Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program

The Atlantic provinces of Canada include New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. Canada started the Atlantic Immigration Pilot program to invite more skilled workers to Atlantic Canada and help raise its economy. This program is the first region-specific immigration pilot in Canada. In this post, we are sharing complete information about the Atlantic Immigration Pilot and how skilled workers can immigrate to Atlantic Canada.

What is Atlantic Immigration Pilot?

This program is a pathway to achieve Permanent Residence in Atlantic Canada. It is for foreign workers and international graduates who want to live and work in anyone out of the four provinces of Atlantic Canada. Employers can hire international graduates and foreign workers for jobs that they are unable to fill locally, through this program. The candidates must receive a job offer from a designated employer in Atlantic Canada to participate in the pilot.

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot includes three different programs through which employers can hire foreign workers and international graduates. These are the Atlantic High-Skilled Program, Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program and Atlantic International Graduate Program. The candidate can apply for only ONE program, no matter whether they qualify for more than one program.

Atlantic International Graduate Program

This program is for those individuals who have lived and studied in one of the Atlantic provinces. The eligibility criteria of this program include the following:

• The candidate must have lived in an Atlantic province for at least 16 months in the 2 years before getting their degree, diploma or credential.
• No work experience is required for this program.
• The candidate must have at least a 2-year degree, diploma, certificate, or trade or apprenticeship credential from a recognized publicly-funded institution in an Atlantic province.
• The study program must not include a scholarship or fellowship requiring the candidate to return to their home country once they graduate.
• If your education is from outside Canada, you need to get that assessed.
• You need to showcase your language proficiency.
• You must have enough money to support yourself and your family in Canada.
• You need a job offer from an Atlantic employer.

Atlantic High-Skilled Program

To be eligible for the Atlantic High-Skilled Program, you must ensure the following:

• In the last 3 years, you must have worked at least 1,560 hours.
• Your occupation must be any occupation listed in NOC 0, A or B.
• You must not count the hours you were self-employed.
• You need to have a Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree from a recognized institution.
• If you do not have any educational qualification from Canada, but have a foreign degree, diploma or certificate, you need to provide an ECA (Educational Credential Assessment) report from a recognized organization (like WES or IQAS).
• You must take a language test to showcase your proficiency in English or French.
• You must have enough money to support yourself and your family in Canada.
• You need a job offer from an Atlantic employer.

Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program

To be eligible for the Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program, you must ensure the following:

• In the last 3 years, you must have worked at least 1,560 hours. This work experience can be used in two ways:

Option 1: Your work experience is for NOC skill level C. This includes occupations like industrial butchers, long-haul truck drivers, food and beverage servers.

Option 2: Your work experience includes either a registered nurse or registered psychiatric nurse (NOC skill level A 3012) or a licensed practical nurse (NOC skill level B 3233). You must have a job offer for either a nurse’s aide, orderly or patient services associate (NOC skill level C 3413) or a home support worker (NOC skill level C 4412).

• You need to have a Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree from a recognized institution.
• If you do not have any educational qualification from Canada, but have a foreign degree, diploma or certificate, you need to provide an ECA (Educational Credential Assessment) report from a recognized organization (like WES or IQAS).
• You must take a language test to showcase your proficiency in English or French.
• You must have enough money to support yourself and your family in Canada.
• You need a job offer from an Atlantic employer.

Atlantic Immigration Pilot Summary
Eligibility Criteria	Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program (AISP)	Atlantic High-Skilled Program (AHSP)	Atlantic International Graduate Program (AIGP)
Education	Canadian high school diploma or equivalent Educational Credential Assessment (ECA)		Two-year post-secondary diploma from a publicly funded learning institution in the Atlantic region, obtained within the 12 months before the submission of the application for permanent residence.
Work experience	One year in a related field as given above	One year in a related field as given above	Not required
Language skills	Level 4 of the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC)
Job Offer	Required
Employer	Full time Indeterminate NOC 0, A, B or C	Full time One-year contract NOC 0, A or B	Full time One-year contract NOC 0, A, B or C

The application processing time for the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program is around 6 months. However, one might experience a delay in the process due to travel restrictions in Canada and Covid-19. The fee for the program is at least CAD 1,325. Given below are the details.

Fee Requirement for AIP (Atlantic Immigration Pilot)	Fees in CAD
Your application Processing fee ($825) and right of permanent residence fee ($500)	1,325
Your application (without right of permanent residence fee)	825
Include your spouse or partner Processing fee ($825) and right of permanent residence fee ($500)	1,325
Include your spouse or partner (without right of permanent residence fee)	825
Include a dependent child (no RPRF for dependent children)	225 (per child)

Documents Required for Atlantic Immigration Pilot

The exact list of documents might vary on the basis of the pathway that you select for Atlantic Immigration. But, the basic documentation includes the following: Valid passport

• Proof of funds
• Valid job offer letter
• Test results for language skills (TEF or IELTS)
• Educational Credential Assessment (ECA)
• Employment letter
• Police Clearance Certificate
• Medical certificate
• Legit settlement plan
• Proof of application payment

While most people choose the express entry system to immigrate to Canada and achieve Canada Permanent Resident status, the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program provides an alternative pathway to immigrate to Canada. V2I Canada immigration experts provide complete guidance on how to apply for the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program. Consult us for easy profile assessment and select the most suitable pathway to Canada.