What the AIP is
The Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) is a federal permanent residence program for skilled workers and international graduates hired by designated employers in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. It became a permanent program on 2022-01-01. IRCC lists it as open, but each province limits its own intake, as shown below.
The AIP is separate from each province's nominee program. See the Provincial Nominee Program hub for those.
How it works
- A designated employer offers you a job. The employer must be designated by the province.
- You get a settlement plan from a designated settlement service provider, and the employer applies to the province to endorse the job offer.
- The province endorses the job offer if the requirements are met.
- You apply to IRCC for permanent residence with the endorsement certificate. IRCC makes the final decision.
Key requirements (as of 2026-10-10)
- Job offer: full-time and non-seasonal, from a designated employer.
- Language: CLB/NCLC 5 for TEER 0–3 jobs, CLB/NCLC 4 for TEER 4 jobs.
- Education: post-secondary for TEER 0–1 jobs; high school for TEER 2–4 jobs.
- Work experience: 1,560 hours within the last 5 years. Eligible graduates of Atlantic institutions are exempt.
- Provincial endorsement and a settlement plan.
Read the full criteria on IRCC's AIP page.
Processing times and allocations
- Processing: IRCC's processing time for the Atlantic Immigration Program is about 26 months (IRCC, as of 3 September 2026). On 2026-09-03, about 11,800 people were waiting. Check the current figure in IRCC's tool.
- 2026 admissions target: 4,000.
- 2026 allocations: 3,315 AIP spaces across the 4 provinces (Nova Scotia: 1,365).
Limits by province (as of 2026-10-11)
| Province | Current limits |
|---|---|
| New Brunswick | New employer designations paused for the rest of 2026. Endorsements go through a monthly candidate pool. Since 2026-09-14, accommodation and food services jobs qualify again, except 8 occupations (NOC 14400, 60020, 60030, 62010, 62020, 64100, 62101, 94142); for people living outside Canada, only New Brunswick-led recruitment in health care, education and construction. |
| Nova Scotia | Since 2025-11-28, designations and endorsements are treated as expressions of interest. NOC 62020 is excluded. |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | EOI step added in 2025. Very few AIP invitations per round since September 2026. |
| Prince Edward Island | Not confirmed. Check the official PEI site. |
Recent changes
- September 2026: Newfoundland and Labrador AIP invitations near zero per round.
- 2026-09-14: New Brunswick lifted its AIP restriction on accommodation and food services jobs (8 occupations stay excluded), limited endorsements for people living outside Canada to its own recruitment in health care, education and construction, and kept new employer designations paused for the rest of 2026.
- 2026-02-03: New Brunswick paused new employer designations for the rest of 2026.
- 2025-11-28: Nova Scotia moved designations and endorsements to an EOI model.
- 2025-04-04: New Brunswick paused AIP intake for the rest of 2025.
- 2025-02-19: Newfoundland and Labrador added an EOI step.
How we can help
Anasse Boulbaroud, RCIC, can review a job offer and your eligibility, help you and your employer understand the endorsement steps, and prepare the IRCC permanent residence application. The province and IRCC make every decision, so no one can promise an endorsement or an approval. Book a consultation.