Effective 14 October, Immigration New Brunswick lifted most occupation bans in the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP), allowing designated employers to request provincial endorsements for nearly every National Occupational Classification (NOC) code. Only four roles remain excluded: shippers and receivers (14400), restaurant and food-service managers (60030), food-service supervisors (62020) and fish- and seafood-plant workers (94142). The change, published on the province’s important-notices page, follows months of industry lobbying from manufacturers, call-centres and hospitality operators who argued that rigid lists were hampering recruitment. Under AIP rules, endorsement is a prerequisite for the federal permanent-residence application and confers eligibility for a one-year LMIA-exempt work permit, a prized tool for employers in hard-to-staff regions. While broader eligibility will help fill vacancies, officials caution that endorsement quotas remain capped and that applications tied to candidates already living and working in New Brunswick will be prioritised. Employers must also demonstrate retention plans and alignment with provincial priority sectors—health care, education and construction. For mobility managers the update widens pathways for intra-company transfers to the province. An ICT project manager or logistics supervisor on a closed work permit, for example, can now transition to AIP without waiting for the next Express Entry category draw. Yet companies should temper expectations: employer designations are still paused until 2027 and the province is scrutinising existing designees for compliance. Provincial officials say the measure is temporary and will be reviewed once Ottawa releases the 2027 immigration-levels plan. HR teams should therefore move quickly to secure endorsements before allocations run out.
Source: IRCC.com
