Immigration New Brunswick has quietly removed most of the job-type restrictions that limited who could be endorsed through the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP). As of October 14 the province will accept employer endorsement requests for every National Occupational Classification (NOC) code except four—shippers & receivers (14400), restaurant/food-service managers (60030), food-service supervisors (62020) and fish-plant workers (94142). Occupations in the lowest-skill TEER 5 category remain excluded. The move is significant because New Brunswick’s annual AIP quota is chronically oversubscribed. By widening eligibility the province is signalling to employers—especially in health-care, education and construction—that they now have a broader pathway to keep the foreign workers they already employ. The government cautions that demand will still outstrip supply and says it will triage files that demonstrate long-term retention potential and alignment with priority sectors. For foreign workers already in New Brunswick on employer-specific work permits the change could be the difference between remaining in the province or having to leave when their permits expire. Endorsement is the crucial first step toward permanent residence under the AIP and, once granted, lets candidates apply for a federal AIP work permit that bridges them to a PR decision. Applicants abroad will see less immediate benefit; New Brunswick continues to restrict out-of-country endorsements to government-led recruitment initiatives in three priority sectors. Employers should note that the province’s pause on new AIP employer designations—imposed September 14 to audit existing designated companies—remains in place until at least January 2027. Companies that are already designated can file endorsements under the new, broader occupation list, but new firms cannot join the program for now. Those with urgent labour needs may need to pivot to Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)-supported hiring until the designation window re-opens. In practical terms the update simplifies program messaging: with only four NOCs off-limits, HR teams no longer need to parse long exclusion lists before deciding whether to pursue an AIP pathway. The change also brings New Brunswick’s rules closer to Nova Scotia’s more open version of the program, reducing inter-provincial complexity for multinational employers operating in Atlantic Canada.
Source: IRCC.com
