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Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant · RCIC

Economic immigration

Permanent Residence

Atlantic and community programs for people with a job offer in a specific region, compared with Express Entry and PNP before you commit.

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The short answer

Besides Express Entry and provincial nominations, several federal programs lead to permanent residence through a job offer in a specific region: the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) in the four Atlantic provinces, and the Rural and Francophone Community Immigration Pilots (RCIP and FCIP) in 18 selected communities. Each needs a job offer from a designated employer, and an endorsement or community recommendation, before you apply to IRCC.

Reviewed by Gurvinder Singh, RCIC ·

Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)

Employer-driven PR for New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

  • Designated employer job offer
  • Province endorsement
  • No LMIA needed

About

The AIP is a permanent federal program run with the four Atlantic provinces. You need a full-time job offer from an employer the province has designated, a settlement plan, and an endorsement from the province before you apply to IRCC for PR. No LMIA is needed. Recent graduates of a post-secondary program in an Atlantic province may not need work experience.

How I help

  • Eligibility review: experience, education, language and funds
  • Job offer checked against AIP rules before endorsement
  • Settlement plan, endorsement and your PR application
  • Workers with a job offer from a designated employer in an Atlantic province
  • International graduates of an Atlantic post-secondary institution
  • Workers already in an Atlantic province on a work permit

Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP)

PR for workers hired by designated employers in 14 rural communities.

  • 14 rural communities
  • Designated employer job offer
  • Community recommendation

About

The RCIP covers 14 rural communities in Nova Scotia, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, including West Kootenay, North Okanagan Shuswap and Peace Liard in B.C. You need a job offer from an employer the community has designated and a recommendation from the community, then you apply to IRCC for permanent residence.

How I help

  • Eligibility, and whether your employer, community and job fit the pilot
  • Community recommendation application, with your employer
  • PR application, plus the optional work permit while you wait
  • Workers with a job offer from a designated employer in a participating community
  • Candidates with at least 1 year (1,560 hours) of related work experience in the past 3 years
  • People ready to live and work in a smaller community

Francophone Community Immigration Pilot (FCIP)

PR for French speakers hired in 6 Francophone minority communities outside Quebec.

  • 6 Francophone communities
  • French test
  • Community recommendation

About

The FCIP covers 6 communities: the Acadian Peninsula (NB), Sudbury, Timmins and Superior East Region (ON), St. Pierre Jolys (MB) and Kelowna (BC). It works like the RCIP: a job offer from a designated employer, a community recommendation, then your PR application to IRCC, with French language test results.

How I help

  • Eligibility, and whether your employer, community and job fit the pilot
  • Community recommendation application, with your employer
  • PR application, plus the optional work permit while you wait
  • French-speaking workers with a job offer from a designated employer in a participating community
  • Candidates with at least 1 year (1,560 hours) of related work experience in the past 3 years

What decides these files

Where applications go wrong, and how I prevent it

  • Designated employers only

    An offer from an employer the province or community hasn’t designated doesn’t count, so I check this first.

  • Community and provincial approval

    Communities and provinces approve jobs in their priority sectors; a file that doesn’t fit can stall before it reaches IRCC.

  • Staying in status while you wait

    I plan your bridging open work permit, pilot work permit or extension before your current status runs out. Bridging permits are covered on the Work Permits page.

Fees and timelines change: check IRCC’s current processing times (opens in a new tab).

Questions

Permanent Residence: common questions

What is the Atlantic Immigration Program?

It’s a permanent pathway for workers and recent graduates with a full-time job offer from a designated employer in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, or Newfoundland and Labrador. The employer’s province endorses the job offer, you get a settlement plan, and then you apply to IRCC for permanent residence. No LMIA is required.

What are the RCIP and FCIP?

They’re federal pilots that lead to permanent residence for workers hired by designated employers in selected communities: 14 rural communities under the Rural Community Immigration Pilot, and 6 Francophone minority communities outside Quebec under the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot. You need a job offer and a community recommendation before you apply.

Which permanent residence program is right for me?

It depends on your work experience, job offer, language results and where you’re willing to live. Express Entry and the provincial nominee programs suit most skilled workers; the Atlantic and community programs suit people with a job offer from a designated employer in those regions. I compare all of them in a consultation.

Can I keep working in Canada while my PR application is processed?

Often yes. Principal applicants under eligible PR programs who live in Canada outside Quebec may qualify for a Bridging Open Work Permit once their application passes the completeness check. Apply before your current permit expires.

Related services

Often part of the same plan

All services
Official sources (2)

General information only, not legal advice.

Talk to an RCIC about permanent residence.

Book a consultation with Gurvinder Singh, RCIC, by video, phone or in person in Surrey.

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