Newfoundland & Labrador Provincial Nominee Program

Newfoundland and Labrador is a province of Canada. It occupies the easternmost of the country’s ten provinces, ranking fourth in size with a population of 528,000 and a land area of 405,860.60 km2 (156,414 sq mi) that excludes its island offshore islands. The provincial capital and largest city are St. John’s.

The province consists of Newfoundland island and a mainland peninsula, called Labrador. Newfoundland island lies off the northeast coast of North America, about 500 miles (800 kilometers) from Cape Race, Newfoundland’s easternmost point. Labrador extends from the Atlantic Ocean at its northern tip to Quebec’s Ungava Bay at its southern end.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program (NLPNP) gives people with in-demand skills or experience the chance to work in this province through its Express Entry Skilled Worker, Skilled Worker, and International Graduate streams of immigration.

Newfoundland and Labrador: Express Entry Skilled Worker

The Express Entry Skilled Worker stream is a sub-stream of the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program (NLPNP). It allows the province to nominate skilled workers who have been accepted into the Express Entry pool.

The NLPNP is designed to attract and retain immigrants with skills that are in demand in Newfoundland and Labrador. The program is divided into two streams: an Employer-Driven Stream and a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) stream.

The Employer-Driven Stream targets employers who want to recruit skilled workers from outside Canada for employment in Newfoundland and Labrador.  Skilled workers of National Occupation Classification Skill Level 0, A, or B occupations with a guaranteed offer of employment and who are in the federal Express Entry pool may be eligible to apply for the Express Entry Skilled Worker stream of the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program.

If you are currently living outside of Canada, you can apply for this program if you have received an Invitation to Apply (ITA) through Express Entry as a result of your interest in immigrating to Canada permanently as an economic immigrant through one of the three federal economic immigration programs: Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled Trades Class or Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

Newfoundland and Labrador: International Graduate

The program is designed to assist international students who are looking for permanent residency in Newfoundland and Labrador. It permits individuals to work full time while studying towards full professional registration with their chosen profession, provided they meet certain criteria.

Candidates who are currently working in Canada on a Post-Graduate Work Permit may be eligible to apply for the NLNP International Graduate program if they meet the following requirements:

The candidate has completed a degree or diploma program at an eligible post-secondary institution;

The candidate is currently employed or has received a job offer from a Newfoundland and Labrador employer that relates to their field of study;

The candidate is not eligible for any other Provincial Nominee Program.

The NLNP International Graduate Program requires candidates to spend at least two years living and working in Newfoundland & Labrador before applying for permanent residency status through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). After one year of employment.

Newfoundland and Labrador: International Entrepreneur Category

The International Entrepreneur Category is a new program announced by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2016. It is designed for foreign nationals with experience owning and managing businesses who wish to invest in purchasing and managing a business in Newfoundland & Labrador.

Foreign nationals wishing to invest in Newfoundland & Labrador can apply for permanent residency through the International Entrepreneur Category.

To qualify under this program, applicants must demonstrate that they have at least two years of business management experience. In addition, applicants must have a minimum personal net worth of $1 million Canadian dollars (CAD) and commit to investing $150,000 CAD in the province’s economy over a four-year period. This investment may be made directly into an eligible business or indirectly through an eligible venture capital fund or angel investor group that makes investments into eligible businesses.

Applicants must also provide proof of funds to cover their investment commitment and show that they have sufficient personal funds available to support themselves during the application process.

Newfoundland and Labrador: International Graduate Entrepreneur Category

The International Graduate Entrepreneur category allows foreign nationals to apply for permanent residence if they have graduated from a post-secondary program of at least two years in Newfoundland & Labrador and have at least one year of experience owning and managing a business in the province.

Eligibility Requirements:

Graduates of post-secondary programs of at least two years duration in Newfoundland & Labrador;

Must have one year of experience owning and managing a business in the province;

Legally reside in Newfoundland & Labrador; and,

Intend to settle in Newfoundland & Labrador after meeting the eligibility requirements.

Newfoundland and Labrador Points Assessment Grid

The point assessment grid is used to evaluate an applicant’s education, work experience, and language proficiency. Points are awarded for each of these criteria and applicants must achieve a minimum total score of 67 points in order to be eligible for nomination under this program.

Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program: Newfoundland and Labrador

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP) is an economic growth initiative developed in partnership between the federal government and Canada’s Atlantic provinces.  The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program, administered by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), streamlines the immigration process for newcomers who have obtained a job offer from a designated employer in the Atlantic region.

Newfoundland and Labrador participated in the AIPP as part of a pilot project that began on November 24, 2018. The project will run for two years with an option for renewal for one additional year.

The program is designed to attract highly skilled workers to fill shortages in key sectors of the local economy, such as health care, fisheries, and agriculture. It also helps employers who are looking to expand or diversify their workforce by providing temporary foreign workers with permanent residency status after working for 12 months in Newfoundland and Labrador.