The Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) in Canada is a pathway for skilled foreign workers and graduates who want to settle in any province of Canada comprising of Atlantic Canada. This program is designed to welcome additional newcomers to the Atlantic Canada region to fill the local employers and communities. The program allows designated local employers to identify, recruit, and retain global talent in the country.
The Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) is a pathway to gain PR in Canada for skilled foreign workers and international graduates from recognized post-secondary institutions in Atlantic Canada. The Atlantic Canada has four provinces to settle in, such as:
A designated Atlantic employer must offer a job to a candidate who will meet their employment needs and program criteria; the employer will need to provide them with a job without requiring an LMIA. The Atlantic Immigration Program has three pathways for skilled workers and international students:
For Skilled workers:
For International graduate
To be eligible for the Atlantic Immigration program, an applicant must:
An applicant must fulfill the requirements to apply for the Atlantic Immigration Program:
AIP requirements as skilled workers
Below are the general requirements for the AIP program:
*Note: Educational Degrees acquired outside Canada need an ECA (Educational Credential Assessment) that must not be under five years old from the date of application received by IRCC.
Language Requirements
Candidate must demonstrate a certain level of language proficiency according to the NOC TEER job offer.
Sufficient funds
Candidates must show sufficient proof of funds to support themselves in Canada, which depends on the size of the family, which is
| Number of family members | Funds required |
| 1 | $3,303 |
| 2 | $4,112 |
| 3 | $5,055 |
| 4 | $6,138 |
| 5 | $6,962 |
| 6 | $7,852 |
| 7 or more | $8,742 |
| Each additional family member | $890 |
*Note: Applicants already living in Canada with a valid work permit don’t need to show sufficient proof of funds.
Requirements for a job offer under the Atlantic Immigration Program
To be eligible for the Atlantic Immigration Program, the job must meet certain requirements
An applicant can follow the below-mentioned steps to apply for the Atlantic Immigration Program:
Step 1: Acquire a job offer from a designated employer
Step 2: Sort out the requirements
Step 3: Apply for an AIP endorsement
Step 4: Wait for the decision
Step 5: Once approved, apply for Canada PR
Processing fees of the Atlantic Immigration Program
The application fee for the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) in Canada is at least t $1,365. Below is the breakdown of processing fees of the Atlantic Immigration program:
| Application | Processing cost (CAD) |
| Processing fee ($850) and right of permanent residence fee ($515) | 1365 CAD |
| Your application (without right of permanent residence fee) | 850 CAD |
| Include your spouse or partner | 1365 CAD |
| Dependent child | 230 CAD |
| Biometrics fee | 85 -170 CAD |
The processing time of the Atlantic Immigration Program typically takes around six months to process, and the processing time under the Atlantic Immigration Program for Canada PR takes around 12 months.
Y-Axis is well–known for being the No.1 overseas immigration consultancy. Y-Axis has provided unbiased and personalized immigration assistance for 25+ years. Our team of visa experts provides the following:
The Atlantic Immigration Program is a pathway for skilled workers and international graduates from a Canadian institution who want to reside and work in Canada’s 4 Atlantic Provinces:
To acquire Canada PR via the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) pathway as a foreign skilled worker or an international graduate from a recognized post-secondary institution in Atlantic Canada the applicant must be eligible to apply for the Atlantic Immigration Program as follows:
Certain candidates are exempted from the Atlantic Immigration Program requirements who are:
Below are the steps to apply for Canada PR under the Atlantic Immigration Program:
Step 1: Have a valid job offer from a designated employer in the Atlantic province
Step 2: Sort out all the requirements
Step 3: Apply online through the PR application
Step 4: Pay the biometrics fees
Step 5: Wait for the decision
Step 6: Once applied, wait for the Canada PR
Over the recent years, the Atlantic Provinces have already been active in immigration through the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs). The provinces have welcomed a wide range of skilled workers, graduates who have studied in Canada, and business immigrants such as entrepreneurs through the PNP programs. Each Atlantic province has at least one PNP stream aligned with the federal Express Entry system, allowing candidates in the Express Entry pool eligible to immigrate through one of these streams to apply to the given province. Besides the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP), applicants can migrate to Atlantic Canada through the Provincial Nominee program. The Atlantic region of Canada has four Provincial Nominee Programs:
The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program is for recent graduates from the Canadian Atlantic region and skilled workers to immigrate to the Atlantic province of Canada. In contrast, Express Entry is an immigration program that covers the entire country. Here are the differences between both the programs:
| Differentiation | Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP) | Express Entry |
| Reason | Address the labor pool in Atlantic provinces | Immigration to the entire country |
| Sub-category | New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. | The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) |
| Points Calculator | AIP has its eligibility criteria based on requirements and doesn’t have a CRS point calculator | The maximum CRS score to qualify is 1,200 points |
| Processing time | Usually completed within six months | Processing times vary by program |
| Language requirement | Have a minimum IELTS score of band 4 or higher | Have a minimum IELTS score of band 6 |
| Eligibility | Job offer from a designated employer in an Atlantic province | Language proficiency in English |
| Application process | Separate from Express Entry applications | Includes programs like CEC, FSWP, FSTP, and PNP |
The Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) is the fastest pathway to acquiring permanent residency in Canada in the Atlantic province. Here are the benefits of AIP:
Yes, candidates who want to be eligible for AIP must have a job offer from a designated employer in the province in NOC TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 category job offers for at least 1 year from when the day they become Canada PR.
To qualify for the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP), an applicant must have worked at least 1,560 hours in the last 5 years in any NOC TEER jobs 0,1,2,3 or 4. This number is considered work hours that an applicant would have worked in 1 year if you were working 30 hours per week.
To calculate the work hours for the Atlantic immigration program, the applicant must count hours worked in part-time and full-time jobs, including work outside and inside Canada, ensuring a minimum of 12 months.
*Note: Volunteering or unpaid internship is not considered for the Atlantic immigration program.
