ATLANTIC

IMMIGRATION
PROGRAM

New Brunswick
Endorsement Application Guidelines

Last Updated: June 2022

Endorsement Application Guidelines Atlantic Immigration Program
June 2022

ACRONYM GLOSSARY

AIP – Atlantic Immigration Program

ECA – Educational Credential Assessment

IRCC – Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

IRPA – Immigration and Refugee Protection Act

IRPR – Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations

PR – Permanent Resident

TR – Temporary Resident

PA – Principal Applicant

SPO – Service Provider Organization

MOU – Memorandum of Understanding

LMIA – Labour Market Impact Assessment

TFW – Temporary Foreign Worker

NOC – National Occupational Classification

2
Endorsement Application Guidelines Atlantic Immigration Program
June 2022

ENDORSEMENT APPLICATION FORM

Designated employers who have identified a candidate able to fill an existing vacancy are required to complete
the Endorsement Application for each Principal Applicant. Endorsement is required before an applicant can
apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada for a work permit and Permanent Residency.

The endorsement process confirms:

1. Application Program

2. Position Information

3. Recruitment Activities

4. Principal Applicant’s Information

5. Commitment to settlement supports

APPLICATION PROGRAM SECTION

Employers must also indicate the previous work experience that qualifies the Principal Applicant for the specific
application category.

It is necessary to complete the table, indicating the candidate’s work experience, duration of employment, the
position, associated NOC code, employer and the location of the job.

POSITION INFORMATION SECTION

The province will require information on the position that the Principal Applicant is expected to fill if their
application for permanent residence is approved by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Please
complete the position description section to provide these details. Ensure that your job advertisement
correlates to the job description and that it clearly lists all requirements of the position contained in the job
advertisement.

Employer must ensure the job offer is sufficient to attract and retain Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
The wages offered must fall within the range of wages for that particular occupation within the specified region,
as identified by the federal government. The language requirement for the position must only be English or
French.

You must attach a copy of the position description, accepted job offer, as well as a completed federal Offer of
Employment to a Foreign National form (IMM 5650), with this endorsement application.

Failure to provide the intended hours of work, salary and other terms and conditions of the Endorsement and
Designation may also result in suspension from the Program.

3
Endorsement Application Guidelines Atlantic Immigration Program
June 2022

Employers are required to notify the Province of New Brunswick when the candidate arrives in Canada and
begins work.

JOB OFFER
LANGUAGE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE
NOC

0 CLB 5 Candidates must have a one- Candidate has accumulated 1 year

year Canadian post-secondary of work experience at the NOC 0, A,
program credential, or B or C level in the last 5 years.
equivalency (demonstrated by a
valid ECA).

A CLB 5 Candidates must have a one- Candidate has accumulated 1 year

year Canadian post-secondary of work experience at the NOC A, B
program credential, or or C level in the last 5 years.
equivalency (demonstrated by a
valid ECA).

B CLB 5 Candidates must have either a Candidate has accumulated 1 year

Canadian educational credential of work experience at the NOC B or
(high school) or equivalency C level in the last 5 years.
(demonstrated by a valid ECA).

C CLB 4, with employer Candidates must have either a Candidate has accumulated 1 year
commitment to support Canadian educational credential of work experience at the NOC C
the candidate in (high school) or equivalency level in the last 5 years.
increasing their level to (demonstrated by a valid ECA).
CLB 5

Atlantic NOC 0, A, B = CLB 5 Post-secondary educational No work experience required.

International credential issued by an
Graduate NOC C = CLB 4 institution in an Atlantic
province.

4
Endorsement Application Guidelines Atlantic Immigration Program
June 2022

RECRUITMENT ACTIVITIES SECTION

Employers must be diligent if using the services of an immigration representative, third-party recruiter, or
recruitment/placement agency to hire employees. Employers must follow fair recruitment practices, be cautious
in their hiring practices and respect applicable laws regarding the use of representatives and recruiters, where
they exist.

Employers must demonstrate that they have attempted to find workers through domestic recruitment activities
prior to recruiting for candidates abroad. The recruitment activities section asks that you provide details on
those efforts. Ensure that you have the verification of the dates your job advertisement was posted, copies of
the posting and a summary of the applications – indicating why a Canadian or Permanent Resident was not
selected. Do not provide personal identifying information for any unsuccessful candidates.

