The New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) is New Brunswick’s principal immigration programme for foreign workers and entrepreneurs.
New Brunswick is one of the provinces of eastern Canada and part of the Maritime provinces. It is also the only officially bilingual province in Canada, with around 30% of the population speaking French as their mother tongue.
Through the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP), prospective immigrants whose skills and experience match the province’s objectives can obtain a New Brunswick provincial nomination certificate.
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Overview
The largest of Canada’s three Maritime provinces, New Brunswick lies below Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula and borders the American state of Maine.
New Brunswick offers excellent employment opportunities and a low cost of living compared with some of Canada’s larger provinces. Newcomers to New Brunswick can choose to live in small towns or in larger cities such as Fredericton, Saint John and Moncton. The province is also known for its beautiful lakes and rivers and its many outdoor recreation sites.
Prospective immigrants whose skills and experience match the province’s objectives can obtain a provincial nomination through New Brunswick’sProvincial Nominee Program (PNP).
Those who wish to immigrate to New Brunswick currently have five immigration streams to choose from.
Read more about theNB PNP programme requirements.
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Express Entry
Detailed article on theExpress Entry category.
This stream allows the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) to use the federalExpress Entryimmigration selection system to meet New Brunswick’s specific labour market and population needs. The stream operates on an Expression of Interest (EOI) model.
Minimum requirements:
- Must have an active Express Entry profile
- Must have a Job Seeker Validation Code or proof of enrolment in a programme eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) at aDesignated Learning Institution in Canada (DLI)
- Must be living in New Brunswick
- Must have valid language test results in English or French equivalent toCanadian Language Benchmarklevel 7 (CLB 7)
Skilled Worker
Detailed article on thethe Skilled Worker category.
New Brunswick accepts applications under this stream from individuals who have received a full-time, long-term job offer from a New Brunswick employer.
Minimum requirements:
- Must demonstrate the intention to reside in New Brunswick
- Must have a full-time, long-term job offer from an eligible New Brunswick employer and a letter of support from them
- Must hold at least a Canadian secondary school diploma (grade 12) or a foreign secondary qualification equivalent to a Canadian credential
- Must be aged 19-55
- Must have valid language test results in English or French equivalent to Canadian Language Benchmark level 4 (CLB 4)
Business Immigration
Detailed article on theBusiness Immigration category.
New Brunswick accepts applications under this stream from individuals who plan to own and actively manage a business in New Brunswick. New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) candidates are expected to make a financial investment in the business.
Minimum requirements
- Must have an eligible connection to New Brunswick in order to submit an expression of interest
- Must have completed an academic qualification from a college or university requiring at least three years of full-time study, or a certificate in a specific trade requiring at least two years of full-time study
- Must demonstrate a minimum personal net worth of at least CAD$600,000. At least CAD$300,000 of that net worth must be readily available and unencumbered
- Must be aged 22-55
- Must have valid language test results in English or French equivalent to Canadian Language Benchmark level 5 (CLB 5)
Strategic Initiative
Detailed article on theNBPNP Strategic Initiative
The New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) Strategic Initiative stream is designed for French-speaking workers whose skills, education and work experience will contribute to the provincial economy, and who wish to live and work in the province long term.
Minimum requirements:
- Must intend to reside in New Brunswick
- Must have an eligible connection to New Brunswick
- Must hold at least a Canadian secondary school diploma (grade 12) or a foreign secondary qualification equivalent to a Canadian credential
- Must have the required settlement funds
- Must be aged 19-55
- Must have valid French language test results equivalent to Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) 5
Critical Worker Pilot
Detailed article on theCritical Worker Pilot category.
Introduced in November 2022, the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) Critical Worker Pilot is a distinctive programme allowing designated employers in New Brunswick to recruit foreign talent to meet their workforce needs.
Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)
Detailed article on theAtlantic Immigration Program (AIP).
New Brunswick is one of the four participating Atlantic provinces working with the Government of Canada to recruit foreign workers to address labour market shortages in Atlantic Canada. Foreign nationals wishing to take part in the Atlantic Immigration Program may be living abroad or hold temporary status in Canada at the time of application.
All candidates under the pilot must have a job offer from a designated employer that meets the programme requirements.
Read more about the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) on the provincial website athere.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
The New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) is a programme that allows New Brunswick to nominate immigrants in order to meet the province’s economic and labour market needs.
Yes, New Brunswick has an immigration stream linked to the federalExpress Entryimmigration selection system, known as an enhanced Express Entry stream. It is called theExpress Entry New BrunswickStream. By obtaining an enhanced provincial nomination through this stream, candidates are awarded an additional 600 pointsThe Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), leading to the issuance ofInvitation to Apply (ITA)to apply for permanent residence in one of the next rounds of invitations from the Express Entry pool.
Applying to the NBPNP is a two-step process. Candidates who wish to live and work in New Brunswick on a long-term basis should first review the various NBPNP streams to determine whether they are eligible.
- Step 1: Once a complete application has been submitted together with all supporting documents, processing times for eligible applications can take up to three months or longer.
- Step 2: Apply for a permanent resident visa forImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Within six months of receiving the nomination certificate, the candidate must apply to IRCC for a permanent resident visa. The candidate, together with a spouse or common-law partner and any dependants, must meet all medical, security and criminal record requirements. IRCC has final authority over the issuance of the permanent resident visa.
Under any PNP application, the candidate must submit a Settlement Plan setting out why they wish to live in the province and how they intend to settle there. The candidate must also sign an ‘intention to reside’ document along with the application.
That said, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees that all Canadian citizens and permanent residents may work and live anywhere in Canada. Once an individual obtains permanent resident status in Canada, they have the right to work and live in any Canadian province or territory.
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