New Brunswick is nestled under Quebec’s Gaspe Peninsula and beside the State of Maine. It is the only officially bilingual province in Canada, with about one-third of the population speaking French as a first language. In recent times, New Brunswick has been seeing a constant rise in the number of permanent residents settling in the province. In 2019, as per IRCC, the province has seen an upsurge of 30% immigrants in comparison to 2018.

To attract, accommodate and cater to a higher number of permanent residents, New Brunswick PNP offers various immigration categories. The New Brunswick PNP accepts applications under the following immigration categories:

Express Entry Labour Market Stream:

This stream allows the Province to use the federal Express Entry immigration selection system to meet New Brunswick’s specific labour market and demographic needs. New Brunswick PNP Express Entry operates under an ‘Expression of Interest’ model.

Skilled Worker Stream:

New Brunswick immigration program accepts applications under this category from individuals who have received a full-time, permanent job offer from a New Brunswick employer.

Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program:

New Brunswick is one of four participating Atlantic Provinces working with the Government of Canada to recruit foreign workers to meet labour market shortages in Atlantic Canada. Foreign nationals interested in participating in the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program may be residing abroad or on temporary status in Canada at the time of applying.

Eligibility Criteria:

As stated, NBPNP provides its prospective permanent residents four gateways to apply through. Each of the streams has unique eligibility criteria in regard to the audience it is catering to.

To be eligible under the Express Entry Labour Market Stream, the candidate must fulfil the requirements for each stage including registration, application, and nomination. The candidate’s profile is assessed considering factors like age, education, work experience, language requirements, arranged employment, and adaptability factors. This assessment is made with the assistance of a 100 point system. Scoring 67 or more out of the same validates the profile as an eligible profile. Along with these basic eligibility requirements, it is vital for the candidate to elaborate on:

  • Intending to reside in New Brunswick.
  • An eligible connection to New Brunswick
  • Having enough money to support yourself and your family (even if they are not coming with you to Canada).
  • Meeting the requirements of a NOC 0, A or B occupation, and
  • Receiving a genuine offer of employment (if applicable).

To apply for the Skilled Worker Stream, the candidate must meet the minimum eligibility requirements for age, language, job offer, work experience and education, and score a minimum of 60 points in the selection factors to be considered for nomination by Department of Post- Secondary Education, Training and Labour(PETL) and also satisfy the following:

  • The intention of residing in New Brunswick.
  • Receiving a genuine offer of employment.
  • Qualification for the position, and
  • The employer’s willingness to support the application.

To be eligible under the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program, the candidate must have a valid job offer letter from the designated employers from the province of New Brunswick. Along with the mentioned, the candidate must meet the following requirements:

  • CLB 4 in the English language proficiency.
  • A minimum of high school diploma equivalency as per ECA.
  • One year of continuous work experience in the past three years from the date of application.

Irrespective of the eligibility in one or more pathways, merely meeting the set requirements does not provide assurance of receiving a nomination from NBPNP. Nominations and requests to submit an application are affected by the number of potential candidates meeting these requirements, the type (occupation/sector) of submissions in processing queues, and the number of available nominations.

Application Process

On meeting the New Brunswick PNP requirements, an Expression of Interest (EOI) in the eligible stream must be submitted. This document can be downloaded on the New Brunswick PNP website and emailed directly to the program. Considering the numerous pathways offered by New Brunswick for immigrants to settle in, a standard procedure for the application is as follows:

01

Determine the eligibility to apply to an immigration program stream to obtain the permanent resident status and assess which stream best suits the candidate’s needs.

02

Apply to the most promising New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program Stream. The candidate must be sure to follow the steps outlined in the Document Check List by the specific stream.

03

The applicant must get the credentials assessed, find work, if not done so already, and work on the English or French linguistic skills.

04

Receive the nomination upon which the candidate’s application will be sent to Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). They will further analyse the application and during this process, the applicant would be required to produce positive medical test reports along with a clear criminal record check.