The New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) recently launched a new immigration pilot project for international graduates from select colleges in the province.

Beginning April 1, 2022, New Brunswick will be inviting international students who have received a degree in one of 19 select occupations from the following colleges: 

• Atlantic Business College, 
• Eastern College, 
• McKenzie College, or 
• Oulton College, 

to apply to NB’s Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP).

Through the NBPNP, the province of New Brunswick can identify immigration candidates who are able to meet their local economic needs. Other provinces have dedicated PNP streams geared towards international students, with some specifically tailored to retaining them. 

This new pilot program is New Brunswick’s first foray into creating a specific program for international students. 

While the NBPNP has yet to release specific details and requirements for the pilot program, the NB government announced through a press release that the pilot program was created to accommodate recent graduates of designated learning institutions (DLIs) who are currently not eligible for the federal Post-Graduation Work Permit program. 

According the press release, participation in the NBPNP’s pilot program will be limited to institution who have been DLIs for at least five years and offer eligible programs of study in the following areas:

• social and community service workers;
• early childhood educators and assistants;
• educational assistants;
• health-care aides;
• home support workers;
• licensed practical nurses;
• paramedics and related occupations;
• medical laboratory technologists;
• medical laboratory technicians and pathologists’ assistants;
• medical administrative assistants;
• computer programmers and interactive media developers;
• web designers and developers;
• computer network technicians;
• user support technicians;
• accounting technicians and bookkeepers;
• payroll clerks;
• shippers and receivers;
• supply chain and logistics supervisors; and
• production logistics co-ordinators

The new pilot program is a joint project between Opportunities NB (ONB), a leading business development corporation in New Brunswick, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). It was created with the priorities set by business groups and organizations in the province in mind.

According to Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Trevor Holder,

“Newcomers are key to addressing the challenges of the labour market, and by providing this additional immigration stream we are empowering more of our post-secondary institutions to develop the skilled workers that New Brunswick needs.”

Prior to the pandemic, immigration was one of the main drivers of population and labour force growth in the province. The NBPNP welcomed a record 6,000 permanent residents in 2019, but suffered a major decrease in 2020 due to travel restrictions put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19 and processing delays by IRCC.

For more details on the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP), Express Entry, or other pathways to permanent residency, Enhance Visa offers private, online seminars for free. To register for a free orientation, click here.

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