Advertisements must demonstrate that the print media and website used to advertise the job target an
audience in Canada that has the appropriate education, professional experience, language ability and skill level
required for that job.

If the Applicant is related to you please detail why this person was hired over the other candidates.

If the Applicant is a shareholder, director or investor in your business please detail why this person was hired
over the other candidates.

Please note that this program is not designed for self-employed applicants. If you are a self-employed
individual, you may wish to consider other immigration pathways.

You must also use the recruitment activities section to disclose whether you have obtained the assistance of an
immigration representative or a recruiter for any part of your recruitment or application process. Immigration
representatives whose services you obtain must be a member, in good standing, of one of the following
designated bodies:

• Lawyers and paralegals who are members in good standing of a Canadian provincial or territorial law
society;

• Notaries who are members in good standing of the Chambre des notaires du Québec; and,

• Immigration consultants who are members in good standing of the College of Immigration and
Citizenship Consultants.

5
Endorsement Application Guidelines Atlantic Immigration Program
June 2022

PRINCIPAL APPLICANT INFORMATION SECTION

The information obtained in this section is to provide the province with the additional details on the Principal
Applicant, including the composition of their family. Minimum information is requested in this section as
additional details will be provided as part of the settlement plan. Please ensure that a settlement plan is
completed for the Principal Applicant and their accompanying family member(s).

Note that while settlement information is only required for those individuals over the age of 18, details on all
accompanying family members must be provided in this section. Children younger than 18 will have their needs
assessed through their parent(s).

COMMITMENT TO SETTLEMENT SUPPORTS

The Commitment to Settlement Supports section identifies all employer responsibilities related to settlement
services for a candidate.

As part of the endorsement process, employers must ensure Principal Applicants contact an approved
immigrant settlement service provider organization to complete a settlement plan for themselves and their
accompanying family member(s). The Principal Applicant is to provide a copy of each individualized settlement
plan to the employer. Please refer to the attached list of immigrant settlement service provider organizations
approved to provide pre-endorsement settlement plans for Program participants.

NOTE: Employers must identify the preferred official language of the Principal Applicant. When the preferred
official language is French, the employer must refer the Principal Applicant to an immigrant settlement service
provider organization that provides services in French.

Note that the Principal Applicant and their accompanying family member(s) or the immigrant settlement service
provider organization have the right to exclude information that they deem sensitive from the version of the
individualized settlement plan provided to the employer for the purpose of endorsement. The settlement plan
may be updated once the Principal Applicant and their family arrives in Atlantic Canada should they receive
another settlement plan at their local immigrant settlement service provider organization.

Provinces review and approve Endorsement applications. Applications that do not include a settlement plan
completed by an approved immigrant settlement service provider organization will not be processed.
Furthermore, the provincial government monitors employer commitments and failure to support access to
settlement services as per the settlement plan may result in de-designation.

Employers must read the specific settlement commitments outlined in this section carefully. By signing the
Employer Declaration section of this form, you are committing to facilitate access to, provide, and/or pay for
settlement supports , where necessary, for the Principal Applicant and their accompanying family member(s) in

6
Endorsement Application Guidelines Atlantic Immigration Program
June 2022

the preferred Official Language of the applicant and their accompanying family member(s), as identified in their
settlement plans. This may include language training as needed for the Principal Applicant to reach level five of
the Canadian Language Benchmarks in English/niveau cinq des Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens in
French for the Principal Applicant;

It is important to note that, in cases where the Principal Applicant is accessing government-funded language
training programming, they are NOT entitled to priority access to these services. If government-funded service
providers do not have the capacity to provide services to Program applicants within the first three months of
arrival, employers will be responsible for arranging alternative language training options. Please contact your
local immigrant settlement service provider organization(s) to discuss availability of language training and other
settlement services.

TEMPORARY WORK PERMIT SECTION

Employers may request a provincial referral letter which, in combination with documents including a formal
commitment by the Principal Applicant to apply for permanent residence within ninety (90) days from the
submission of the application for a temporary work permit, would enable the candidate to apply for a
temporary work permit to support working in your province for your organization while the application for
permanent residence is processed.

