces in the Atlantic region of Canada – and remember only public post-secondary schools are eligible under this specific program.
Check out these 3 permanent residency application hacks under the Atlantic Immigration Program for international students:
Option A) Receive a job offer from a designated employer and convert from a student inside Canada to a PR + full-time worker. This is possible if you had previous work experience related to your job offer
Option B) Graduate from a 2-year program from one of the public schools in the 4 Atlantic provinces, and without ANY work experience you can obtain a job offer and apply under this program. Make sure your skills are transferable and relevant based on your education and the job offer you have received.
Option C) In case you have graduated as an international student, but it was a 1-year program, you can still apply under the Atlantic Immigration Program. You will have to prove previous work experience related to the job offer from your employer (minimum 1 year, 1560 hours) either from overseas or while you were a student, and you will apply under the Skilled or intermediate skilled worker stream under the Atlantic Immigration Program.
You can easily apply under these 3 variations. The options are limitless with the Atlantic Immigration Program – which is why we recommend it as one of the fastest PR streams outside of Express Entry in all of Canada.
Are you planning to study in any of the Atlantic provinces in Canada? We could guide you through the whole process, we have helped applicants from +47 countries! Fill out the form and get a FREE assessment with us, click here.
Either with one year of work experience or no experience, you have the potential to apply for your Canada PR and work permit simultaneously under the Atlantic Immigration Program, within 12 months you could obtain your Canada PR either from inside or outside Canada. If you’re outside, you would arrive with a work permit (you and your spouse/partner and if you have children) and then your PR would be processed while you are working for the employer inside Canada. Your spouse/partner can be eligible for Open Spousal Work Permit and your children can study for free in public elementary and high schools. Your children under the age of 22 can all be included in the PR application.
Why should you hire INGWE to help you with your Canadian Immigration processes?
If you are deciding on applying for immigration to Canada or are already inside Canada and need assistance with your PR under the Atlantic Immigration Program or any other provincial or federal program, you can contact our dedicated immigration team here at INGWE Canada.
We currently have clients across all 4 Atlantic provinces where this Atlantic Immigration program is in effect. At INGWE we speak over +8 languages, and we have helped applicants from +47 countries in their immigration path to Canada. We are offering a FREE assessment for all the people interested in immigrating to Canada, click here.
