Atlantic Immigration Pilot

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot is a creative approach to addressing our labour market challenges.

Employers in Nova Scotia can use the Pilot to hire foreign workers.

The Nova Scotia Office of Immigration and Population Growth (NSIPG) will be accepting designation applications under this pilot program until June 30, 2021. We are excited for the new Atlantic Immigration Program to launch January 1, 2022, and will be sharing information on the new program as it becomes available.

If you have immediate labour market needs, you may be interested in reviewing Nova Scotia’s Provincial Nominee Program.

Currently, transport truck drivers (NOC 7511) applications are not being accepted by Nova Scotia’s Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program. Transport trucking employers are encouraged to use the Nova Scotia Nominee Program’s Occupations in Demand stream, which is dedicated for transport truck drivers and continuing care assistants.

Individuals cannot apply for the pilot. We encourage individuals with an interest in the program to find a job offer. The employer may be designated or may choose to become designated when they find a foreign national they wish to hire.

Eligibility

Employers looking to fill labour gaps through the Pilot must first be approved for eligibility by being designated and then have their positions endorsed by the Province.

Once the employer’s positions are endorsed, candidate(s) identified by the employer can apply for permanent residency directly to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

The foreign worker can also access temporary pathways (i.e., obtain a work permit) while waiting for permanent residency.

To become designated, an employer must:

Have a business operating in good standing
Provide information on labour needs
Commit to working with a service provider organization on settlement and retention

To become endorsed, an employer must:

Demonstrate efforts to hire locally have not been successful
Recruit a foreign worker
Provide a valid, full-time, non-seasonal job offer co-signed with the foreign worker
Provide an individualized settlement plan co-signed with the foreign worker

How Employers Apply

Contact our Employer Support Team
Review the Designation Guide
Complete the application form and submit all required information and attachments

Application guide, forms and policies

Did You Know? (commonly asked questions) (143K pdf)
Employer Designation Guide (387K pdf)
Changes – Employer Designation Guide (77k pdf)
Employer Designation Form (387K pdf)
Guidelines for Endorsement (379K pdf)
Changes – Guidelines for Endorsement (78K pdf)
Common NSOI Policies
Endorsement Application (539K pdf)
Endorsement Re-Issue Request (147K pdf)
Offer of Employment (838K pdf)
Required Recruitment Activities ( 188K pdf)
Employer Endorsement Agreement ( 62K pdf)
Process for LMIA-Exempt Work Permits ( 101K pdf)

Designations List

The business names of designated employers.

Contact Information

To learn more about the Pilot, please contact our Employer Support Team. We’re here to help.

Nova Scotia Office of Immigration and Population Growth
1469 Brenton Street, 3rd floor
PO Box 1535
Halifax, NS, Canada
B3J 2Y3

902-424-5230
1 (877) 292-9597
immigration@novascotia.ca