CICC Licence R710149 · MAK Canadian Immigration Services
Last reviewed: August 2026
Atlantic Immigration Program in 2026: Requirements, Employer Designation and Provincial Access
The Atlantic Immigration Program is a federal employer-driven pathway, but federal eligibility is only one part of the process. Employers also need the applicable provincial designation and endorsement process, and provincial access rules can differ or change. Applicants and employers should therefore check both the current IRCC requirements and the current rules of the relevant Atlantic province before building a plan around AIP.
The Atlantic Immigration Program is a federal pathway to permanent residence for eligible skilled workers and international graduates who have a job offer from a designated employer in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland and Labrador. IRCC decides the permanent residence application. The province decides employer designation and endorsement.
That split is where most planning goes wrong. The federal pages describe a programme that is open. The provincial pages carry pauses, sector exclusions and candidate pools. Both are true at the same time, and a candidate who reads only one side will reach the wrong conclusion. This article sets out the current federal requirements from canada.ca, then the current provincial access rules from each province’s own official site, each labelled as such.
AIP is not a Provincial Nominee Program
All four Atlantic provinces run both AIP and their own Provincial Nominee Program, and the two are constantly confused. The mechanisms are different. A provincial nomination under the Express Entry route adds 600 points to a Comprehensive Ranking System score. AIP does not work that way. AIP uses a provincial endorsement, which is not a nomination and does not create 600 CRS points. If someone tells you that an AIP endorsement will give you 600 points, they have merged two programmes.
The 2026 federal planning numbers
IRCC’s 2026 to 2028 Levels Plan sets an Atlantic Immigration Program admissions target of 4,000 for 2026, within a range of 3,000 to 5,000. IRCC transition material dated July 27, 2026 separately identifies 3,315 AIP allocation spaces for 2026.
These are different measures. An admissions target counts people landing as permanent residents in the year, including accompanying family. An allocation is capacity for provincial endorsement activity. Neither is a queue position and neither tells you whether a specific province is accepting your employer or your occupation today.
The designated employer requirement
AIP begins with an employer that the Atlantic province has designated. Canada.ca states that each province designates the employers who can offer jobs under this programme, and that an employer must be designated before it can hire through AIP. A candidate cannot self designate an employer and cannot substitute an ordinary job offer for a designated one.
Before relying on a job offer, confirm two things with the province: that the employer’s designation is current, and that the province is accepting the endorsement activity you need.
The job offer
Canada.ca sets the current job offer rules for AIP. The offer must be from a designated employer, full time, described as “at least 30 hours a week”, and non seasonal, described as “consistent and paid all year”. Duration depends on the TEER of the job. For a job in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3, the offer must be for at least 1 year from the time you become a permanent resident. For a job in TEER 4, the offer must be for permanent employment with no set end date.
Work experience and the Atlantic graduate exemption
Canada.ca states that you need at least 1,560 hours of related work experience over the past 5 years, that this is equivalent to 30 hours a week for 1 year, and that the hours must have been worked over a period of at least 1 year. Experience from a self employed job does not count, and volunteer work and unpaid internships do not count. Work done in Canada without authorisation does not count either, because canada.ca states that “If the job was in Canada, you must have had a valid work permit”.
Some international graduates from Atlantic institutions are exempt from the work experience requirement. The published conditions are specific: a degree, diploma, certificate, or trade or apprenticeship certification that took at least 2 years, received less than 2 years before you apply, from a recognised post secondary institution in one of the four Atlantic provinces, with full time student status throughout, at least 16 months lived in one of the four Atlantic provinces during the last 2 years before graduating, and the visa or permit you needed to work, study or train. Canada.ca also excludes certain programmes of study from the exemption, so read the published list in full.
Note the four credential types. This is not a degree and diploma exemption. A trade or apprenticeship certification of the right length from the right institution is named in the published wording, so tradespeople should not rule themselves out of it.
