Paper-based process

In the paper-based process:

Upon applying to a province based on if you are eligible and once nominated under a non-Express Entry stream you submit a paper application for permanent residence to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

You have to pass a medical exam and get a police check (certificate). Everyone must have these checks, no matter where you plan to live in Canada. Application processing times are longer than through Express Entry.

Express Entry Process

In the online Express Entry process, there are 2 ways to apply:

• Contact the province or territory and apply for a nomination under an Express Entry stream.
• Once province or territory agrees to nominate you, you create an Express Entry profile (or update your profile if you already have one) and show you have been nominated.

OR

• You create an Express Entry profile and show the provinces and territories you are interested in.
• If a province or territory sends you a “notification of interest” to your account, you contact them directly.
• You apply to their Express Entry stream:
  • If you are nominated, the province will offer it to you through your account, and you accept it electronically.

In both cases:

• You must meet the eligibility requirements of the province or territory. And,
• You must submit an Express Entry profile and show that you meet the minimum criteria for Express Entry, including being eligible for one of the immigration programs it covers.
• If you are invited to apply, you submit an electronic application to IRCC.

Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program – AIIP

The Atlantic Immigration pilot program is for employers in Atlantic Canada who can hire foreign skilled workers who want to immigrate to Atlantic Canada and international graduates who want to stay in Atlantic Canada after they graduate.

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program is for employers in Atlantic Canada who can hire qualified candidates for jobs you haven’t been able to fill locally. These candidates can be overseas or living in Canada temporarily.

There are 3 programs through which an employer can hire:

• Atlantic International Graduate Program- AIGP
• Atlantic High Skilled Program- AHSP
• Atlantic Intermediate Skilled Program- AISP

Each program has requirements that the employer and the candidate must meet.

Before the employer can make a job offer, you must be designated by the provincial government of the Atlantic province where the candidate will be working.

The four provinces that fall under the Atlantic are:

• Nova Scotia
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Prince Edward Island