The New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) has stopped considering endorsements for certain occupations under the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP).

Effective immediately, the NBPNP will not endorse applications for any of the following occupations:

Occupation	NOC Code
Accounting technicians and bookkeepers	12200
Administrative assistants	13110
Shippers and receivers	14400
Restaurant and food service managers	60030
Food service supervisors	62020
Cooks	63200
Bakers	63202
Bartenders	64301
Other customer representatives	64409
Process control and machine operators – food and beverage processing	94140
Fish and seafood plant workers	94142

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Employers who seek to support foreign nationals in obtaining Canadian permanent residency can no longer do so through the AIP for the above occupations.

Foreign nationals seeking permanent residency through the AIP will no longer be able to do so with job offers for the above occupations in New Brunswick.

Furthermore, the NBPNP will continue to process endorsements for some occupations if the endorsement applications were received prior to 18 February, 2025, but will no longer accept new applications for endorsement:

Occupation	NOC Code
Retail and wholesale trade managers	60020
Retail sales supervisors	62010
Retail salespersons and visual merchandisers	64100
Hotel front desk clerks	64314

Employers and foreign nationals with submitted endorsements for the above applications prior to 18 February, 2025 can expect their endorsement applications to be processed as usual.

Those who have not applied for endorsement prior to 18 February, 2025 will not be able to submit endorsement applications under the above NOCs.

To apply for permanent residency to the federal government under the AIP, a foreign national must have a job offer from a designated employer, and the support of a provincial endorsement of that job offer.

How New Brunswick is dealing with slashed immigration targets

The New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) has had to deal with a number of adjustments to its 2025 provincial immigration programs in light of the changes to Canada’s overall immigration system.

The federal government’s Immigration Levels Plan 2025-27 reduced admissions allocations to Canada’s PNPs in 2025 by 50% relative to 2024’s.

New Brunswick was given only 2,750 spaces for provincial immigration this year. Of these, the spaces were split between the NB PNP (1,500) and the AIP (1,250).

To deal with these constraints, the province has announced that it will be prioritizing sectors such as healthcare, education, and construction.

Based on the most recent NOC restrictions in AIP, the food and beverage sector has been hit hard.

Many other streams, including the New Brunswick Express Entry stream, have made changes to the lists of eligible occupations.

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What is the Atlantic Immigration Program?

The AIP is an employer-driven immigration pathway for skilled workers who want to settle in provinces in Atlantic Canada. This includes New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.

In order to be eligible, candidates need a job offer from a designated employer in Atlantic Canada. So, in order to be eligible for New Brunswick’s AIP program, a foreign national needs to have a job offer from a designated employer in New Brunswick.

There are many perks to immigrating to Canada through the AIP including:

• Candidates can directly pursue PR status;
• They can be eligible for a two-year work permit;
• They enjoy shorter processing times;
• Their work permits do not require an LMIA; and
• They enjoy individualized settlement services.

Am I eligible to move to New Brunswick through the AIP?

In order to be eligible for AIP, foreign nationals need a job offer from a designated employer.

Only designated employers are able to endorse a position for a foreign national.

You can find a list of designated employers in New Brunswick here.

In addition to receiving a job offer from a designated employer in Atlantic Canada, candidates must be either:

• a skilled worker (whether their experience is inside Canada or outside); or
• a recent graduate of a recognized post-secondary institution in Atlantic Canada.

Currently, endorsement applications in New Brunswick for any positions offered to foreign nationals residing outside Canada will only be accepted if they are part of the following sectors (as per their NOCs):

• Healthcare.
• Education.
• Construction trades.

What other options are there for immigrating to New Brunswick?

Foreign nationals looking to immigrate to New Brunswick could look at other immigration pathways, including Express Entry, the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), and the New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot.

Express Entry

One way you can receive an invitation to apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence is by creating an online profile in the federal government’s Express Entry system.

You can qualify for Express Entry with any skilled occupation.

The Express Entry system issues invitations to apply for PR to top-ranking candidates on the basis of the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), which ranks candidates based on factors such as age, education, work experience, and language proficiency.

You’ll have the highest chances of receiving an ITA through Express Entry if you have a high CRS score, and/or if you qualify for a category-based draw, such as draws for French language proficiency.

You can qualify for Express Entry with an intention to reside in any province or territory other than Quebec.

To be eligible, candidates must meet the requirements of one of Canada’s three federally managed immigration programs:

• The Canadian Experience Class (CEC);
• The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FWSP); or
• The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).

Those with low CRS scores can look for ways to improve their CRS scores, such as learning French, gaining Canadian work experience, or getting a Canadian degree. Other factors such as having a sibling in Canada who is a citizen or permanent resident can also increase one’s score.

New Brunswick Express Entry stream

If you have a low CRS score but qualify for Express Entry, you can seek a provincial nomination through the NB PNP Express Entry stream, which will provide you with 600 additional CRS points if successful.

The NB PNP has excluded some, but not all, of the same occupations as the NB AIP:

Occupation	NOC Code
Accounting technicians and bookkeepers	12200
Administrative assistants	13110
Retail and wholesale trade managers	60020
Restaurant and food service managers	60030
Retail sales supervisors	62010
Food service supervisors	62020
Cooks	63200
Bakers	63202

If your occupation is not on the above table, you may be eligible for the NB PNP if you meet the other requirements.

The New Brunswick Express Entry stream will begin to accept new Expressions of Interest under two pathways in the coming weeks.

The New Brunswick Express Entry stream – Employment in New Brunswick pathway

To be eligible, you must:

• have a full-time, non-seasonal job or job offer from a New Brunswick employer; and
• have been living and working in New Brunswick for at least 12 months.

New Brunswick Express Entry stream – New Brunswick Interests pathway

• To be eligible for this stream, you must have received a letter of interest in your federal Express Entry profile.

New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot

You can also pursue permanent residency through the New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot.

To be eligible for this program, you must have a job offer from one of the following participating employers:

• Cooke Aquaculture.
• J.D. Irving Ltd.
• Groupe Savoie.
• Groupe Westco.
• Imperial Manufacturing Group.
• McCain Foods, Ltd.

The New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot is a five year pilot program designed to connect candidates with experience in specific sectors with select employers.

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