What is Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)?
The employer-driven Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) – formerly called Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP) – takes care of different demands of employers, labour markets, industrial domains, sectors dependent on skilled workers etc. Started in 2017, the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) has been made a permanent immigration pathway from January 2022 after evaluating its success in retaining young talented foreign skilled workers in Atlantic Canada. The AIP offers Canada immigration in four Atlantic provinces namely Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island. The Atlantic Immigration Program provides job opportunities to immigrants, foreign skilled workers, trained youth and professionals and helps them develop stable career in Canada.
According to recent reports, the federal government of Canada aims to welcome as many as 7,000 immigrants, professionals, trained youth, entrepreneurs and foreign skilled workers under AIP by 2022. The government is committed to provide job opportunities to immigrants, foreign skilled workers, professionals, international students and trained youth as well as fulfil demands of labour markets and various industries.
The Atlantic Immigration Program concludes on 31st December 2021. The Atlantic Immigration Program welcomes foreign skilled workers in Atlantic region of Canada, including international graduates (students), from the Atlantic Canada region.
The employer driven AIP welcomes candidates having relevant work experience, language proficiency, a valid job offer from a designated Canadian employer, skill training and a settlement plan.
Like other Canadian immigration gateways, the AIP process does not require Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) along with valid job offer. The other advantage of AIP process is lowering of language threshold for eligible candidates.
Once candidates accept valid job offer, the designated Canadian employer contacts the candidate with a designated settlement service provider organization to assess requirements of candidates as well as to develop a settlement plan in Atlantic province. It has been observed that in some cases designated employers support eligible candidates and their families to settle down under long-term integration plans. This really helps candidates to settle in Canada in a smooth manner. It is important to note that AIP processing time depends on documents as well as personal and professional details of candidates.
In order to successfully migrate to Canada, candidates must seek support from reliable immigration consultant in Dubai and Middle East like Key Global Immigration and must understand Atlantic Immigration Program requirements to avoid any miscommunication and delay in processing and documentation.
The Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) was launched to fulfil demands of labour market and resolve challenges posed by ageing population in the Atlantic regions of Canada. By inviting the global talent to work and settle in this part of Canada, the Canadian government aims bridge the skill gap as well as retain talented youth for longer duration in Canada. Generally, shortage of labour and skilled workers in Atlantic provinces make employers hire eligible candidates by offering them suitable jobs in Atlantic provinces under Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP).
Four Atlantic Provinces are –
➤ Nova Scotia
It is the biggest and wealthiest of the four Atlantic provinces. This province is popular for shipbuilding industry and naval bases. It is also famous for its rich natural resources, particularly coal and fishing. It offers jobs in tourism industry. Its provincial capital is Halifax.
➤ New Brunswick
It is majorly covered by forests. The key industries found in this Atlantic province include shipbuilding, gas stations, logging, lumber mills, media organizations, retail stores, and so on. The Bay of Fundy, which is home to the highest tides in the world, is also found in this province. Its provincial capital is Fredericton.
➤ Prince Edward Island
This smallest province in Canada in terms of both land area and population has industries like agriculture, potato farming, fisheries, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), tourism, aerospace, bio-science etc. People of different origins like Scottish, Irish, English and French have been residing in this province for many years now. The provincial industries have been employing immigrants, skilled workers and trained youth in last two decades under PEI PNP. Its provincial capital is Charlottetown.
➤ Newfoundland and Labrador
This Atlantic province is dependent on industries based on oil and petroleum; natural resources; tourism; general administration; healthcare etc. Its provincial capital is St John’s and people of different backgrounds stay here peacefully.
Also Read – Canada Provincial Nominee Program
There are three subcategories in Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP). It is important to note that candidates must fulfil all requirements of AIP in order to successfully migrate to the Atlantic region.
The AIP eligibility criteria are –
• Eligible candidate should have an education matching up to the Canadian High school diploma
• NOC skill type accepted for the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) is NOC ‘C’
• Minimum language score requirements for migration to Atlantic region is CLB 5
• Relevant work experience of the candidate should be in management, professional or skilled occupation
• Minimum language skills should be in either English or French languages
• Candidates should have enough funds to settle in the country
• Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) is a must requirement in all the subcategories of selection
The three immigration streams subcategories are –
➤ Atlantic High Skilled Program (AHSP) – This program is meant for skilled workers who have high school education to their credit and have attained a job offer for a full time continuous occupation in NOC skill type O, A or B from any of the Atlantic provinces of Canada. The other AIP requirements of the program include –
• Relevant work experience of the technical, managerial or professional field for one year. It must be a regular or full time paid work/job
• Language competency of reasonable stature
• Enough funds to settle in Canada
• Minimum high school education as per Canada education board standard
➤ Atlantic Intermediate Skilled program (AISP) – This program welcomes candidates, who have a minimum of high school education to their credit and a full-time continuous occupation in NOC skill type O, A, B or C from an Atlantic province in Canada. The AIP requirements for this program entail-
• Minimum language score in English or French
• Minimum high school education of Canadian standards
• Enough funds to support oneself and family
• Job specific training for a minimum period of one year
➤ Atlantic International Graduate Program (AIGP) – This program is for the graduates of international origin or students from other countries. Candidates must have a job offer of at least one year in NOC skill type O, A or B or C from an employer from the Atlantic provinces of Canada. The AIP requirements of this program are –
• A graduate degree or diploma to student’s (candidates’) credit
• Enough funds to support oneself and family to settle in Atlantic Canada
• Minimum language score in either English or French language
• Candidate should have lived in Canada Atlantic province for at least 16 months in the last two years
The common thread in all subcategories of immigration streams under Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) is requirement of a valid job offer. Hence, Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) is called an employer-driven pilot program.
The core reasons for the popularity of the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) program are the benefits offered by this program. Some of them are listed below:
• The NOC skill type C is a less acceptable skill in Express Entry stream, but it is a widely accepted skill in AIP
• Language requirements (threshold) under AIP are marginally low. Candidates having CLB 5 score can also utilize the benefits of selection in Atlantic provinces
• High secondary education is also sufficient for migration through AIP
Owing to these advantages, the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) has served as a good alternative to all those applicants, who have been unable to meet eligibility criteria of immigration of Express Entry program.
This latest initiative of the Canadian federal government is beneficial to both – Canadian employers and foreign skilled workers. Therefore, it has been made a permanent immigration gateway and employers are expected to hire huge number of immigrants, skilled workers, trained youth and professionals. Thus, helping a large number of applicants to migrate to Canada and work and settle in Atlantic provinces.
If an employer wishes to invite a skilled foreign worker to Atlantic Canada, then the employer must comply with all applicable immigration rules. A designated employer, who likes to take the advantage of Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) to help their business grow, are supposed to help hired employees (candidates) to settle in the allotted province.
Also Read:Canada Immigration Work Permit
If designated employers need to fill a job vacancy on a short notice, then they must access a temporary work permit in order to facilitate Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) to candidates and their families. In such cases, in order to successfully get through AIP requirements, candidates must fulfill:
• A valid job offer from Canadian employer
• A letter issued by the provincial authorities
• A commitment or willingness to apply for permanent residence within 90 days of the temporary work permit visa application.
Key Global Immigration has a successful track record (in Dubai, Middle East, India and so on) and it has helped a large number of people to successfully migrate to Canada without any hassles over the years. It facilitates pre-assessment of the application to all clients so that filing of the visa is done after full precautions and necessary steps are taken. It also provides personalized counselling to every candidate because every individual requirement is different and has to be dealt in specific manner. Contact Us NOW!!
