Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program
Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program
Through the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP), Canadian Immigration has opened a new program to allow skilled immigrants and international graduates to have permanent residence in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
This program, which opened March of 2017, aims to allow 2,000 immigrants and their immediate families into the “Maritimes” or the Atlantic region East of Canada.
The AIPP is part of Canada’s Atlantic Growth Strategy which aims to focus on these key areas:
- Skilled immigrants
- Modernization
- Green Growth through clean energy
- Employment and commercial venture
- Infrastructure projects
How AIPP works:
The program is significantly driven by the involvement of employers from the Atlantic Provinces.
If you are interested to immigrate through AIPP, you have to get the support of your employer. Once your employer sends you the job offer and you have accepted the job, your employer will have to connect you with a service provider in order for your settlement and development needs to be assessed.
Your employer needs to indicate that they will support you and your family so you can be settled and integrated into Canada.
Should your employer need to fill a job vacancy urgently, they can process a temporary work permit for you so that you and/or your family can come to Canada as early as possible. For this to happen, you have to procure the following:
- Your Job Offer
- Letter from the Atlantic province
- Your commitment to file for permanent residency not more than 90 days after your temporary work permit application
If you are applying as a student graduate, you have to come from publicly-funded institutions in one of the Atlantic provinces.
Publicly-funded institutions list
| Institution | Province |
| Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick | New Brunswick |
| Maritime College of Forest Technology | New Brunswick |
| Mount Allison University | New Brunswick |
| New Brunswick College of Craft and Design | New Brunswick |
| New Brunswick Community College | New Brunswick |
| Saint Thomas University | New Brunswick |
| Université de Moncton | New Brunswick |
| University of New Brunswick & University of New Brunswick Saint Jean | New Brunswick |
| College of the North Atlantic | Newfoundland |
| Memorial University of Newfoundland | Newfoundland |
| Acadia University | Nova Scotia |
| Atlantic School of Theology | Nova Scotia |
| Cape Breton University | Nova Scotia |
| Dalhousie University | Nova Scotia |
| Mount Saint Vincent University | Nova Scotia |
| Nova Scotia College of Art and Design | Nova Scotia |
| Nova Scotia Community College | Nova Scotia |
| Saint Francis Xavier University | Nova Scotia |
| Saint Mary’s University | Nova Scotia |
| Université Sainte-Anne | Nova Scotia |
| University of Kings College | Nova Scotia |
| Collège de l’Île | Prince Edward Island |
| Holland College | Prince Edward Island |
| University of Prince Edward Island | Prince Edward Island |
In order for the ministry to evaluate the success of AIPP, employers and service providers are requested to file regular reports. Details on the reporting process are on the government website.