IRCC requires applicants for AIP LMIA Exempt Work Permits (exemption code C18) to provide proof of language,
proof of education and proof of work experience. Please attach copies of the candidate’s language tests and
educational credential assessment or equivalent Canadian education to the application. Please ensure you have
fully documented the candidate’s qualifying work experience.

Please note that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has committed to a one-year processing
standard for all applications for permanent residence processed under the Atlantic Immigration Program.
Consequently, the Department expects that 80% of applicants will be provided with a decision on their
application for permanent residence within 12 months.

While the AIP is used to fill employers’ immediate labour needs, it is anticipated that most applicants who are
currently unable to work in Canada will require a temporary work permit. If you have indicated an immediate
labour need and requested a referral letter for a work permit, the endorsed candidate is expected to apply to
IRCC for a work permit as soon as possible and travel to Canada as soon as possible if the work permit is issued.
If the endorsed candidate does not do so for any reason, you must tell New Brunswick and provide an
explanation.

7
Endorsement Application Guidelines Atlantic Immigration Program
June 2022

ENDORSEMENT COMPLIANCE SECTION

The endorsement compliance section reviews program requirements where an endorsement will be rescinded if
the outlined conditions are not met or adhered to:

• Provincial endorsement may be rescinded, at the discretion of New Brunswick, when they become
aware of disqualifying information that was not included in the endorsement application.

• New Brunswick will rescind the endorsement upon becoming aware that the job offer is not genuine,
full-time and based on labour market need identified by the province, or that the identified candidate
listed in the endorsement does not have a genuine intent to fill the job offer listed in the endorsement
certificate.

• New Brunswick will rescind endorsements of foreign nationals who have received a job offer from an
employer who is de-designated and do not have an application for permanent residence under the
Program that has been accepted into processing by Canada.

• New Brunswick may, but is not required to, request additional documents from applicant to confirm
that they meet the federal criteria of the Program, and will not issue an endorsement if they are not
satisfied that the applicant meets the federal requirements.

• New Brunswick has the ability to not issue an endorsement when the applicant is on a study permit, has
not completed their studies and the offer of employment is at the NOC C skill level.

• New Brunswick in its sole discretion determines that an applicant or anyone associated with an
application to this Program or another provincial immigration program has committed fraud with
respect to an application submitted to New Brunswick under this Program or any other immigration
program for which New Brunswick has obligations under an agreement with Canada, New Brunswick
may refuse the application and reject any future applications submitted by that individual from the date
the determination is made and for a period of up to five (5) years thereafter.

EMPLOYER DECLARATION SECTION

NOTE: Your declaration in this section indicates that you have read, understand, and agree to abide by the
commitments outlined in this application form.

Should you not fully understand any aspect of the form, please contact the Atlantic Immigration Program
representative in your province.

8
Endorsement Application Guidelines Atlantic Immigration Program
June 2022

As an employer of a candidate, you are responsible for ensuring, to the best of your ability, that the information
provided in the Endorsement Application form is truthful, complete, and correct. You are also agreeing that you
have discussed the commitments required of the applicant under the Program, with the applicant.

EMPLOYEE DECLARATION
The Employee declaration indicates that the Principal Applicant agrees to participate in the Program per the
commitments outlined.

SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION

Ensure you have all the required documents

• Endorsement application form

• IMM5650 Job offer form
• Detailed job description
• Proof of recruitment efforts
• Evidence of the candidate’s previous work experience
• The Principal Applicant’s (including any accompanying family members’) Settlement Plan
• If the candidate is already in Canada, copy of their legal status in the country (work permit, visitor
permit or study permit)

FOR THE FIRST ENDORSEMENT APPLICATION UNDER THE ATLANTIC CANADA

IMMIGRATION PROGRAM ONLY:
• Proof of completion of mandatory onboarding training and intercultural competency training (IRCC will
share proof of training with provinces)

Once the Endorsement application has been approved, the Principal Applicant then applies to Immigration,
Refugees and Citizenship Canada for permanent residency.

QUESTIONS
If you have questions, please contact the Government of New Brunswick by email at [email protected]