The New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot programme (NBCWP), which was introduced in November 2022, has attracted a  considerable amount of attention from highly skilled individuals looking for a route to migrate to Canada.

The programme is an initiative of the federal government and the provincial government of New Brunswick to draw immigrants who can fill work shortages in the region. The New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Programme (NBPNP) has an employer-driven stream with six participating firms that are dispersed around the province and represent a wide range of industries and sectors:

 

 

 

 

Imperial Manufacturing [website: https://www.imperialgroup.ca/]

Groupe Westco [website: http://www.groupewestco.com/]

J.D. Irving Ltd. [website: https://www.jdirving.com/en/]

Cooke Aquaculture Inc. [website: https://www.cookeseafood.com/]

McCain Foods [website: https://www.mccain.com/]

Groupe Savoie Inc. [website: https://www.groupesavoie.com/en/]

 

When the initiative was introduced, the government of New Brunswick indicated that these companies were selected for their exemplary track record in attracting immigrants and their existing capacity to provide settlement services.

The progress of the experiment spanning five years will be assessed periodically.

 

What makes NB’s CWP unique compared to other programs?

Whilst the programme uses the NB PNP to target economically skilled immigrants, qualified NBCWP candidates will also get additional settlement assistance. Participating firms must demonstrate their ability to supply the following to guarantee candidates get this support:

• Effective housing and transit strategies, emphasizing the importance of retaining candidates for the long run, are crucial to support the smooth integration of individuals into their new jobs and communities,

 

• An all-encompassing approach to human resources that includes initiatives to lure and sustain skilled foreign personnel as well as enhance their abilities on the job,

 

• Candidates shall get up to 200 hours of language instruction as needed, and

 

• Give applicants advice and assistance to individuals who opt for obtaining their Canadian secondary education equivalence.

 

Who is eligible to apply?

Candidates in the programme must be able to prove their intention to live in the province and have a legitimate work offer from an appropriate employer to be nominated. The compensation must be comparable with New Brunswick wage rates for the position in the job offer. According to the government, the salary listed on the job offer must:

1. be commensurate to the pay received by employees performing comparable tasks in New Brunswick who have the same degree of training and experience,
2. follow your employer’s salary compensation policy exactly.
3. Instead of applying to the provincial government, participants in the programme can apply directly to one of the programme employers.

 

 

What volume of intake can be anticipated?

A maximum of 10% of New Brunswick’s overall Provincial Nominee Program will go towards the trial program. The early success of the programme, according to a spokeswoman for Opportunities New Brunswick (ONB), might result into numbers reaching over 300 applicants and their families being supported through this trial in 2023.

The government is currently closely monitoring results because the programme is still relatively young, according to ONB. It is still too early to offer any indicative numbers currently. It is not anticipated that the programme will grow to include other employers for the time being. According to ONB, the pilot’s scope is still constrained, and as a result, it is not now accessible to a larger audience.

 

How does Immigration to New Brunswick work?

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP) and the NB Strategic Initiative stream are only two of the immigration streams that New Brunswick has successfully piloted in the past, according to ONB. “Like those earlier pilots,” the statement reads, “we see the Critical Worker Pilot as an opportunity to implement novel approaches to immigration for economic reasons, monitor the results in a controlled manner, allowing us to make adjustments along the way, learn from these attempts, and build on the successes we encounter.”

Immigration has contributed to population increase in New Brunswick in recent years. According to data from the Canadian Real Estate Association, New Brunswick’s population increased by 4,219 because of immigration in the fourth quarter of 2022. In comparison to the same time in 2021, there was a rise of 116.8%.

 

 

 

 

Additionally, the province said in April that it had obtained a 67% boost in federal funding for immigration. According to the NB PNP and the Atlantic Immigration Program, the province will have 5,500 slots available for provincial economic immigration programmes in 2023.

 

Contact us today to know if you qualify to migrate to Canada. Check out Owlspriority Immigration’s Canada Settlement Resources to learn about finding employment in Canada, making your initial days stress-free, etc.

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