Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP): PR Through an Atlantic Job Offer. No Points Race.
The AIP is a federal pathway to permanent residence built on one thing: a full-time job offer from a designated employer in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, or Newfoundland and Labrador. There is no CRS score, no points draw, and no Express Entry profile required. Your employer and your province carry the file with you.
That structure is the opportunity and the risk. The job offer, the provincial endorsement, and your status all have to hold together for years while IRCC processes the application. Jas Dhillon, RCIC-IRB, manages the whole chain: candidate eligibility, employer coordination, endorsement, the work permit bridge, and the PR application.
AIP at a glance
- What it is: a permanent federal program for skilled workers and international graduates with a job offer from a designated Atlantic employer.
- No CRS, no draws. Selection runs on the job offer and provincial endorsement, not points.
- Who endorses: the province where the job is. The endorsement certificate is mandatory before you can apply for PR.
- The endorsement is fragile: it must remain valid when you apply and when PR is issued, and a province can revoke it mid-processing.
- Work while you wait: endorsed applicants can get an employer-specific work permit through a provincial support letter. AIP endorsees are not eligible for a Bridging Open Work Permit.
- Graduates skip the experience requirement with an eligible credential from a recognized Atlantic post-secondary institution.
- 2026 reality: provinces are rationing endorsements. New Brunswick now runs a candidate pool with monthly selections and has excluded entire sectors; Nova Scotia has paused specific occupations.
How does the AIP work?
Six moves, in order: a designated employer offers you the job; you complete a settlement plan with an approved settlement service provider; your employer applies to the province for endorsement; you receive the endorsement certificate; if you need to start working, you apply for a work permit with the provincial support letter; you submit your PR application to IRCC with the endorsement certificate before it expires.
IRCC makes the final decision, including medical, criminal, and security checks. The province chooses you; the federal government admits you.
Who qualifies?
Workers: at least one year (1,560 hours) of qualifying work experience in the last five years, a job offer at an eligible skill level from a designated employer, language results that meet the threshold for the job’s TEER category, an education credential (Canadian, or foreign with an ECA), and settlement funds unless you are already working in Canada with a valid permit. Certain healthcare experience can qualify for lower-TEER care job offers, a deliberate carve-out for nurses taking aide and home-care roles.
International graduates: an eligible credential from a recognized Atlantic post-secondary institution replaces the work experience requirement entirely. If you studied in Atlantic Canada and have a designated job offer, this is one of the most direct PR routes in the country.
The screening question that decides everything: is the employer designated, and will the province endorse this specific job right now? Sector exclusions and occupation pauses change through the year, which is exactly what we verify before you commit.
The employer side, and why it decides your file
No designation, no file. Employers must be designated by their province before any offer counts, and in 2026 that door is not always open: New Brunswick has temporarily paused new employer designations. Where the employer is already designated, the endorsement application is the province’s integrity check on the job, the wage, and the recruitment effort.
We work both sides: confirming designation status, preparing the endorsement package with the employer, and keeping the offer compliant so the endorsement survives processing.
What if things change mid-application?
Report it, or risk the file. Losing your job, changing employers, or changing positions must be reported to the endorsing province, and the endorsement certificate may need to be modified. Moving between designated employers is possible but procedural: the province confirms the new employer’s designation and issues a modified endorsement. Done out of order, these changes void endorsements and stall PR files. This is the single most common place AIP applications break, and the reason ongoing representation matters more here than in points-based programs.
Why applicants and employers choose Nivara
- One licensed consultant, the entire chain. Jas Dhillon, RCIC-IRB (Licence #R1041495): candidate, employer, endorsement, work permit, PR.
- Both-sides fluency. Designation checks and endorsement packages, not just candidate forms.
- Mid-process protection. Employer changes and status renewals handled before they become refusals.
- English, Punjabi, Hindi, French.
- Clients across Canada (outside Quebec), in person in London and Woodstock, Ontario.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a job offer for the AIP?
Yes, always. A full-time offer from an employer designated by an Atlantic province. There is no AIP route without one.
Is there a points system or CRS score?
No. The AIP has no draws and no CRS. Eligibility plus a designated job offer plus provincial endorsement is the whole game.
I graduated in Atlantic Canada. Do I need work experience?
No. An eligible credential from a recognized Atlantic post-secondary institution replaces the experience requirement.
I graduated in Atlantic Canada. Do I need work experience?
No. An eligible credential from a recognized Atlantic post-secondary institution replaces the experience requirement.
