AIP combines federal eligibility with provincial employer designation and endorsement.
Four provinces
New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Employer-driven
The employer must first be designated by the province where the job is located.
Endorsement
The province reviews the job offer, settlement plan and file before IRCC application.
Different from PNP
AIP is a separate federal regional program; an AIP endorsement is not a provincial nomination.
A qualifying job offer is full-time, non-seasonal and NOC-matched.
Full-time generally means at least 30 paid hours per week. The employer must be designated, the offer cannot come from a company where the candidate or spouse/common-law partner is the majority owner, and the duties must match the claimed NOC.
| Offer TEER | Required duration |
|---|---|
| 0, 1, 2 or 3 | At least 1 year from the date permanent residence is granted |
| 4 | Permanent, with no end date |
Skilled-worker experience and the Atlantic-graduate exemption.
Work minimum
At least 1,560 qualifying hours over a period of at least 1 year in the 5 years before applying.
What counts
Paid, authorized work may be inside or outside Canada. Volunteer, unpaid and self-employed work does not count.
Duties
Experience must match the NOC lead statement and most main duties and relate to the offer under IRCC's TEER rules.
Graduate exemption
An eligible Atlantic graduate may be exempt from the work requirement after at least 2 years of full-time study and at least 16 months' residence in Atlantic Canada during the final 2 years before graduation.
Language and education are set by the offer's TEER.
Language results must be from an approved test and generally less than 2 years old. An ECA must remain valid under IRCC rules.
| Requirement | TEER 0 or 1 | TEER 2 or 3 | TEER 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | CLB/NCLC 5 | CLB/NCLC 5 | CLB/NCLC 4 |
| Education | Canadian post-secondary credential of at least 1 year or valid ECA | Canadian high school or higher, or valid ECA | Canadian high school or higher, or valid ECA |
Settlement plan and proof of funds are separate requirements.
Settlement plan
A designated settlement service provider assesses needs and prepares the plan before provincial endorsement.
Proof of funds
IRCC applies the current family-size table unless the applicant is already working in Canada with a valid work permit.
Family size
Include the applicant, spouse/partner and dependent children as IRCC instructs, even where a family member is not accompanying.
Provincial endorsement
The employer submits the endorsement package to the province; designation alone does not guarantee endorsement.
An optional employer-specific work permit can support early employment and renewals.
- 01
Each AIP work permit may be issued for up to 2 years under exemption code C18; it is not an A75 bridging open work permit.
- 02
For a first permit, a qualifying Employer Portal offer, employer compliance fee, provincial work-permit support letter and AIP eligibility evidence are required; a PR application is not required while the endorsement remains valid.
- 03
A renewal may be available if the endorsement is still valid or the PR application was submitted before endorsement expiry and remains pending. A new Employer Portal offer and compliance fee are required for every renewal.
- 04
A worker already holding an AIP/AIPP permit normally needs a new provincial support letter and IMM 0156 only when changing employers. A person moving to AIP from another permit category is assessed like a first-time AIP applicant.
- 05
For proof of PR submission, IRCC accepts the acknowledgement of receipt; for an in-Canada file it may also accept PR portal submission confirmation plus fee proof or confirmation in IRCC's system.
From designated employer to federal decision.
- 01
Verify the employer on the province's current designated-employer process; a published name is not approval of every job.
- 02
Match the offer and work history to NOC 2021, TEER, duties, duration, wage and licensing.
- 03
Complete the settlement needs assessment and settlement plan.
- 04
The employer requests provincial endorsement.
- 05
After endorsement, submit the permanent-residence application to IRCC and consider the optional work permit if needed.
- 06
Maintain the offer, status and truthfulness of all material facts until the final decision.
The right tools for this pathway
AIP has threshold requirements, not a federal ranking grid. A points calculator would give a false impression; use the NOC/TEER, language, education, work, employer and endorsement checks instead.
How ready is the file for endorsement and PR?
AIP has no federal ranking grid. This checker covers the official offer, NOC/TEER, experience or graduate exemption, language, education, funds, settlement-plan and endorsement requirements.
Complete or review the items below
- ○ Job is in one of the four Atlantic provinces
- ○ Five-digit NOC 2021 code identified from duties
- ○ Full-time, non-seasonal qualifying offer from a designated employer
- ○ 1,560 related hours in 5 years or confirmed Atlantic-graduate exemption
- ○ Education or ECA meets the job-offer TEER requirement
- ○ Approved language test with CLB/NCLC 5+ in every ability
- ○ Current proof-of-funds rule addressed
- ○ Settlement needs assessment and settlement plan completed
- ○ Provincial endorsement obtained before the PR application
This is preliminary. The province and IRCC assess evidence, NOC duties, wage, licensing, genuineness of the offer and admissibility.
Official sources
Verify current rules at the authority.
This guide provides general information, not legal advice. Program status, intake and criteria can change.