The Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) is a permanent residency program for eligible skilled workers and certain graduates in the Atlantic provinces of Canada.
It only applies to four provinces:
Main feature of the program:
Must first obtain a suitable job offer from an approved employer who has been accepted by the province to participate in the AIP.
After a job offer, several mandatory steps remain: checking the candidate’s eligibility, obtaining a settlement plan and provincial endorsement, and submitting a federal application to IRCC.
This is a program where the process involves the candidate, employer, province and IRCC
For AIP, it is not enough to simply have the right profession or find any job in the Atlantic Provinces of Canada.
Usually several elements are needed at once:
That is, AIP is not “find a job and automatically obtain permanent residence.”
Each stage is checked separately.
AIP is a separate permanent residence program.
It doesn't require:
The AIP is also not part of the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).
The province is involved in the process, but the mechanism is different.
In short, the path looks like this:
employer → job offer → candidate requirements → settlement plan → provincial endorsement → IRCC application
AIP operates in four provinces:
If the job is located in Ontario, Alberta or British Columbia, for example, the AIP cannot be used for that job offer.
Effective September 14, 2026, New Brunswick’s intake of new AIP employer designation applications remains paused for the rest of 2026. The blanket restriction on the Accommodation and Food Services sector (NAICS 72) has been lifted for AIP, but occupation restrictions remain.
Restricted NOC codes: 14400, 60020, 60030, 62010, 62020, 64100, 62101 and 94142.
For foreign nationals residing outside Canada, endorsement applications are limited to participants in Government of New Brunswick recruitment initiatives in health care, education and construction.
Meeting the criteria does not guarantee selection for processing. The province considers the duration of employment in New Brunswick, economic establishment and attachment to the province, and employment or an offer in priority sectors. These restrictions apply to New Brunswick, not to all Atlantic provinces.
A job offer from just any Canadian employer is not enough.
The province must designate the employer to participate in AIP.
Official term:
designated employer under the AIP
This means:
employer participating in the AIP.
This status means that the province has authorized the employer to use the AIP for qualified candidates.
Important:
this does not mean that the employer has a vacancy right now.
First you need to find a real vacancy and receive a specific job offer.
The job offer must be:
The length of the offer depends on the occupational category.
The job must be offered for a minimum of 1 year from the date the candidate becomes a permanent resident of Canada.
The work must be permanent, with no set end date.
In Canada, occupations are classified according to the National Occupational Classification (NOC).
Within this system the category TEER is used.
Very simplified:
TEER helps determine the level of training, education, and responsibility typically associated with an occupation.
For AIP, the TEER category of the job offer affects:
Therefore, you cannot check the AIP based on the job title alone.
You need to determine the NOC for the actual responsibilities and then look at the TEER.
This roughly corresponds to:
30 hours per week for 1 year.
IRCC verifies the total number of hours and other program requirements.
Experience must:
Self-employment is not considered normal qualifying work experience for this AIP requirement.
If experience is gained in Canada, the work must be legal and performed with the necessary permits.
In AIP, a job offer can be for TEER 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4.
The TEER category reflects the training, education, experience and responsibilities required for an occupation. Match your occupation’s code to its NOC description.
| TEER | What does this mean in simple words |
|---|---|
| TEER 0 | Management professions - executives and managers at various levels |
| TEER 1 | Professional Occupations - usually requires a university degree or comparable previous experience |
| TEER 2 | Typically requires 2-3 years of post-school training, long-term vocational training, or occupations with supervisory responsibilities or increased safety requirements |
| TEER 3 | Typically requires less than 2 years of post-school training, shorter vocational training, or more than 6 months of on-the-job training |
| TEER 4 | Typically requires high school and several weeks of on-the-job training |
TEER 5 in AIP is not used for a qualifying job offer.
The table shows which categories of previous experience qualify for each TEER level of the job being offered.
| Proposed work | What previous experience can be used |
|---|---|
| TEER 0 - Management Professions | TEER 0 - Managerial occupations TEER 1 - Professional occupations usually requiring university education TEER 2 - Typically 2-3 years of post-school training, vocational training or occupations with supervisory responsibilities TEER 3 - Typically less than 2 years of post-school training or extensive on-the-job training TEER 4 - Typically high school and on-the-job training |
| TEER 1 - Professional occupations typically requiring a university degree | TEER 1 - Professional occupations typically requiring university education TEER 2 - Typically 2-3 years of post-school training, vocational training or occupations with supervisory responsibilities TEER 3 - Typically less than 2 years of post-school training or extensive on-the-job training TEER 4 - Typically high school and on-the-job training |
| TEER 2 - Typically 2-3 years of post-secondary education, vocational training or occupations with supervisory responsibilities | TEER 2 - Typically 2-3 years of post-school training, vocational training or trades with supervisory responsibilities TEER 3 - Typically less than 2 years of post-school training or extensive on-the-job training TEER 4 - Typically high school and on-the-job training |
| TEER 3 - Typically less than 2 years of post-school training or extensive on-the-job training | TEER 3 - Typically less than 2 years of post-school training or extensive on-the-job training TEER 4 - Typically high school and on-the-job training |
| TEER 4 - Typically high school and on-the-job training | TEER 4 - Typically high school and on-the-job training |
Example: If the job offer is TEER 3 - typically less than 2 years of post-school training or extensive on-the-job training, the standard AIP rule is that previous experience is eligible:
Some medical professions have specific exceptions.
