The best is yet to come
OK
Log out of UNA?
Log out
Cancel
Revolutionizing Immigration with AI
My Appointments
Welcome to UNA
Quota Exhausted. New Brunswick Suspends Acceptance of 2025 Atlantic Immigration Program Applications

Significant immigration policy adjustments have been reported from Canada's eastern province of New Brunswick. Provincial immigration authorities confirmed that effective April 4, 2025, the province has ceased accepting new provincial endorsement applications aimed at obtaining Permanent Residency (PR) through the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP). The primary reason is the rapid depletion of the province's allocated 1,250 AIP spots for the year, resulting in an early cap-out.

This decision to suspend application intake means that even endorsement applications submitted by designated employers after April 4th will not be approved. Furthermore, for the remainder of 2025, New Brunswick will not approve any new employers seeking designation under the AIP program.

However, for candidates who successfully submitted their provincial endorsement applications on or before the April 4th deadline (inclusive), their application processing will not be affected by this suspension and will continue according to normal procedures.

Other Atlantic Provinces' AIP Channels Remain Open, But with Limitations

Although New Brunswick's AIP channel is temporarily closed, opportunities have not entirely vanished for foreign skilled workers or international graduates hoping to immigrate to Canada through this program. Canada's other three Atlantic provinces—Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island (PEI)—have not yet reached their annual AIP quota limits and continue to accept provincial endorsement applications from designated employers.

Nevertheless, potential applicants need to pay close attention, as some provinces, aiming to more accurately match local labour market needs, have already implemented additional conditions for AIP applications. For example, Nova Scotia is currently accepting applications across all National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes except explicitly for NOC 62020 (food service supervisors). Meanwhile, Prince Edward Island announced earlier this year that its AIP program will focus on and only accept endorsement applications for workers in three key sectors: healthcare, construction, and manufacturing. As of this writing, Newfoundland and Labrador has not announced any specific restrictions for its AIP program.

Multiple Factors Behind the Early Quota Exhaustion

Compared to last year, when the province's AIP quota was only exhausted in September, this year's cap was reached on April 4th, more than five months earlier, indicating exceptionally intense application competition.

This early closure is related to New Brunswick's February 18th announcement that it would no longer provide endorsements for certain occupations under the AIP. A deeper underlying cause is the ripple effect of federal-level policy: the federal government significantly reduced the planned 2025 allocations for provincial immigration programs (including PNP and AIP) by as much as 50%. This adjustment stems from the Canadian federal government lowering its overall permanent resident intake targets in the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan.

The federal government is responsible for determining the annual quota distribution for each province's Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and the Atlantic provinces' AIP. With provincial allocations cut in half, the number of individuals provinces can nominate through the AIP has drastically decreased. Facing limited spots and surging applications, provinces have had to implement stricter selection measures, such as restricting eligible occupations or sectors, to ensure the immigration program more effectively serves urgent local labour market needs.

About the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)

The Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) is a collaborative immigration initiative between the Canadian federal government and the four Atlantic provinces, designed to attract and retain skilled workers and international graduates willing to work and live in these four provinces to meet local labour market demands.

The program is typically "employer-driven," meaning its core function is to help local employers find and hire qualified foreign talent to fill job vacancies. Employers wishing to hire overseas workers under AIP must first apply to their province and obtain "designated employer" status. Once designated, employers can submit a provincial endorsement application to the province after extending a valid job offer to a foreign candidate.

If the application is successful, the candidate will receive a Certificate of Endorsement. Holding this certificate and meeting other AIP eligibility criteria allows the candidate to formally apply for permanent residency to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

A key advantage of the AIP is that applicants, while waiting for their permanent residency application decision, can apply for a temporary work permit linked to the AIP program and their designated employer, allowing them to legally start working in Canada. According to information published by IRCC, the current standard processing time for PR applications submitted under the AIP is approximately 11 months.

For individuals who may not qualify for the AIP, exploring the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) offered by Canada's Atlantic provinces remains an alternative immigration pathway.