Canada.ca then names the programmes of study that do not qualify. Your studies do not count towards this exemption where:
- the study of English or French as a second language was at least half of the programme;
- distance learning was at least half of the programme; or
- you received a scholarship or fellowship with an agreement that you return to your home country to apply the knowledge and skills you gained.
Do not assume that every graduate of an Atlantic school qualifies.
Education
The education requirement tracks the TEER of the job. Canada.ca requires a Canadian one year post secondary credential or higher for a job in TEER 0 or 1, and a Canadian high school diploma or higher for a job in TEER 2, 3 or 4. Education completed outside Canada requires an Educational Credential Assessment from a designated organisation showing the foreign credential is equal to the Canadian standard, and canada.ca states that an ECA is valid for 5 years and must be less than 5 years old on the date you apply.
Language
Language thresholds also track the TEER of the job. Canada.ca requires CLB or NCLC 5 for a job offer in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3, and CLB or NCLC 4 for a job offer in TEER 4. Accepted tests are CELPIP General, IELTS General Training and PTE Core in English, and TEF Canada and TCF Canada in French, and results must be less than 2 years old when you apply. An expired result is not a valid result, whatever the score was.
Proof of funds
Canada.ca requires applicants to show they have enough money to support themselves and their family on arrival, with the amount set by the current official table and family size. This article does not publish a dollar figure, because the figure is updated and a printed number goes stale silently. There is a published exemption: canada.ca states that “if you’re already living and working in Canada with a valid work permit, you don’t need to show proof”. Confirm the live wording at filing.
The settlement plan and the endorsement
Canada.ca sets out the endorsement sequence. A designated employer makes the job offer. The candidate is connected with settlement services to get a settlement plan and sends the completed plan to the employer. The employer sends an application for endorsement to the province. Where the province approves, the candidate receives a provincial endorsement certificate. A provincial referral or support letter may also be available where the candidate is pursuing the optional AIP temporary work permit route. The endorsement certificate is then filed with the permanent residence application to IRCC.
An endorsement is a provincial decision. It is not a federal approval and it does not guarantee that IRCC will approve the permanent residence application.
Is an LMIA required for the AIP work permit route?
No, on the current federal material, and this supersedes older commentary that treated the point as unresolved. IRCC’s AIP temporary work permit page describes an optional employer specific work permit issued with a Labour Market Impact Assessment exemption. The page states that the permit “only allows you to work for the employer who offered you the job” and that it is valid for 2 years.
The documents canada.ca lists for that route include the job offer number from the designated employer, a referral letter from the Atlantic province where you will work, a signed IMM 0156 undertaking, which is titled as an undertaking for an application for a work permit exempted from a Labour Market Impact Assessment, language test results, educational credentials and proof of work experience.
The exemption removes an LMIA. It removes nothing else. Employer designation, provincial endorsement and full federal eligibility still apply, and canada.ca states plainly that “getting a temporary work permit doesn’t automatically mean we’ll approve your permanent residence application”.
Provincial access can change even when the federal programme is open
This is the most volatile part of the article. Everything below comes from official provincial government sources, not from canada.ca, and each item was loaded and read on August 17, 2026. Re-open the provincial page before you rely on any of it.