Therefore, two people with the same number of years of service may get a different test result if their NOC and TEER are different.
Some recent graduates of institutions in the Atlantic provinces may be exempt from the standard requirement to demonstrate 1,560 hours of work experience.
But this exception does not apply to any international student.
You need, among other things:
This exemption does not apply to certain programs, including those in which a substantial part of the studies consisted of distance learning or English or French as a second language.
Therefore:
“I graduated from college in Nova Scotia” does not automatically waive the experience requirement.
Must take an IRCC approved test in English or French.
Requires a minimum of CLB/NCLC 5 in each of the four skills.
Requires a minimum of CLB/NCLC 4 in each of the four skills.
Accepted:
Results must be less than 2 years old on the date of submission.
You need at least:
You need at least:
If education was completed outside of Canada, an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) is usually required for immigration purposes.
less than 5 years must have passed since the ECA was issued by the filing date.
Important:
The ECA only compares education to the Canadian level.
If the profession is regulated, a separate professional license or recognition of qualification may be required.
IRCC requires the candidate to show that they have sufficient funds to support themselves and their family after relocating.
The size depends on the number of family members and is updated periodically.
Amounts change, so please check the current IRCC table before submitting.
If you already:
IRCC states that proof of settlement funds is not required for AIP in this situation.
After receiving a job offer from an employer participating in the AIP, the candidate must obtain a settlement plan.
An organization that provides settlement services for new immigrants helps prepare it.
This plan is not needed to evaluate CRS or the profession.
It helps the candidate and family prepare for life in the Atlantic Provinces of Canada:
After the candidate receives a settlement plan, the employer submits the package for provincial endorsement.
Official term:
provincial endorsement
If the province endorses the offer, the candidate receives a provincial endorsement certificate.
This document must be included in the federal application.
It is very important not to confuse the two stages:
The province has allowed the employer to participate in the AIP.
The province has endorsed the specific job offer made to the candidate.
Designation and endorsement are separate stages.
The path from employer to permanent residence consists of ten steps.
Find an employer participating in the AIP.
Get a suitable job offer.
Check work experience or eligibility for graduate exemption.
Check the language.
Check education and ECA if needed.
Obtain a settlement plan.
The employer submits the documents to the province for endorsement.
Obtain a provincial endorsement certificate.
Submit a federal application to IRCC.
The IRCC reviews the application and makes a final decision.
The AIP provides a separate temporary work permit for eligible candidates.
It:
To apply, you need, among other things, a referral letter from the Atlantic province for the work permit.
You also need to show compliance with the requirements for:
A spouse or partner may be able to apply for an open work permit.
Important:
obtaining a temporary work permit does not mean that your application for permanent residence will be approved.
Verified September 30, 2026: a provincial endorsement or community recommendation does not replace a work permit application or guarantee approval. For an LMIA-exempt employer-specific work permit, the following steps normally apply unless the relevant exemption applies:
IRCC assesses whether the employer is actively engaged in the business, the offer meets reasonable employment needs, the employer can fulfil its terms, and employment and recruitment laws have been respected. Failure to meet any one factor can lead to refusal. An LMIA exemption does not remove this assessment.
An employer’s inclusion on the official AIP list means it is designated to participate in the program.
This does not mean:
You need to find a real job opening and go through the normal hiring process.
The Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is a separate labor market assessment that is needed in many other employer-based work authorization processes.
For AIP, a regular LMIA is not required for such an offer.
But this does not mean that the employer is exempt from all actions.
The employer must still:
The employer must be designated to participate in AIP.
Designation does not mean the employer is currently hiring.
The remaining requirements must be met.
Designation applies to the employer; endorsement applies to the specific job offer made to the candidate.
The TEER category affects language and education requirements and the required duration of the job offer.
The exemption has specific eligibility conditions.
The standard AIP requirement does not count self-employment as eligible work experience.
No.
Check the employer’s designation on the province’s current website.
If some answer is not yet known, this does not mean an automatic refusal.
This means that the missing information must be obtained first.
Your selections remain only on this page and are not sent anywhere.
A separate check is especially useful if:
Initial Consultation: Zoom · 50 minutes · CAD 160 + taxes.
This is a permanent residency program for eligible workers and certain graduates who wish to work and live in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland and Labrador.
Compare the main federal and regional routes.
Analyze provincial selection programs.
Compare the path through small communities.
Check out the path through French-speaking communities.
Match the experience and responsibilities with the classification of professions.
Please review your documents and information before submitting.
We can review the employer’s designation, job offer, NOC/TEER, work experience, language, education, graduate exemption and provincial endorsement for your situation.
If you retain us for full representation within 14 calendar days after the consultation, the consultation fee is credited toward the cost of further services.
The materials on the site are for general informational purposes only and do not constitute individual immigration advice.
