Atlantic Immigration Pilot
Atlantic Immigration Pilot
The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP) was first launched in early 2017. It was initially planned for it to be a 3 year pilot, however, it has recently been extended until December 2021. When the initiative was first implemented, the AIPP represented an effort of all four Atlantic provinces to come together and build a brand new immigration stream with the support of the federal government. This joint federal-provincial program has not only allowed many local employers to address their needs, but also it has quickly become one of the most attractive immigration streams for many potential immigrants.
Since its launch, over 2,500 main applicants and their accompanying family members have been issued permanent residency in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island. The admissions allotment under this program has only increased, as the federal government announced in its Immigration Level Plans that their target number for 2020 is 4,000 new applications.
So why is there such a high demand for this pilot program and what are its perks? First of all, it is important to keep in mind that this is an employer-led initiative. Therefore, the onus is on the employer to not only identify their labour needs, but also to attract, retain and support their candidates through the application process. Amongst the program features, it includes fast processing times, which are currently 6 months. In addition, the Atlantic Pilot Program is exempt from obtaining a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), which also helps employers and candidates save a lot of time when navigating the application process. Currently, the AIPP offers three sub-streams:
-Atlantic International Graduate Program
-Atlantic High-skilled Program
-Atlantic Intermediate-skilled Program
Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program
Each sub-stream will present specific requirements and it will depend on whether the potential immigrant is an international graduate, a high skilled or intermediate skilled foreign worker. Even though it is important to check for details such as the candidate’s NOC, past experience, language level in English or French, there are also common guidelines that all sub-streams need to follow.
First, all employers who are interested in hiring a foreign national under the AIPP need to obtain a provincial designation. Essentially, the designation process allows the employer to explain to their respective province which jobs they have not been able to fill and why those jobs are important to help them grow. Once the employer has obtained their provincial designation, they are ready to support as many individuals as they need by providing them with a job offer. This is a good moment to double check which sub-stream best suits the applicant and the nature of the position being offered.
The second part of the process has to be led by the applicant. With a job offer in hand, the applicant and his or her family will have to then obtain a settlement plan with their closest settlement service provider organization. Once that is complete, the applicant has to then refer to their respective province in order to obtain a provincial endorsement. The endorsement part is key as this is a way for the province to tell the federal government that the referred candidate is essential to the region’s economy and employer’s operations. If the candidate cannot legally work yet, it is here where the province could also issue a work permit referral letter. That way, the candidate could receive a work permit and start working as fast as possible while they wait for their permanent residency to be issued.
Regards,
SmartImmigrant (Atlantic Immigration Pilot )
