New Brunswick opens intake for two enhanced PNP pathways to permanent residence

Starting March 5, 2025, eligible newcomers can now submit Expressions of Interest (EOIs) to the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) under two immigration pathways.

The NBPNP has opened application intake for the following Express Entry-aligned pathways:

The Employment in New Brunswick pathway; and
The New Brunswick Interests pathway.

Both pathways will exclude certain occupations from being eligible for invitations.

The NBPNP has further updated some eligibility conditions under these pathways, specifically:

Lowering the minimum eligible age of candidates from 22 to 19; and
Increasing residency requirements and adding a work experience requirement of at least 12 consecutive months, for candidates in the Employment in New Brunswick pathway.

March 5 will mark the first intake to these pathways in 2025 after the NBPNP made significant changes to its immigration streams in response to drastic cuts of its provincial nomination allocation.

The NBPNP advises that EOIs submitted through these two pathways will not be processed on a first-come-first-serve basis.

This year, New Brunswick received a reduced overall immigrant nomination allocation of 2,750, which it will use under both the NBPNP (1,500 allocations) and the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) (1,250 allocations).

This article will cover:

Eligibility criteria under both streams; and
Occupations that are excluded from selection for a provincial nomination.

Assess your eligibility for enhanced PNP programs

Who is eligible to receive an invitation for provincial nomination under these streams?

Both Express Entry streams have differing criteria for issuing candidates an invitation to apply for provincial nomination.

In addition to meeting all eligibility criteria, the NBPNP has noted that candidates who fulfill specific eligibility conditions for each stream may receive an invitation for provincial nomination.

These invitation criteria are bolded among each pathway’s specific eligibility criteria below:

Pathway	Summary of differentiating eligibility criteria
Employment in New Brunswick	- Have been living in New Brunswick and working full-time for a New Brunswick employer for the past 12 consecutive months.
New Brunswick Interests	- Have received a letter of interest from ImmigrationNB in their federal Express Entry profile; and - Have at least one year of continuous full-time or equivalent part-time work experience within the past 10 years.

In addition, candidates in both streams must meet the following common eligibility criteria:

Have a valid Express Entry profile;
Demonstrate an English or French proficiency equivalent to at least CLB/NCLC* level 7 in all 4 language abilities;
Meet the federal minimum proof of funds requirement (if not exempt);
Have obtained a Canadian high-school diploma or its equivalent;
Intend to live and work permanently in New Brunswick;
Be between the ages of 19 and 55; and
Score a minimum of 67 points on New Brunswick’s Express Entry selection grid.

Employment under both pathways must be in a position that is at a National Occupation Classification (NOC) Training Education Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) level 0, 1, 2, or 3.

*CLB denotes the Canadian Language Benchmark, Canada’s national scale for grading language ability in English. French ability is measured along the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) scale.

The NBPNP advises that just meeting all eligibility conditions under these pathways is not a guarantee of an invitation for provincial nomination.

Excluded occupations

New Brunswick will not consider nominating candidates in any of the following occupations:

Job Title	NOC Code
Accounting technicians and bookkeepers	12200
Administrative assistants	13110
Bakers	63202
Cooks	63200
Food service supervisors	62020
Restaurant and food service managers	60030
Retail and wholesale trade managers	60020
Retail sales supervisors	62010

Assess your eligibility for enhanced PNP programs