| Province | What the province’s own official site states, read on August 17, 2026 |
|---|---|
| New Brunswick | New employer designation applications temporarily paused, and endorsement restrictions by sector and occupation. Endorsement applications enter a candidate pool. |
| Prince Edward Island | New endorsement application packages accepted only for workers in the healthcare, construction and manufacturing sectors. |
| Nova Scotia | AIP temporarily paused to NOC 62020, food service supervisors. |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | No province-wide AIP pause or sector restriction identified in the current official material reviewed, but candidates are subject to the province’s Expression of Interest and Invitation to Apply selection process before they can proceed under AIP. |
New Brunswick, from the Government of New Brunswick immigration notices
The province’s important notices page states that, effective February 3, 2026, “Immigration New Brunswick is temporarily pausing the acceptance of new employer designation applications”. The same notices state that Immigration New Brunswick “is not considering any endorsement applications under the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) for positions in the accommodation and food services sector (NAICS 72)”, with an exception where the employer is not itself in that sector, and that endorsement applications are not being considered for a list of occupations across all sectors. That list is longer than the handful of examples usually quoted, and it is maintained by the province rather than by IRCC. Examples appearing on the notice include shippers and receivers (NOC 14400), retail and wholesale trade managers (NOC 60020), retail sales supervisors (NOC 62010), retail and wholesale buyers (NOC 62101) and fish and seafood plant workers (NOC 94142). Read the full and current list on the Government of New Brunswick immigration important notices page, which is a provincial government source, before assuming that an occupation is unaffected.
There is also a residence based limit. The province states that “endorsement applications for any positions offered to foreign nationals residing outside of Canada are limited to recruitment initiatives led by the Government of New Brunswick in health care, education, construction”.
New Brunswick’s AIP candidate pool page states that a submitted endorsement application “is placed in the AIP candidate pool”, that “ImmigrationNB selects applications from this pool for processing based on provincial labour market needs, available allocation, and other priorities determined by the Government of New Brunswick”, and that applications not selected “will expire after 365 days”. The province states directly that submitting an application does not guarantee that it will be processed or that an endorsement will be issued.
Prince Edward Island, from the PEI Office of Immigration
The PEI Office of Immigration’s AIP employer designation service page states that the office “is currently experiencing a high volume of applications to the Atlantic Immigration Program and has recently received a reduction in allocations from the Federal government”, and that “effective January 24, 2025, PEI will only accept new endorsement application packages for workers in the healthcare, construction and manufacturing sectors”. The page directs eligible candidates in other sectors to submit an Expression of Interest profile for consideration under the Provincial Nominee Program instead.
Note the date carefully. That restriction is published with a January 24, 2025 effective date and was still on the page today. It is not a new measure, and it is not a temporary notice with a stated end date.
Nova Scotia, from the provincial immigration site
The Nova Scotia immigration site states that the Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration “has temporarily paused the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) and the Nova Scotia Experience: Express Entry (NSEEE) stream to NOC 62020, food service supervisors”, so that under AIP a job offer in NOC 62020 is not eligible. The same page indicates that candidates in that occupation may look at the Skilled Worker stream instead, and that employers may recruit related positions in NOC 65200 and NOC 65201 through the Occupations in Demand stream.
This was the only current AIP restriction we could load and verify on the Nova Scotia site today. We are not stating any wider Nova Scotia restriction, because we could not verify one on this date.
Newfoundland and Labrador, from the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador currently uses an Expression of Interest model for both NLPNP and AIP. A prospective candidate must first submit an EOI and receive an Invitation to Apply before proceeding with an NLPNP application or being included in an AIP endorsement application. The province continues to issue AIP invitations in batches. The current official material reviewed did not identify a province-wide AIP pause or a general sector restriction, but the EOI and ITA process is a real intake and selection gate and should be checked before an employer or candidate plans around AIP.
Read that as what it is. The absence of a published restriction on one day is not a promise that intake stays open, and it is not confirmation that a specific employer is designated or that a specific occupation will be endorsed. Confirm both with the province.
How the AIP sequence works
- Confirm the employer is currently designated and that the job offer meets the federal AIP requirements.
- Complete the settlement plan step with an approved settlement service provider.
- The employer submits the endorsement application and the province processes it under its own rules and allocation.
- Where the province approves, the candidate receives the provincial endorsement certificate.
- Submit the federal permanent residence application to IRCC with the endorsement certificate and supporting documents.
- Where eligible and useful, apply for the LMIA exempt AIP temporary work permit while the permanent residence application is processed.
Each stage has its own evidence and its own decision maker, and completing one stage does not guarantee approval at the next stage.