Tags
AIP
BC省发布2024年省提名年度报告:技术移民占绝对主导,幼教职业成最大赢家
British Columbia Releases 2024 PNP Annual Report: Skills Immigration Dominates, Early Childhood Education Emerges as Top-Nominated Field
The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) has recently released its 2024 annual statistical report. The report shows that the province successfully issued its full allocation of 8,000 nominations in 2024, with the Skills Immigration category accounting for a staggering 99%. A notable trend is that, driven by the provincial government's prioritization of Early Childhood Educators (ECEs), occupations in education and social services have surpassed the tech sector to become the category with the most nominees. Furthermore, the report provides a detailed breakdown of nominee salary levels, primary countries of origin, and confirms major changes made to immigration pathways for international students in 2024.
06/29/2025
加拿大为2025-2026年移民政策定调:计划增设新永久居民通道,并持续收紧临居管理
Canada Charts Course for 2025-2026 Immigration Policy: New PR Pathway Planned Amid Continued Tightening of Temporary Resident Rules
On June 20, 2025, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) unveiled its 2025-2026 Departmental Plan, setting a clear direction for immigration policy over the next two years. The plan introduces new immigration avenues for specific groups while continuing and reinforcing the policy of tightening controls on the temporary resident population, a trend that began in 2024. Key measures include proposing the conversion of the 'Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot' into a permanent immigration stream, creating a new work permit for the agriculture and fish processing sectors, adjusting eligibility for Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWPs) and Spousal Open Work Permits (SOWPs), and explicitly capping the temporary resident population at 5% of Canada's total population. These initiatives reflect the Canadian government's balancing act between attracting needed talent and alleviating pressure on domestic social services.
06/27/2025
加拿大快速通道一周内二度抽选,经验类移民迎重大利好
Canada's Express Entry Holds Second Draw in a Week, a Major Boost for Experience Class Candidates
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has once again issued invitations through the Express Entry system this week. This latest draw was exclusively for candidates in the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) who have prior work experience in Canada. A total of 3,000 candidates were invited to apply for permanent residence, with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 521. This marks the first time since February that IRCC has held large-scale CEC draws in consecutive weeks, sparking discussions about a potential shift in future immigration selection trends.
06/27/2025
加拿大移民部重大改革:全面调整毕业后工签(PGWP)合格专业,以应对2025年劳动力市场需求
Canada Overhauls PGWP-Eligible Programs to Align with 2025 Labour Market Demands
On June 25, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced a sweeping overhaul of the eligible fields of study for the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP). The changes, designed to align the program with Canada's projected labour market needs for 2025, introduce 119 new eligible programs while removing 178. The new policy heavily favors fields such as healthcare, education, and the trades, while significantly scaling back eligibility for programs in transport and agriculture. These adjustments will primarily impact international students in non-degree programs who apply for their study permit on or after November 1, 2024.
06/26/2025
2026年QS世界大学排名发布:麦吉尔大学荣登加拿大榜首,四所名校稳居全球百强
McGill University Named Canada's Top Institution in 2026 QS World University Rankings, with Four Schools in Global Top 100
The global higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) has released its highly anticipated 2026 World University Rankings. This year's edition highlights a major shift in Canada's top-tier academic landscape: McGill University in Montreal, ranked 27th globally, has surpassed the long-reigning University of Toronto (29th) to become the nation's highest-ranked institution. The University of British Columbia and the University of Alberta also secured their places within the global top 100. This article provides an in-depth analysis of the performance and key metrics of Canada's leading universities, along with an essential guide for prospective international students on applying for a Study Permit and a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP).
06/25/2025
加拿大移民“快速通道”最新动态:定向邀请省提名候选人,分数线维持高位
Canada's Express Entry Latest: Targeted Draw for Provincial Nominees as CRS Score Remains High
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently held another draw through the Express Entry system, this time exclusively targeting candidates who have received a provincial nomination. A total of 503 candidates were invited, with a minimum CRS score of 742. This draw continues the 2025 trend of focusing heavily on the Provincial Nominee Program. To date, the total number of Invitations to Apply (ITAs) issued this year is approaching 40,000. Concurrently, the department issued a strong reminder to all applicants regarding the necessity of ensuring the accuracy of their application information, warning that any form of misrepresentation will lead to severe consequences.
06/24/2025
新不伦瑞克省移民项目(NBPNP)六月密集抽选,两天四轮邀请逾600名候选人
New Brunswick Holds Intensive June PNP Draws, Inviting Over 600 Candidates in Four Rounds Across Two Days
On June 16 and 17, 2025, the province of New Brunswick held four rounds of draws through its Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP). In this series of draws, a total of 608 candidates received Invitations to Apply (ITAs) across four distinct pathways under the Skilled Worker and Express Entry streams. This high frequency of activity makes June the most active month for the NBPNP so far in 2025, bringing the province's year-to-date invitation total to 2,015. The draw results clearly indicate the province's focus on specific labour market needs and its preference for candidates with existing ties to New Brunswick through work or study.
06/23/2025
爱德华王子岛省提名最新抽签:重点关注三大行业,发出年度首个企业家邀请
PEI PNP Draw Focuses on Key Sectors, Issues First Entrepreneur Invitation of 2025
On June 19, 2025, Prince Edward Island (PEI) held its sixth Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draw of the year, issuing a total of 52 invitations to apply. A key highlight of this draw was the first invitation of 2025 issued under the entrepreneur stream. The draw also underscores the province's current immigration strategy, which prioritizes skilled workers in high-demand sectors such as healthcare, trades, and manufacturing to address urgent labour market needs.
06/22/2025
加拿大新政简化教师认证流程,为海外教育人才铺平移民之路
Canada Eases Path for Global Educators with Simplified Certification and New Immigration Stream
A new initiative, "Pathways to Teach Canada," has recently been launched to help internationally educated teachers obtain their professional certification in Canada more easily. Through a partnership with World Education Services (WES), the program provides a centralized portal for credential and language assessments, covering nine Canadian provinces and territories. This development, combined with the new education-specific category under Canada's federal Express Entry system, creates an unprecedented opportunity for education professionals worldwide to immigrate to Canada.
06/20/2025
加拿大移民新政效应显现:人口增长近乎停滞,第一季度增幅创近年新低
Canada's New Immigration Policies Take Effect: Population Growth Nears Standstill as Q1 Increase Hits Recent Low
Recent data from Statistics Canada reveals that national population growth nearly stalled in the first quarter of 2025, with an increase of only about 20,000 people, or 0.0%. This significant slowdown is primarily attributed to a series of restrictive immigration policies implemented by the federal government to address domestic pressures on housing and social services, including sharp cuts to temporary resident numbers and lower targets for permanent resident admissions. This article provides an in-depth analysis of the key policy measures driving this change and their specific impacts on various visa applicants.
06/20/2025
Sorry, your request failed
Please try again
OK