Canadian Business Visas

1. Atlantic Immigration Pilot

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot program was designed to assist Atlantic provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland) in filling employment positions for which they have been difficult to fill with local candidates. The program allows employers, in conjunction with their respective province, to select candidates whom they believe will be successful additions to both their business and their community.

There is a specific interest in ensuring that foreign nationals receive assistance in settling into their new community to ensure immigrant retention in the smaller communities that support the immigration process.

The program is available in the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island (PEI).

Each province has its own specific requirements, but the following is the general outline of the process:

• The employer works with a designated Settlement organization in their area to help prepare their workplace to welcome newcomers to Canada.

• The employer applies to the province to become a designated employer under the terms of the program.

• The employer locates a foreign national job candidate who meets the criteria of one of three program streams: 1) International Graduate Program; 2) High Skilled Worker Program; or 3) Intermediate Skilled Worker Program.

• The candidate connects with a settlement organization (through the employer or otherwise), and has a settlement needs assessment completed and a settlement plan issued, which they provide to their employer.

• The employer completes and submits a Provincial endorsement application, which will include an Offer of Employment form signed by both the employer and the candidate and proof of failed efforts to recruit for the position locally.

• The provincial office then endorses the Offer of Employment form and issues an Endorsement Letter to the candidate.

• The candidate uses the Endorsement Letter to apply for permanent residence with the federal government.

Processing time for the permanent residence portion of the application is estimated at six months or less.

2. Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot

For individuals interested in working and living in the Canadian North, the federal government is currently developing a permanent residence program to increase immigration into Canada’s northern communities. This program will allow the communities to endorse candidates as potential permanent residents based on the community’s economic needs.

Although the terms of the program have not yet been released, the rural and northern communities selected for the pilot program include the following:

• North Bay, Ontario

• Sudbury, Ontario

• Timmins, Ontario

• Sault St. Marie, Ontario

• Thunder Bay, Ontario

• Brandon, Manitoba

• Rhineland / Plum Coulee / Gretna / Altona, Manitoba

• Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan

• Claresholm, Alberta

• Vernon, British Columbia

• West Kootenay, British Columbia