Employer Designation

Employers in Atlantic Canada who wish to hire foreign talent through the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP) must first receive employer designation.

The AIPP is an immigration pilot program, introduced in 2017 for a three-year period. It allows eligible skilled workers, intermediate level workers, and international graduates to become permanent residents of Canada and immigrate to one of the Atlantic provinces, namely Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

All programs under the AIPP are employer-driven, meaning that applicants require a job offer in order to satisfy the criteria. As such, local employers play a big role in the process.

There is no Labour Market Impact Assessment process under the AIPP. However, employers must still follow a few steps in order to hire through this program.

Under the AIPP, employers also work with settlement service provider organizations in their province. This will help newcomers settle and integrate in Canada.

The employer designation process and settlement service provider organizations are different for each province:

In all cases, the employer must send the job offer, the settlement plan for each adult family member, and an endorsement application to the province for review. If the province approves the application, they will send the applicant/candidate an endorsement letter. This letter must be included with the immigration application.

Nova Scotia AIPP employer requirements

Employers in Nova Scotia looking to fill persistent labour gaps through the AIPP must first be approved for eligibility by being designatedand then endorsed by the province.

To become designated, an employer must:

  • Have a business operating in good standing;
  • Provide information on labour needs; and
  • 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; and
  • Provide an individualized settlement plan co-signed with the foreign worker.

Employers must also work with a settlement service provider in the province. See below for a list of currently available providers.

The following providers are recognized by IRCC for the purposes of providing settlement services to newcomers arriving under the AIPP.

OrganizationAddressEmailPhone
African Diaspora Association of the Maritimes3200 Kempt Road, Suite 202
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3K 4X1		information@adamns.ca902-404-3670
Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre204 Kirk Place, 219 Main St.
Antigonish, Nova Scotia
B2G 2C1		info@awrcsasa.ca902-863-6221
Fédération acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse54 Queen St. 
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia		fane@federationacadienne.ca902-433-0065
Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia6960 Mumford Road, Suite 2120 (second floor)
Halifax, Nova Scotia		info@isans.ca902-423-3607
New Dawn Enterprises106 Townsend St.
Sydney, Nova Scotia
B1P 5E1		newdawn@newdawn.ca902-539-9560
YMCA of Greater Halifax / Dartmouth65 Main Avenue
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3M 1A4		yis@ymca.ca902-457-9622

New Brunswick AIPP employer requirements

Employers in New Brunswick interested in participating in the AIPP must meet the following designation criteria:

  • The employer wants to hire full-time, non-seasonal international candidates;
  • The employer and their business are well-established and in good standing; and
  • The employer is committed to meet the settlement needs of international candidate(s) and accompanying family members.

The following providers are recognized by IRCC for the purposes of providing settlement services to newcomers arriving under the AIPP.

OrganizationAddressEmailPhone
Association Multiculturelle du Restigouche95 Roseberry St.
Campbellton, New Brunswick
E3N 3G1		Info.amr-rma@nb.aibn.com506-789-7747
Centre de ressources pour nouveaux arrivants au Nord-Ouest Inc.167 Boulevard Hébert, 
Edmundston, New Brunswick
E3V 4H2		info@crna.ca506-735-0604
Comité d’accueil, d’intégration et d’établissement des nouveaux arrivants de la Péninsule acadienne22 Boulevard St-Pierre Est 
Caraquet, New Brunswick 
E1W 1B6		coor.caiena-pa@bellaliant.com506-727-0185
Comité d’accueil, d’intégration et d’établissement des nouveaux arrivants de la Péninsule acadienne22 Boulevard St-Pierre Est
Halifax, Nova Scotia		info@isans.ca902-423-3607
Le Centre d’accueil et d’accompagnement francophone des immigrants du Sud-Est du Nouveau-Brunswick inc.154 Queen St.
Moncton, New Brunswick		info@cafi-nb.org506-382-7494
Multicultural Association Chaleur Region Inc.645 Murray Avenue, Suite 1 
Bathurst, New Brunswick
E2A 1T9		info@macr-amrc.ca506-547-7651
Multicultural Association of Carleton County Inc.330 Centreville Road, Unit 4
Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick
E7M 2H3		staff@maccnb.ca506-392-6011
Multicultural Association of Charlotte County37 Main Street
St George, New Brunswick
E5C 3H9		info@ccmanb.com506-755-9295
Multicultural Association of Fredericton28 Saunders St.
Fredericton, New Brunswick
E3B 1N1		mmcaf@mcaf.nb.ca506-454-8292
Multicultural Association of the Greater Moncton Area22 Church St., Suite C170
Moncton, New Brunswick
EIC 0P7		info@magma-amgm.org506-858-9659
Saint John Multicultural & Newcomer Resource Centre Inc.165 Union St., 4th floor
Saint John, New Brunswick
E2L 5C7		info@sjmnrc.ca506-642-4242
YMCA of Greater Saint John191 Churchill Boulevard
Saint John, New Brunswick
E2L 5C7		newcomerconnections@saintjohnY.com506-634-4860

Prince Edward Island AIPP employer requirements

Employers in PEI interested in participating in the AIPP must meet the following designation criteria.

The employer must:

  • Want to hire full-time, non-seasonal international candidates;
  • Be in good standing with provincial and federal standards and legislation;
  • Demonstrate preparedness to receive and meet the settlement needs of international candidate(s) and accompanying family members, and agree to do so; and
  • Understand and agree to the reporting requirements for the program.

The Employer Designation Application Form must be completed before you can apply for endorsement of a foreign national under the Atlantic Immigration Pilot. Designated employers are eligible to apply for endorsement of a foreign national they wish to hire.

The following providers are recognized by IRCC for the purposes of providing settlement services to newcomers arriving under the AIPP.

OrganizationAddressEmailPhone
La Coopérative d’intégration francophone de l’Ile-du-Prince-Édouard5 Maris Stella Avenue,
Summerside, Prince Edward Island
B3K 4X1		info@cifipe.ca902-888-1687
PEI Association for Newcomers to Canada49 Water St.
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
C1A 1A3		 902-628-6009

Newfoundland and Labrador AIPP employer requirements

Designation is the first step for employers in Newfoundland and Labrador interested in participating in the AIPP. The designation process is designed to confirm that:

  • The AIPP is the immigration program best suited to address the employer’s needs;
  • The employer wants to hire full-time, non-seasonal international candidates;
  • The employer and their business is established and in good standing as per the program guidelines;
  • The employer has demonstrated their preparedness to receive and meet the settlement needs of international candidate(s) and accompanying family members, and has agreed to do so; and,
  • The employer understands and agrees to the reporting requirements for the program.

The following providers are recognized by IRCC for the purposes of providing settlement services to newcomers arriving under the AIPP.

OrganizationAddressEmailPhone
Association for New Canadians144 Military Road
St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador
B3K 4X1		settlement@nfld.net709-722-9680
Fédération des Francophones de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador -Centre communautaire des Grands-Vents65 Ridge Road, Suite 233
Saint-Jean, Newfoundland and Labrador
A1B 4P5		 709-757-2826