Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program: Employer Designation

Map of the Atlantic provinces. See Image: in order toCanada provinces blank vide.png for additional information. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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 atosatisfy 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:

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

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 designated and 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.

Settlement service providers in Nova Scotia

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.

Settlement service providers in New Brunswick

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.

Settlement service providers in PEI

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.

Settlement service providers in Newfoundland and Labrador
Source: http://www.canadavisa.com/atlantic-immigration-pilot-program-employer-designation.html

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Is N.L. immigration plan too ambitious? 3 migrants share their thoughts

St. John's, Newfoundland (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Geoff Bartlett, CBC New

The Newfoundland and Labrador government's new immigration strategy aims to boost the number of people coming to the province from other countries by 50 per cent in the next five years — but what do immigrants already living here think of that plan?

CBC's St. John's Morning Show put together a panel of three immigrants who all said that employment is the key to keeping new citizens.  

Sean Charters (South Africa)

Sean Charters moved to St. John's 18 years ago from Johannesburg, South Africa to escape the crime and violence there.

"When I came there was the absolute sense of relief that you could relax in your own home," he said.

South Africa is the most southernmost country in Africa with a population of nearly 55,000,000 people. (Google Maps)

He likes the idea that Newfoundland and Labrador are open to accepting new immigrants, but wonders if setting a target of 50 per cent over five years is a sound plan.

Charters, who works in marketing and communications, would instead like to see a correlation between the number of jobs available in any given year, and a number of people allowed in.

"It's all very well saying you're going to have people coming and be a positive influence on society, but unless you have something for them to do it's difficult for them to stay," he said.

Bumble (Nigeria)

Memorial University business student Olubunmi Adetutu Ogunsakin, better known as Bunmibee, has been studying in St. John's for nearly two years, and feels much safer here than she did back home in Nigeria.

Nigeria is a country in West Africa with a population of roughly 188,465,000 people. (Google Maps)

Bunmibee would like to stay in the province to work when she finishes her degree, but said it all depends on job opportunities at the time.

"What I like most about St. John's is that the people are very nice," she said. "The environment here is kind of relaxed. I'm not really a big city person all of the time."

Romel Maligaya (Philippines)

More than seven years after being transferred to St. John's by his employer, Transocean, Romel Maligaya has lived previously in Trinidad and the Middle East, as well as his home in the Philippines.

Maligaya said his family still very much enjoys it here — and surprisingly even likes the weather.

The Philippines is a country in Southeast Asia with a population of about 101,000,000 people. (Google Maps)

"It's the peace and quiet. It's a really good place for families and small kids," he said. "The weather in the Philippines is dangerous. The snow doesn't damage homes here."

He shares the sentiment that the government's plan to bring in 50 per cent more immigrants in the next five years may be a little ambitious, and thinks 10 years would be more reasonable.

"They need to create jobs first and then bring people," said Maligaya, a chartered professional accountant. "There is a danger of people being unemployed or underemployed."

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/immigration-panel-newfoundland-1.4043649