Atlantic Immigration Program

To be eligible for the Atlantic Immigration Program, you must:

• Have qualifying work experience, unless you’re an international graduate of a recognized post-secondary institution in Atlantic Canada
• Meet or exceed the educational requirements
• Meet or exceed the language requirements
• Show that you have enough money to support yourself and your family when you get to Canada
  • Note that you don’t need to show proof if you’re already living and working in Canada with a valid work permit

Once you meet all of these requirements, you can start looking for a job with a designated Atlantic employer.

To meet the educational requirements for the AIP, one of the following must apply:

• If you receive a job offer at the NOC 0 or A skill type or level, you must have a Canadian one-year post-secondary educational credential or higher, or the equivalent outside Canada
• If you receive a job offer at the NOC B or C skill level, you must have a Canadian high school diploma, or the equivalent outside Canada

If you studied outside of Canada, you must get an educational credential assessment (ECA) to prove that your studies are equal to, or higher than, the required level of education for your job offer.

The ECA must also be less than 5 years old by the time your application is received for processing.

The minimum language requirements needed for the Atlantic Immigration Program will depend on the NOC category your job offer belongs to.

Depending on whether your job requires English or French, you may use either of the following to measure your language skills:

• Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB)
• Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC)

For NOC categories 0, A and B, the minimum language requirements are CLB/NCLC Level 5.

For NOC category B, the minimum language requirement is CLB/NCLC Level 4.

You must submit your results from a designated language testing organization with your application. These results must be less than 2 years old when you apply.

To be eligible for the Atlantic Immigration Program, you must have a job offer from a designated employer from one of the four eligible Atlantic provinces.

More information about designated employers can be found on each of the provinces’ websites.

The job offer you receive must also meet the following requirements:

• It must be full time
• It must be non-seasonal
  • This generally means you have consistent and regularly scheduled paid employment throughout the year
• For NOC 0, A or B skill type or level job offers, the employer must be offering you a job that will last at least 1 year
• For NOC C skill level job offers, the employer must be offering you permanent employment (i.e. employment with no set end date)
• The job offer cannot come from a company where you (the applicant) or your spouse is a majority owner
• 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
  • For certain health care sector jobs, you don’t need to have a job offer at the same skill level as, or higher than, the qualifying work experience

When a designated employer offers you a job, they’ll give you an Offer of Employment to a Foreign National form (IMM 0157) You must both:

• Make sure you meet the employment requirements listed in the National Occupational Classification
• Sign the form and keep a copy for your records
  • You’ll need this form when you work with a service provider organization on your settlement plan and for your permanent residence application

Settlement Plans

After you receive a job offer from a designated employer, you will need to get a settlement plan.

A settlement plan is a package that contains useful resources and contacts to help you and your family adjust to life in Atlantic Canada. They are free to obtain.

If you’re already in Canada, you must work with a settlement service provider organization in the region where you’ll be working.

If you’re outside Canada, there are several settlement service provider organizations in Canada that you can contact.

Your designated employer may be able to help you find a suitable settlement service provider organization.

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.

Certificates of Endorsement

After you receive your settlement plan, the province you’ll be living and working in must endorse your job offer. This process will normally be handled by your employer.

Don’t submit your permanent residence application until you confirm with the employer that your offer has been endorsed.

If the province endorses your job offer, you’ll get a Certificate of Endorsement in the mail. You will need to include your endorsement certificate with your permanent residence application.

Once you’ve established your eligibility for the Atlantic Immigration Program, received a job offer, a settlement plan, and a certificate of endorsement, you can start to apply for permanent residence.

You will need to fill in the following forms as part of your AIP permanent residence application:

• Generic Application Form for Canada (IMM 0008)
• Additional Dependants/Declaration (IMM 0008 DEP), if applicable
• Schedule A – Background/Declaration (IMM 5669)
• Economic Classes – Atlantic Immigration Program (IMM 5501)
• Additional Family Information (IMM 5406)
• Supplementary Information – Your travels (IMM 5562)
• Declaration for Minors Travelling to Canada (IMM 5604), if applicable
• Statutory Declaration of Common-Law Union (IMM 5409), if applicable
• Use of a Representative (IMM 5476), if applicable

Your employer must also fill in the Offer of Employment to a Foreign National under the Atlantic Immigration Program (IMM 0157) form. You must sign the declaration at the bottom and submit it with your application.

You will also need to fill in the Document Checklist (IMM 0155). This will help ensure that you have included all the necessary supporting documents with your application.

Once you have completed all the necessary forms, collected all your supporting documentation, and paid the fees, you should post your application to the visa processing center in Sydney, Nova Scotia.

You will need to submit the following supporting documents with your Atlantic Immigration Program permanent residency application:

• A copy of your valid passport or travel document
• Certificate of Endorsement
• Proof of language proficiency
• Proof of education
• Proof of residence in an eligible Atlantic province, such as through rental agreements or utility bills (for international graduates only)
•  Proof of previous relevant work experience (not needed for international graduates). These should include:
  • A copy of your most recent work permit in Canada (if applicable)
  • Employer reference letters for the periods of work experience identified in your application
  • Copies of your T4 tax information slips and your Notice of Assessment (if applicable)
  • Work contracts
  • Pay stubs
• Proof of funds, such as through bank statements
• Proof that you have valid temporary resident status (if you’re applying from inside Canada)
•  Proof that you were legally authorized to study or train in Canada (for international graduates only)
• Identity and civil status documents, such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, or evidence of cohabitation with your spouse (if applicable)
• Children’s information (if applicable)
• Police certificate
• Two original photographs each of you and your family members
• Receipt of fees paid

Fees

The fees you’ll have to pay to apply for the Atlantic Immigration Program are as follows:

You may also have to pay a biometrics fee if you’re required to give your biometrics as part of your application:

Processing Times

Applications for the Atlantic Immigration Program may take around 12 months to process.

However, time it takes to process applications is heavily dependent on how complete the application is, if Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) require additional information from you, and how busy the service is when you submit your application.

You can look at up-to-date time estimates of how long AIP applications will take to process on IRCC’s website.

After you submit your application, IRCC will check to see that you have:

• Filled out your application for permanent residence completely and correctly
• Paid your processing fees
• Met all the requirements
• Included all required documents

You will be contacted to give your biometrics information (your fingerprints and a digital photograph) at a local visa application center. You will have 30 days from the date of your notification letter to give your biometrics.

You and your family members will also need to attend a medical exam before settling in Canada. You will be notified by IRCC as to when and where you have to do this.

When your application is processed, a decision will be made based on the following:

• Whether you meet the eligibility criteria for the program
• Whether you’re admissible to Canada, based on the results of your:
  • Medical exam
  • Background checks

If your application is refused, you’ll receive a letter outlining why. To be re-considered for the Atlantic Immigration Program, you will have to fill out and submit a new application.

If your application has been refused and you’re not sure why, or you’d like advice regarding your next steps, reach out to one of our immigration advice experts at +1 844 290 6312, or contact us online.