Four provinces of Canada that shares the Atlantic coastline are referred to as the Atlantic or Maritime provinces. They are Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Prince Edward Island (PEI). As per the government’s long-term plan announced on 1 November 2017, these provinces aim to welcome 7,000 new immigrants plus their families in the next three years, including 2018.
Note: On 1 November 2017, the government of Canada announced multi-year immigration targets spanning from 2018 to 2020. An estimated 9,80,000 immigrants will be welcomed by Canada from 2018 to 2020. For complete projected statistics and other valuable information, click here.
The Atlantic Immigration Pilot program is a part of the Atlantic Growth Strategy. The caption of this growth strategy goes like this, “The drive to thrive – working together for Atlantic Canadian prosperity!” It started in the month of July 2016 when the premiers of Canada’s Atlantic provinces met with Canada’s minister for immigration to implement a new pilot program for the region to address human resource concerns. The result of this meeting was the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP). Since its inception, the program has been gaining substantial momentum and has crossed into its 3rd year of enriching Canada’s Atlantic regions.
The program also aims at population growth in the Atlantic provinces, creating and sustaining a powerful as well as diverse global workforce, and enhance employment. The Atlantic growth strategy had identified 5 action areas, which are:
The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP) explained:
The program is basically an employer-driven one. Meaning, the employers of the Atlantic provinces are the key players in this economic immigration stream. Every successful primary (principal) applicant arriving in AN Atlantic province under this program will have a job offer from a designated employer as well as a settlement plan for themselves as well as their family, if applicable. One of the major aspect which makes this program unique is that the employers do not need to obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from ESDC (Employment and Social Development Canada). Once a job offer is issued by the employer and the candidate has accepted the offer, the employer can then connect the candidate with a settlement service provider organization. These organizations are mainly government funded organizations that works towards immigrant welfare and other related services. The settlement organization will help the candidate in preparing a “settlement plan” which outlines in detail how the candidate and the candidate’s family plans to settle in the province after arrival.
If the employer wishes to hire the candidate quickly, a temporary work permit will be issued so that the candidate (as well as his or her family) may come to Canada as soon as possible. However, in order to obtain the work permit the candidate will need:
Employer Designation is a significant aspect of this program. That is, not every employer in the Atlantic provinces bypasses the need of obtaining an LMIA. To become a designated employer, the employer must first apply for designation to his or her province to receive designation. In case if an employer has offices or businesses in multiple locations in Atlantic Canada, then the employer must apply for designation from each province.
Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP) for Skilled Workers and Professionals
Atlantic High-Skilled Program (AHSP): Atlantic High-Skilled Program is an employer-driven program, which targets to strengthen the workforce of Canada’s Atlantic provinces by hiring workers and professionals who have experience in managerial (skill level 0), professional (skill level A), and technical (skill level B) related occupations .The applicant who wishes to apply under this program need to secure a valid job offer from an employer in any one of Canada’s Atlantic provinces.
To know more about Atlantic High-Skilled Program, click here.
Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program (AISP): Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program is an employer-driven program, which targets to strengthen the workforce of Canada’s Atlantic provinces by hiring workers and professionals who have experience in managerial (skill level 0), professional (skill level A), technical (skill level B), and intermediate (skill level C) related occupations .The applicant who wishes to apply under this program need to secure a valid job offer from an employer in any one of Canada’s Atlantic provinces.
To know more about Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program, click here.
Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP) for International Graduates
The Atlantic International Graduate Program (AIGP) is an employer-driven program which helps international students in Canada to obtain Canadian permanent residency without having the need to obtain work experience. Any candidate with a job offer from a designated employer from any of the Canada’s Atlantic provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Prince Edward Island) may apply for Canadian permanent residence.
To know more about Atlantic International Graduate Program, click here.