Atlantic Immigration Program Eligibility Requirements: Who Qualifies in 2026

The Atlantic Immigration Program doesn't use a points grid to select candidates. Instead, eligibility is binary: you either meet the thresholds or you don't. That makes it easier to self-assess, but the specific rules around work experience, language, and NOC codes have more nuance than the government's summary pages suggest.

Here's what the eligibility criteria actually require, stream by stream.

The Three Streams and Their Core Differences

The AIP has three streams, each targeting a different type of candidate:

All three streams require a job offer from a designated employer in one of the four Atlantic provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, Newfoundland and Labrador). No designated employer, no AIP.

Work Experience Requirements

For the High-Skilled and Intermediate-Skilled streams, you need 1,560 hours of paid work experience within the last five years. That's the equivalent of approximately one year of full-time work at 30 hours per week.

Several rules apply to what counts:

Paid only. Volunteer work, unpaid internships, and most self-employment do not count toward the 1,560 hours. If you were self-employed, some provinces will accept it if it's verifiable, but this is not standard.

Non-seasonal. Work that is inherently seasonal by contract doesn't count — this catches some applicants in fisheries, tourism, and agriculture. However, if you worked year-round for an employer whose industry has peaks and valleys, that's different from a seasonal contract.

Canada or abroad. Work experience can be from anywhere in the world, as long as it's documented with pay stubs, employment letters, or T4 slips.

During study. If you were studying in Canada on a student permit, work experience during that period counts, provided you didn't exceed your authorized hours.

TEER 4 specificity. For the Intermediate-Skilled stream, your work experience must be in a TEER 4 occupation. You can't use management or professional experience to qualify for a fish processing job offer.

The International Graduate Stream waives the work experience requirement entirely. This is one of the most significant advantages of graduating from an Atlantic institution.

NOC TEER Categories: Which Codes Are Eligible

The AIP uses the NOC 2021 TEER system. Not every TEER level is eligible:

TEER 0, 1, 2, 3 — Eligible under the High-Skilled stream. This covers senior management, professional roles (engineers, nurses, accountants), technical occupations, and skilled trades.

TEER 4 — Eligible under the Intermediate-Skilled stream. Examples: food counter attendants, truck drivers, personal support workers, fish plant workers.

TEER 5 — Generally not eligible. TEER 5 roles (e.g., landscaping laborers, certain delivery roles) require minimal training and fall outside the program's scope.

The job offer you receive must match a TEER category your experience and education support. IRCC and provincial staff will look for a logical connection between your background and the role being offered. An accountant applying for a welding position will face scrutiny about whether the job offer is genuine.

Language Requirements

Language proficiency is tested using the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) for French.

High-Skilled stream (TEER 0–3): Minimum CLB/NCLC 5 in all four abilities — reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

Intermediate-Skilled stream (TEER 4): Minimum CLB/NCLC 4 in all four abilities.

International Graduate stream: CLB/NCLC 4 or 5, depending on the TEER level of the job offer.

Accepted tests: IELTS General Training, CELPIP-General, TEF Canada, or TCF Canada. Results must be less than two years old at the time of your federal PR submission — not at the time of the provincial endorsement. This distinction catches applicants who tested early and then experience delays.

Education Requirements

High-Skilled stream:

• TEER 0 or 1: Minimum one-year post-secondary credential.
• TEER 2 or 3: A high school diploma is sufficient, though trade certifications are common.

Intermediate-Skilled stream: A high school diploma or equivalent. No post-secondary required.

International Graduate stream: You must have completed a credential (degree, diploma, certificate, or trade/apprenticeship credential) following a program of at least two years at a recognized, publicly funded Atlantic institution.

If your education credentials are from outside Canada, you'll need an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) from an IRCC-approved organization like WES or ICAS. ECAs must be less than five years old at the time of your federal submission.

The Residency Requirement for Graduates

The International Graduate stream has a unique residency condition that trips up many students: you must have lived in an Atlantic province for at least 16 months within the 24-month period immediately before your credential was granted.

Months spent studying remotely from outside Canada, extended vacations abroad, or time on a different province's permit don't typically count. If you studied at Dalhousie but spent one of your two years enrolled remotely from India, you may fall short of the 16-month threshold. Document your Atlantic residency carefully — utility bills, lease agreements, and bank statements with an Atlantic address will be part of the evidence requirement.

Your federal PR application must also be submitted within 24 months of obtaining your credential. There is no extension mechanism for this deadline.

Proof of Settlement Funds

If you are not already working in Canada on a valid work permit, you must show proof of settlement funds. The amounts (effective July 2025) are based on the federal Low-Income Cut-Off:

Applicants already employed in Canada on a work permit are generally exempt from this requirement.

Checking Your Eligibility

The fastest self-assessment path: identify your NOC 2021 code, confirm its TEER level, count your paid hours in the last five years, check your CLB score (or take a practice test), and confirm whether your education is comparable to the required level.

If you tick all the boxes but don't yet have a job offer from a designated employer, the guide at Canada Atlantic Immigration Program Guide includes a breakdown of how to identify designated employers by province and how to approach non-designated employers who may not yet know the AIP is an option for them.