New Brunswick reaches cap for Express Entry PNP allocation

On August 16, New Brunswick announced that it would stop issuing Invitations to Apply (ITAs) under the New Brunswick Express Entry category of its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).

According to the province, it has already used its full allocation of ITAs for candidates in this stream.

New Brunswick has not made its allocation numbers public for 2024.

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The province says applications that were fully submitted before Friday, August 16, 2024, will continue to be processed. Also, candidates who received an ITA before this same date are still invited to submit their full nomination application.

New Brunswick Express Entry

New Brunswick has three streams under its Express Entry category. Each of these streams has different eligibility criteria but all candidates must be in the federal Express Entry application pool through the Federal Skilled Worker Program, The Canadian Experience Class, or the Federal Skilled Trades Program.

The NB Employment Connection targets individuals who have been living in New Brunswick for at least six months and are currently working full-time or have an offer of full-time employment from a New Brunswick employer.

The NB Student Connection is for international students from any designated institutions located in New Brunswick who are enrolled in a program that is eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP).

Under the NB Priorities Connection stream, candidates may receive a letter of interest if they can demonstrate that they have the experience to meet the province’s labour market demands.

Other ways to apply to the NB PNP

New Brunswick’s popularity as a destination for newcomers has grown over the past few years. Data from Census 2021 shows that 44,125 people (5.8% of the population,) were foreign-born  immigrants (permanent residents)and 10,855 (1.4%) were non-permanent residents. This nearly doubles the immigrant population of 10 years earlier (28,465 in 2011).

There has been a lot of interest in New Brunswick’s PNP this year. On May 17, the province announced a temporary pause in issuing Expressions of Interest under the New Brunswick Skilled Worker stream. The province says the pause will help the immigration department manage the already large inventory of candidates.

Newcomers who wish to apply under this stream are encouraged to check their eligibility for the Atlantic Immigration Program.

Those who still want to immigrate to New Brunswick through the PNP may be eligible to apply for one of the remaining streams such as the New Brunswick Strategic Initiative Stream. This targets French-speaking skilled workers who indicate that they are ready to live and work in New Brunswick permanently.

They can also consider the New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot Program. This is an employer-driven stream that was introduced in November 2022, designed to target skilled workers who address urgent labour shortages in some of the province’s key industries. Applicants must apply to one of six designated employers under the Pilot program, who will then apply to the provincial government on their behalf.

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