Ottawa tightens rules for Atlantic Immigration Program applicants with employment changes

The federal government has put in place new rules that require officers to refuse certain permanent residence applications under the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP).

The immigration department’s updated instructions to officers have set a 90-day deadline, applicable to AIP applicants with changes in employment or the ownership of their employer. 

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If the applicant does not provide the required documents within 90 days, the officer must refuse their PR application. 

Prior to this change, there was no deadline, and officers were instructed simply to put the application on hold until receiving the required documents. 

Under the updated instructions, titled “Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP): Other situations,” published on the immigration department’s website on July 23, 2026, an officer is to issue the applicant a procedural fairness letter (PFL) advising them of the required documents and the 90-day deadline. 

The updated instructions also specify a different set of documents from applicants than was previously required, and set out specific rules for three scenarios: 

• A change in ownership of the applicant’s employer. 
• The applicant changing roles at the same employer. 
• The applicant changing from one designated employer to another. 

Prior to the update, there were no rules relating to a change in employer ownership. 

The updated instructions have also dropped the requirements related to AIP-specific work permits, which are now captured for officers in a different document, which covers general eligibility, documentary evidence requirements, application assessment instructions, and final decision guidance. 

Under the AIP, eligible applicants can apply for a two-year, employer-specific work permit tied to the employer who provided the job offer supporting their PR application. 

Change of employer ownership  

The updated instructions now address a scenario not covered at all in the previous instructions: what happens when an AIP applicant's employer changes ownership while their application is pending.

The endorsing province is required to reassess the employer and the endorsement, determining whether the employer keeps its AIP designation and whether the applicant retains provincial support.

If the province continues to support the applicant, officers are to continue processing the PR file, provided the applicant submits updated documentation within the 90-day deadline—either a provincial letter confirming continued support if the employer is no longer designated, or an updated endorsement and offer of employment if it is.

If the province revokes its support, the reviewing officer is to refuse the PR application.

Employment changes under the same employer

The updated instructions state that in the case that an employer changes the terms of the applicant’s employment (e.g. wages, occupation, and working conditions) or their position changes resulting in a different NOC/TEER code, the applicant needs to submit the following documentation through IRCC’s online web form within 90 days:

• An updated provincial endorsement certificate reflecting the updated job information; and
• An updated Offer of Employment (IMM 0157) form reflecting the employment changes.

In instances where the sole change in employment is the applicant’s job title, the reviewing officer is now instructed to discern whether an updated endorsement certificate is required on a case-by-case basis.

Previously, the only guidance on same-employer changes was a catch-all line stating that a promotion with the same employer required the applicant to request a new job offer, a modified endorsement certificate, and a new letter of support from the province.

Changing from one designated AIP employer to another

Applicants must submit an updated provincial endorsement certificate and an updated offer of employment (IMM 0157) form reflecting the change, within the 90-day deadline, or face refusal.

The previous instructions did not specify the need to submit form IMM 0157.

About the Atlantic Immigration Program

The AIP is an employer-driven pathway to PR for those seeking to settle in one of Canada’s four Atlantic provinces: New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.

Foreign nationals must have a full-time job offer from a designated, in-province employer, which the employer must submit to have endorsed by the provincial government.

To qualify for PR through the AIP, foreign nationals must also meet requirements around work experience, education, language proficiency, and settlement funds.

Those who’ve received an endorsement from the province can apply directly to the federal government for PR; the processing time for AIP PR applications has sat at 26 months since June of this year.

Due to long processing times, many in-Canada AIP applicants are at risk of losing their work authorization, and unlike applicants to many other PR programs, AIP applicants are not eligible for bridging open work permits.

As such, AIP applicants have the opportunity to apply for a two-year work permit that allows them to work for the employer who issued the job offer supporting their AIP application.

Spouses/common-law partners may also be eligible to apply for an open work permit.

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