Immigration to Canada
Atlantic Program
Canadian immigration
The program was launched in 2017. Initially as a pilot, but the government was pleased with its results, so it was relaunched in 2022 and is now operating on a permanent basis.

The program was developed by the federal government in conjunction with 4 Atlantic provinces:

  • New Brunswick.
  • Newfoundland and Labrador.
  • Prince Edward Island.
  • Nova Scotia.
The main goal is to attract people to these provinces to fill empty jobs and increase population.
The Atlantic program is so popular in 2023 because it has simplified requirements compared to most other immigration programs.

The Atlantic Program is officially relaunching!
On January 1, 2023, it was officially announced that the Atlantic Program would no longer be a Pilot Program and would operate on a permanent basis. Immigration applications were resumed on March 6, 2022.

Advantages and disadvantages

The pros of immigrating under the Atlantic provinces program include:

  • below average language proficiency - 4 or 5 CLB (depends on the profession);
  • compared to the Express Entry program you need to show less money for moving (4,281 CAD / 293,632 rubles for two persons);
  • age is not important - the main thing is to be of legal age;
  • for some professions (more details below) it is enough to have secondary education - 11 grades;
  • work experience for the last 5 years - 1 year;
  • Canadian employers are interested in finding workers;
  • employers do not need to obtain an LMIA to hire you;
  • if you have a job-offer and meet the program selection criteria, you can go to work in your province until the immigration process is complete.

Disadvantages include:

  • small number of slots available: 8,500, 11,500, 14,500 - targets for 2023, 2024 and 2025. Consequently, high competition;
  • one advantage that could be a disadvantage: low language requirements. With 4 CLBs, it may be more difficult to find an employer;
  • dependence on an employer who, for whatever reason, may flag a job invitation, resulting in a PR rejection. And you, for example, have already bought your tickets, quit your job, sold your car.

How to immigrate under the Atlantic program

To immigrate to Canada from Ukraine and other CIS countries under this program, first of all you need to study the program requirements and understand whether you are suitable or not. If yes, proceed to the next step, if not, then figure out why and improve the necessary characteristics.

Meet the requirements of the Atlantic Program

The selection criteria are related to:

  • education and work experience;
  • English or French proficiency;
  • financial situation;
  • the profession in which you will be working in the Atlantic province.
Let's break down each requirement in more detail below.

Work Experience

You must have worked at least 1,560 hours in the last 5 years. A year of full-time work (30 hours or more per week) is sufficient to qualify.

When calculating hours:

  • both full-time and non-full-time work can be considered;
  • work must be paid; volunteering and unpaid internships do not count;
  • a minimum of 12 months of work experience. That is, working 60 hours a week and gaining the required 1,560 in six months will not be possible;
  • work experience during training can be taken into account, but the working hours must not exceed the allowed (part-time, as a rule);
  • self-employed (self-employed / freelancers) work experience is not taken into account.
Occupation must be TEER level 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 in the NOC.
No work experience is required for local graduates as long as they meet all requirements:

Have earned a degree or certificate in education:

  • whose studies lasted at least 2 years;
  • from an authorized educational institution.
  • have been in full-time education for the entire time;
  • have resided for at least 16 months during the last 2 years of study in an Atlantic province;
  • had a valid training/work authorization while residing in the province.

Education

Depending on your occupation (code in the NOC), the education requirements are different:

  • For NOC TEER 0 or 1, a minimum of one year of post-secondary education;
  • For NOC TEER 2, 3 or 4, a minimum of 11 years of post-secondary education.
If the education was obtained outside of Canada, it must be validated by going through the Diploma Evaluation process. This is most often done through WES.

Language proficiency

To immigrate under the Atlantic program, you will need to provide the results of a language test in English or French. The following are most commonly used for this purpose:

  • IELTS for English;
  • TEF Canada for French.
The results of these tests are translated into CLB level.

Depending on your profession (code in NOC), the language level requirements are different:

  • for NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 - CLB 5 and above;
  • for NOC TEER 4 - CLB 4 or higher.
Language test results are valid for 2 years.
Funds

In order to participate in all Atlantic subprograms, you must prove that you have funds that will be used to settle in your new country. The current requirements are as follows:

Proof of funds
For the calculation, it is worth considering:

  • spouse or civil partner;
  • children.

Family members should be included even if they are not immigrating with you.

Find an employer and get a job offer

The main requirement of the program is to have a job invitation from an employer in one of these provinces. The main advantage of employment under this program is that the employer does not need to obtain an LMIA.

LMIA is a document that Canadian employers must obtain in order to hire foreigners. It is often the reason why it is so difficult for CIS residents to find a job in Canada.

The Job Offeror must be:


  • made on the IMM0157 form;
  • issued by an employer who also participates in this program;
  • for NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 must be valid for at least 1 year (starting from the day you become a permanent resident of Canada);
  • for NOC TEER 4 must be on a permanent basis, i.e., no expiration date;
  • cannot be issued by a company that you or a spouse owns;
  • for full-time employment (30 hours or more per week). Also, the job must not be seasonal.

There are also requirements for Job Offer skill level and work experience.


Matching Job Offer skill level and work experience


This means that if your previous experience is, for example, TEER level 1, you will only be able to look for a job at TEER level 0 or 1. A programmer cannot get a job as a hairdresser.

The requirements in the table above do not apply to those who immigrate under this program as a graduate of a local university and if the job offer is NOC 33102 or 44101 and your work experience is NOC 32101 or 31301.

Does the work experience have to match the NOC code from the Job Offer

This used to be a popular question because there were no specifics on the Canadian website. Now it's simple - the matching table above.
List of program employers
The presence of employers on these lists does not mean that they are actively looking for new employees right now. This is simply a listing of those who have been approved by the province.
We recommend that you consider this very carefully. It's not just finding any employer that's important here. It's important that this person can be trusted. To be sure that he will not withdraw his invitation to work for him at the last moment.
All these fears are connected with the fact that there was a bad experience of one family: they found a job, got a job offer, submitted all the documents, sold the house, bought tickets. And at the very end it turned out that the employer withdrew the joboffer and the application was rejected.

Get an occupancy plan

You and all family members over the age of 18 must get a settlement plan.

What it is for:

  • Helps you get settled in Canada;
  • Tells you where you can go for help;
  • It gives you resources and links that are relevant to you and your family.
The plan is free of charge. To do this, contact one of the organizations (at the end of the page) that do this. If you are already in Canada, you will need to choose a company that is located in the area where you work.

Once the plan is ready, send a copy to your employer. Also keep a copy for yourself. If you are outside Canada, you should take the plan with you.

Get support from the province

Once you have your plan in place, you need to get the joboffer's jobapproval. The employer is responsible for this process. He fills out a special form and submits it to the province. He also attaches your settlement plan.
If the province approves the job offer, you will receive a Certificate of Endorsement in the mail. You must include this in your application packet.

Gathering documents and submitting your application

At this point, you will need to prepare your application package and pay the fees. Starting October 21, the application is submitted online.

  • processing fees: 1,365 CAD (for the main applicant and his/her partner or spouse), 230 CAD for each child, 85 CAD for biometrics per person, 170 per family;
  • processing time: 5 months on average in 2023.
Still have questions?
To select a program or assess your chances of immigration, and if you still have any questions about immigration, write to us using this form.
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