New Brunswick nominated a comparable number of candidates in the last year as well as in previous years. Despite the challenges raised by the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of immigration, New Brunswick issued 2,020 nominations through its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) in 2020. Now, New Brunswick aims to receive a total of 7500 new immigrants (with or without accompanying family members) by the end of 2021.

Moncef Lakouas, President of the New Brunswick Multicultural Council (NBMC), in a press release said, “We know many sectors have been devastated by the pandemic’s effects, especially tourism and small and medium businesses, but other sectors haven’t slowed down, and labour needs are just as urgent,” Lakouas said in the release. “Our settlement companies and employers have worked tirelessly to ensure that newcomers to the province adhered to quarantine plans and protection procedures to prevent the virus from spreading. During the quarantine period, we even saw communities come together to help newcomers by collecting food, toys, and games to welcome families.”

New Brunswick is on track to reach its immigration targets of around 7,500 newcomers a year by 2024. As Canada’s only province with both English and French as official languages, the province is also attempting to attract more French-speaking immigrants. They expect that by 2024, a third of new immigrants to the province can speak French. “We know employers across New Brunswick are still looking to expand their labour force, and there is still a lot of work to be done to restore the province’s post-pandemic economy,” said Ginnete Gautreau, interim Executive Director at the NBMC.

What you should know before moving to New Brunswick.

Here are two economic immigration options to consider if you want to move to New Brunswick:

• New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP);
• Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIP).

There are four streams in the NBPNP.

1. Candidates already in Canada’s federal Express Entry system are eligible to apply for the Express Entry Labour Market Stream. You must submit an Expression of Interest and meet the age, education, language, and work experience requirements, as well as have ample money to settle.
2. Workers who have received a full-time permanent job offer from an employer in the province are eligible for the Skilled Worker with Employer Support Stream. To be eligible, they must also meet age, language, education, and other requirements.
3. Candidates who have graduated from a New Brunswick university or college and want to start a business in the province can qualify for the Post-Graduate Entrepreneurial Stream.
4. For foreign nationals who want to start and operate a company in New Brunswick, the Entrepreneurial Stream is for them. Candidates must meet age, education, language, and other requirements. They may also submit a business plan.

New Brunswick is one of four provinces in the Atlantic region. Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island are the other three. Employers in these four provinces can use the AIPP to hire foreign workers to fill vacancies that they are unable to fill otherwise. This means that candidates must have a job offer to be considered for the AIPP. They are not required to complete a Labour Market Impact Assessment. This document certifies that no Canadian nationals or permanent residents are available to fill the vacancy. After receiving a job offer, an applicant will be connected with a designated settlement service provider agency to develop a settlement strategy.

Check out Owlspriority Immigration’s Canada Settlement Resources to learn more about ways to finding a new job in Canada, making your initial days in Canada stress-free and confident, etc.