Atlantic Immigration Program

The whole program rests on a single piece of paper: a job offer from an employer in Atlantic Canada that holds designated status. A designated employer is a business the provincial government has already cleared to hire through this program. Without that offer there is no application, so finding the job is where you really begin. The program overview explains what counts.

The employer carries the approval, not you. Before any employer in the region can hire you through this route, the province where the job sits must first designate that business. If the employer you are speaking with has no designation, the offer will not count here.

To be considered for permanent residence under this program, the eligibility rules require all of the following:

• A job offer that qualifies: it must come from a designated employer in the Atlantic region.
• Work experience that meets the bar. Recent graduates of a recognized college or university in Atlantic Canada may not need this.
• Education at the level the offered job requires.
• Language proof in the form of scores from an approved test.
• Money to support yourself and your family once you arrive in Canada. If you already live and work in Canada on a valid work permit, you can skip this proof.
• A settlement plan prepared by a service provider organization.

You get this plan from a service provider organization, and you need it before you apply, so it's worth arranging early.

The language test counts because the program wants official proof, not your own estimate. Our CLB calculator converts common test scores into the levels Canada uses, so you can compare one test against another.

A permanent residence decision takes time, and you might be able to begin the job while the decision is still pending. If you need a work permit, you may receive a support letter and may be able to apply for a permit while your permanent residence application is being processed. See the how to immigrate guide for details.

This step is not for everyone. The letter and the permit only matter if your situation needs a permit, so check your own circumstances first.

At the moment, the official processing times tool reports a wait of roughly 26 months for this program's permanent residence applications. The numbers below come from the same tool and shift as workloads shift, so read them as a snapshot, not a guarantee.

The wait shown here stops before your biometrics appointment, so plan for a little extra time for that step, as the official guide notes. Our processing times page carries the newest figures for every programme.

No, it does not. Express Entry scores people by points and invites the top scorers in each round. For this program, you need a qualifying offer from a designated employer and must meet the other eligibility requirements.

Plenty of people weigh both paths. Our latest draw page lists every 2026 round.

IRCC posts a guide for candidates as a 271 KB PDF, which you can find via the how-to-immigrate page.

If you are unsure which job category your offer fits, our Find my NOC search covers every one of the 516 occupation groups and lists the skill level of each. This site exists to help you understand the program, not to give immigration advice, and it has no connection to IRCC.