Canada accepts online applications for AIP work permit

Canada immigration department has started to accept online applications for work permit Canada issues under the AIP (Atlantic Immigration Program).  The IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) started taking in applications for AIP work permits on August 17, 2020. Application on paper will be accepted until September 1, 2020.

The AIP acts as a road to permanent residence (PR) that foreign residents holding a job offer in any of Canada’s 4 Atlantic provinces can use. These Atlantic provinces are:

• Nova Scotia
• New Brunswick
• Prince Edward Island
• Newfoundland and Labrador

Before putting in an application for PR, candidates must have a work permit that allows them to legally work in Canada.

The work permit can be obtained only if the candidates have:

• a commitment to submit an application for Canadian PR within 90 days of the submitting the temporary work permit application
• a letter of reference from the province
• a valid offer of a job from an employer in one of the Atlantic provinces

Upon meeting all the requirements, candidates may become eligible for a year’s employer-specific work permit. The partner of the foreigner candidate may be eligible for an Open Work Permit meant for common-law partners and spouses.

Completing an LMIA (Labour Marker Impact Assessment) is not necessary for Atlantic Canada employers under the AIP.

Upon accepting the job offer, the employer has to connect the candidate with a settlement service provider, a designated organization. This is for conducting an assessment of needs before developing a settlement plan. Employers should also support the newcomers with long-term integration so that they can settle into their new home permanently.

For the work permit that’s employer-specific, the foreign citizens must submit their application online. They cannot submit application at a port of entry. Once a foreign candidate has applied for the temporary work permit, the applicant must apply for PR within 90 days.

The AIP has 2 programs for foreign workers. These are the Atlantic High-Skilled Program and the Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program. The one program for international student graduates under AIP is the Atlantic International Graduate Program.

Skilled workers must have at least a year’s work experience in a job related to the employment offer from their Atlantic Canada employer. International student graduates don’t have to meet such a requirement. Nevertheless, their job offer should be full-time for a minimum of one year. It should be classified as a skill-level of A, B, C, or 0.

Candidate must have a CLB (Canadian Language Benchmark) level of 4 in every area for English and French. The test results can’t be more than 2 years old. Copies of the test results are acceptable to Canada for AIP.

The AIP will stay intact until December 31, 2021. The pilot of AIP was created in 2017. The aim was to admit over 7,000 immigrants and their families over the pilot’s term. The AIP has been successfully attracting immigrants to the Atlantic Canada region. The Minister of IRCC, Marco Mendicino, has expressed his intention to make AIP a permanent immigration program. This was revealed in his mandate letter.

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest or Migrate to Canada, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company.

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