To qualify for the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP), applicants must meet the following criteria:

Eligibility Requirements

1. Work Experience: You generally need to have qualifying work experience unless you are an international student who graduated from a recognized post-secondary institution in Atlantic Canada.
2. Educational Criteria: You must fulfill the educational requirements.
3. Language Proficiency: You must meet the language requirements.
4. Settlement Funds: You need to demonstrate sufficient settlement funds. However, if you are already living and working in Canada with a valid work permit, proof of funds is not required.

If you meet all these criteria, you can start looking for a job with a designated employer in Atlantic Canada.

Work Experience

To be eligible, you must have accumulated at least 1,560 hours of work experience in the last five years. Here’s how to calculate your hours:

Include both full-time and part-time job hours.
Only paid hours count; volunteer or unpaid work is not included.
Self-employed hours do not count.
You can consider work experience gained in Canada or abroad, provided you were legally authorized to work in Canada as a temporary resident.
Work hours must be accumulated over at least 12 months.
Hours worked while studying can count, as long as they comply with your study permit conditions.
Your work experience must fall under a National Occupational Classification (NOC) TEER category of 0, 1, 2, or 3.

Your work experience should align with the actions and main duties outlined in your NOC description.

International Graduates

International graduates from Canadian institutions are exempt from work experience requirements if they meet the following conditions:

They possess a degree, diploma, certificate, or trade/apprenticeship certification from a recognized post-secondary institution in one of the Atlantic provinces, and the program lasted at least two years.
They were full-time students throughout their studies.
They held the necessary visa or permit for work, study, or training during their time in Canada.
They lived in one of the Atlantic provinces for at least 16 months within the two years preceding their graduation.

Educational Requirements

For NOC TEER categories 0 or 1: You must have a one-year post-secondary educational credential or higher, or an equivalent from outside Canada.
For NOC TEER categories 2, 3, or 4: A Canadian high school diploma or an equivalent from outside Canada is required.
If your education was completed outside Canada, you must obtain an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) to verify that your qualifications meet Canadian standards. The ECA report must be less than five years old at the time IRCC receives your application.

Language Requirements

For NOC TEER categories 0 or 1 job offers: You need a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) level of 5.
For NOC TEER categories 2, 3, or 4 job offers: A CLB or NCLC level of 4 is required.
You must submit language test results from a designated testing organization, with results being less than two years old at the time of your application.

Settlement Funds

If you are already residing in Canada and working with a valid work permit, proof of funds is not necessary.
For all other applicants, you must demonstrate that you have enough money to support yourself and your family upon arrival in Canada. The required amount varies based on family size, including anyone you support who is not immigrating with you. Please refer to the specified table for exact amounts based on family size.