Newfoundland and Labrador have released new measures to make it easier for employers to hire foreign nationals who will address the labour shortages in the province through the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP).

The province released a list of occupations that are exempt from provincial labour market testing processes.

These processes include the Job Vacancy Assessment. Similar to a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), a Job Vacancy Assessment proves that the employer has exhausted all available options to hire a suitable candidate from the local labour market before inviting an immigration candidate to fill the vacancy.

Find out if you’re eligible for Canadian immigration

In addition to the Job Vacancy Assessment, the Atlantic Immigration Program has its own labour market testing requirements, such as advertising.

To benefit from the exemption, candidates need to have a job offer in an in-demand occupation. The province’s in-demand occupations are in three sectors: the Health Care sector and the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector.

In-demand health care sector occupations that are exempt from provincial labour market testing processes are listed below:

• Physician
• Nurse Practitioner (NP)
• Licensed Practice Nurse (LPN)
• Personal Care Attendant (PCA)
• Clinical Psychologist
• Medical Physicist
• Radiation Therapist
• Dosimetrist

In-demand ICT sector occupations that are exempt from provincial labour market testing processes are listed below:

• Software Developer
• Biomedical Engineer
• UI/UX Developer
• Electrical Engineer
• AI Developer
• Mechanical Engineer
• Python Developer
• Web Developer
• .NET Developer
• Infrastructure Engineer
• Security Specialist
• Cloud Specialist
• Bioinformatician
• Computer Network Support
• Research Associate
• Data Analytics
• Offshore Technician
• ROV Operator
• Ocean Mapping Specialist
• Technical Writer

What is the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)?

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot (AIP) is an employer-driven fast-track immigration program. It allows employers in Canada’s four Atlantic provinces to hire foreign nationals to fill positions that they are not able to fill with the local market.

Canada’s four Atlantic provinces are Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island.

Any immigration candidate who is arriving in Canada through the AIP must have received a job offer from an employer in Atlantic Canada.

After an employer offers a job to a foreign national, and the job offer is accepted, the employer is required to connect the candidate with a designated settlement service provider organization. This will help the candidate develop a settlement plan, and in some cases, carry out a needs assessment.

If employers need to fill a position quickly, they may have access to a temporary work permit. That way, the candidate can come to Canada sooner. The candidate must commit to applying for permanent residence within 90 days of the temporary work permit application.

Find out if you’re eligible for Canadian immigration

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