Before you can apply for permanent residence through the Atlantic Immigration Pilot, you must first receive an Endorsement Letter from an Atlantic Province. Each province has its own application and endorsement procedures. However, IRCC has the authority to make the final decision on an application for permanent residence using existing selection and admissibility criteria. This includes security, criminal, and medical screening for candidates with Atlantic Endorsement letters and valid job offers in one of the Atlantic Provinces.

Job offers

The Atlantic Internal Graduate Program is also an employer-driven program, and therefore all applicants are required to obtain a valid job offer when they apply for the permanent residency. The job offer must be from the from a designated employer in one of the four Atlantic provinces. The job offer should be for full-time employment for at least one year and should be non- seasonal.  The job should fall under skilled  professions (i.e. in a managerial, professional, or technical/trades position at skill type 0, A or, B of the National Occupational Classification [NOC]) and it should be supported by a provincial certificate of endorsement from the province that indicates that the job offer is genuine and that a needs assessment has been completed and a settlement plan is in place for the applicant and each member of the family.

Education

Applicants to Atlantic International Graduate Program must have obtained a obtained a degree, diploma, certificate or trade or apprenticeship credential following completion of a post-secondary education program of at least two years from a recognized publicly-funded institution in Atlantic Canada (i.e. in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, or Newfoundland and Labrador). Applicant must have enrolled as a full-time student in Canada for a minimum of two years and have lived in the Atlantic Provinces for at least 16 months within the 24-month period before their credential was granted.  The final requirement is that the applicant must have had a valid or legal temporary resident status throughout their stay in Canada and had authorization for any work, study or training they engaged in while in Canada.

Applicants can add their international degrees or diplomas obtained from their home countries but such degree or diplomas should have been evaluated within 24 months before the date of application. 

Language Ability

The program requires that all the applicants must prove language ability of at least Canadian Language Benchmark of 4. The language ability can either be in English or in French.  IELTS (General test only), CELPIP (Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program) — General test only or TEF (Test d’évaluation de français) or Test de connaissance du français (TCF Canada) are accepted for the application. Language test results must be less than two years old at the time the application is submitted. 

Proof of Funds 

You must show that you have enough money to support yourself and your family after you get to Canada unless you are working in Canada under a valid work permit.

The table shows how much money is needed as a proof of funds. This money should not be borrowed and can be spent when you are settling in Canada.