If you have an Atlantic employer interested in hiring you, the question worth answering first is whether that province is currently accepting the designation or endorsement your plan depends on.
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply to AIP without a job offer?
No. A qualifying job offer from a designated Atlantic employer is a core requirement of the programme on the current canada.ca pages.
Is a designated employer automatically allowed to hire me under AIP?
No. Designation is one requirement. The job offer, your own eligibility, the provincial endorsement and the federal permanent residence requirements all still have to be met, and provincial notices can exclude particular sectors or occupations from endorsement.
Does the AIP temporary work permit require an LMIA?
Canada.ca describes the optional AIP employer specific temporary work permit as carrying a Labour Market Impact Assessment exemption, and the supporting form IMM 0156 is titled as an undertaking for a work permit exempted from an LMIA. Re-check the live page before filing, because public policy details change.
Does an AIP endorsement give me 600 CRS points?
No. 600 points attach to a provincial nomination under the Express Entry route. AIP uses provincial endorsement, which is a different instrument, and AIP permanent residence applications are not processed through the Express Entry pool.
Can I assume a province will endorse me because AIP is federally open?
No. Provinces control designation and endorsement intake within their own allocations and priorities. New Brunswick states that submitting an endorsement application does not guarantee that it will be processed or endorsed.
How long does AIP take?
We do not publish a figure. Use the IRCC processing times tool for the federal stage, and the relevant province’s current information for the endorsement stage.
Check provincial access before relying on AIP
AIP is a strong route where the federal requirements, the employer’s designation and the province’s endorsement rules all line up at the same time. The common mistake is to stop after finding a designated employer, or after reading the federal eligibility page, and to treat the rest as administrative. Confirm the province’s current intake rules and your own federal eligibility before money, status or employment decisions are built around the programme.
This article was reviewed by Omer Khalil, RCIC, R710149. It provides general information only and is not case specific legal advice. The province decides designation and endorsement, and IRCC decides the federal immigration application.
Official sources reviewed
- IRCC, Atlantic Immigration Program landing page. canada.ca
- IRCC, Atlantic Immigration Program, who can apply. canada.ca
- IRCC, Atlantic Immigration Program, get a job offer. canada.ca
- IRCC, Atlantic Immigration Program, work experience and the graduate exemption. canada.ca
- IRCC, Atlantic Immigration Program, education requirement and ECA. canada.ca
- IRCC, Atlantic Immigration Program, language testing. canada.ca
- IRCC, Atlantic Immigration Program, how to immigrate, settlement plan and endorsement sequence. canada.ca
- IRCC, Atlantic Immigration Program, apply for a temporary work permit, LMIA exemption. canada.ca
- IRCC, Supplementary information for the 2026 to 2028 Immigration Levels Plan, AIP admissions target of 4,000. canada.ca
- IRCC, Deputy Minister transition binder 2026, Economic Immigration, 3,315 AIP allocation spaces, date modified 2026-07-27. canada.ca
- PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE. Government of New Brunswick, immigration important notices, employer designation pause and the full endorsement restriction and restricted occupation lists. gnb.ca
- PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE. Government of New Brunswick, AIP candidate pool. gnb.ca
- PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE. Government of Prince Edward Island, Office of Immigration, AIP employer designation application. princeedwardisland.ca
- PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE. Province of Nova Scotia, Live in Nova Scotia, Atlantic Immigration Program. liveinnovascotia.com
- PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE. Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Atlantic Immigration Program. gov.nl.ca
- PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE. Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Expression of Interest Model Overview. gov.nl.ca
- PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE. Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Invitations to Apply Updates. gov.nl.ca
- IRCC, Check processing times. canada.ca
Official sources last checked: August 17, 2026.
This article is general information about Canadian immigration law and policy. It is not legal advice and it does not create a consultant and client relationship. Immigration rules change without notice. Confirm your own situation with a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant or a lawyer before you act.
