ATLANTIC IMMIGRATION PROGRAM

The Atlantic Immigration Program is designed to welcome additional newcomers to the Atlantic Canada region to fill the needs of local employers and communities.

The program allows designated local employers to identify, recruit and retain global talent. The program also has the goals of supporting population growth, developing a skilled workforce, and increasing employment rates in the region.

The AIP has proven to be a major success for immigrants, employers, and the Atlantic region. It continues to provide permanent resident status to thousands of immigrants each year, which addresses the needs of local employers, and promotes population, labour force, and economic growth.

Candidate Requirements:

To be eligible for the AIP you must:

1. have qualifying work experience unless you are an international student that graduated from a recognized post-secondary institution in Atlantic Canada.

2. meet the educational criteria

3. admissibility

4. show you have enough settlement funds. You do not need to show proof of settlement funds if you are already living and working in Canada with a valid work permit.

Work experience:

You must have worked at least 1,560 hours in the last 5 years.

To calculate your hours:

1. Count hours worked in full-time and part-time jobs

2. Only count paid hours of work. Do not count volunteer or unpaid hours

3. Do not count self-employed work hours

4. You can count hours worked inside Canada or abroad. You must have been legally authorized to work in Canada as a temporary resident

5. Count hours that were accumulated over a period of time of at least 12 months

6. You can count work experience you gained while you were studying as long as the work hours comply with the conditions of your study permit

7. The work experience needs to be under a National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill level of 0, A, B, or C.

Your work experience must include the actions in the description of your NOC, and most of the main duties of your NOC.