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 public its allocation numbers for 2024.
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The province says applications 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 complete nomination application.
New Brunswick Express Entry
There are three streams under the Express Entry category in New Brunswick. 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 lived 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.
NB Student Connection is for international students at any designated institution located in New Brunswick who are enrolled in a program that is eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP).
Under the NB Priority Connections stream, candidates may receive a letter of interest if they can demonstrate that they have the experience to meet the demands of the province’s labour market.
Other Ways to Apply to NB PNP
New Brunswick has grown in popularity as a destination for newcomers over the past few years. 2021 census data 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 is nearly double the immigrant population from 10 years ago (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 halt in issuing expressions of interest under the New Brunswick Skilled Worker Stream. The province says the halt will help the immigration department manage an already large list 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 they are willing to live and work permanently in New Brunswick.
They may also consider the New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot Program. This is an employer-driven stream introduced in November 2022, designed to target skilled workers addressing immediate 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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