Before you can make a job proposal and hire a candidate, you must have a designation by the provincial government of the Atlantic province where the candidate will be working.

Being “designated” means you can offer jobs under the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program. The provinces handle designation.

To be designated, your organization must:

• Be in good standing
• Have been operating in the Atlantic region for at least 2 years
• Work with a settlement service provider organization to help your candidates get settlement services

If you meet these criteria, you can apply to the province to become designated.

• Work with a settlement service provider organization
• Before you apply to become designated, you must work with a settlement service provider organization. This organization must be located in a community where your candidate will be working. It will help your candidate adjust to life in Canada and make sure your workplace is ready to welcome newcomers.
• Find settlement service provider organizations in the Atlantic region.
• Your application must show that you are in contact with a settlement service provider organization.

Each province has its application process. There is no cost to become a designated employer. You can find applications to become designated on the provinces’ websites:

• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Nova Scotia
• Prince Edward Island

The regions handle designation. Send any questions about designation to them. We aren’t involved in the designation process.

• You only have to apply once to be designated by a province.
• You don’t need to apply for each candidate
• You can apply for designation even before you find a candidate.
• You must be designated in the province where the candidate will be working. If the candidate is working in several regions, you must be appointed in all those provinces.
• You can’t hire someone under the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program if they won’t be working in an Atlantic province.
• When you are designated, you’ll receive a Confirmation of Designation from the province.

When you are designated, you can hire skilled workers and international graduates in Atlantic Canada. The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program doesn’t match candidates with jobs. You may find a candidate on your own or a candidate may approach you.

The job must:

• last at least one year
• be management, professional (usually needing a university degree), or technical/skilled (generally need a college diploma or training as an apprentice) job
• be full-time
• be non-seasonal

The job must:

• be permanent
• be management, professional (usually needing a university degree), technical/skilled (generally need a college diploma or training as an apprentice) or intermediate (often requiring high school and job-specific training) job
• be full-time
• be non-seasonal

The job must:

• last at least one year
• be management, professional (usually needing a university degree), technical/skilled (generally need a college diploma or training as an apprentice) or intermediate (often requiring high school or job-specific training) job
• be full-time
• be non-seasonal