Newfoundland Immigration

The Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program (NLPNP) nominates individuals to the federal government wishing to obtain Canadian permanent residence.

What Are The NLPNP Immigration Categories?

1. Express Entry Skilled Worker Category.
2. Skilled Worker Category.
3. International Graduate Category.
4. Priority Skills NL
5. International Graduate Entrepreneur Category.
6. International Entrepreneur Category.
7. Atlantic Immigration Program

1) Express Entry Skilled Worker Category

• Have a profile in the federal Express Entry Pool
• Have a high-skilled job offer from an eligible Newfoundland & Labrador employer for at least two years with the possibility of extension.
• Salary and benefits must meet provincial standards and prevailing wage rates.

Additional requirements:

• Score a minimum of 67 points out of 100 on the PNP point assessment grid.
• Have an IRCC Work Permit with at least 4 months remaining at the time of application or be entitled to apply for one.
• Have a Canadian post-secondary degree or diploma, or a foreign qualification with an approved Educational Credential Assessment.
• Demonstrate the intention and ability to settle permanently in Newfoundland and Labrador.
• Have sufficient settlement funds and/or financial resources.
• Provide language test results matching level declared in Express Entry profile.

2) Skilled Worker Category

This category is for individuals who have a guaranteed offer of employment from a Newfoundland and Labrador employer, or who are already working in the province on a valid Work Permit. To be eligible to submit an application under this program, you must:

• Have a full-time job offer from a Newfoundland and Labrador employer;**
• Have a Citizenship and Immigration Canada Work Permit or be entitled to apply for one;
• Have the qualifications, training, skills, and/or accreditation required for the job;
• Demonstrate the intention and ability to settle permanently in Newfoundland and Labrador;
• Demonstrate that you have sufficient settlement funds and financial resources to successfully establish yourself and any dependents in Newfoundland and Labrador;
• Your employer (or future employer) can demonstrate a need for your skillset; and
• Demonstrate sufficient English or French language capability to perform employment duties.

** Some applications to the International Graduate category can be working in a field unrelated to their study at the time of application, provided they graduated from Memorial University or College of the North Atlantic. To qualify in this instance, candidates require:

1. A post-secondary degree or diploma or an equivalent amount of experience;
2. A job or job offer that corresponds to NOC level 0, A, B or C;
3. The job must reasonably be expected to lead to career advancement;
4. A recent combination of skill, experience and/or training, according to the NOC description, in the field they are working;
5. Job or job offer must be full-time and indeterminate;
6. Position responds to a labour market need in Newfoundland & Labrador

3) International Graduate Category

This category is for recent graduates who have a Post-Graduate Work Permit and a job or job offer from a Newfoundland and Labrador employer. In order to qualify under this category, the applicant must:

• Have a PGWP with at least 4 months of validity remaining.
• Have a full-time job or job offer from an eligible employer in NOC 0, A or B, or in an NOC C occupation on the In-Demand Occupation list that guarantees a minimum of 30 hours per week and is of at least one year in duration with a reasonable expectation of extension.
• Have a job offer that is either:
  • Directly related to the field of study if the applicant completed their studies outside of Newfoundland & Labrador (Out-of-province graduates must work for a minimum of one year in Newfoundland & Labrador before applying), OR
  • Not directly related to the field of study provided the applicant is a graduate of Memorial University or College of the North Atlantic and meets the following criteria:
    1. Requires a post-secondary degree or diploma.
    2. Can reasonably be expected to lead to career advancement.
    3. Is in a field in which the applicant has a combination of skill, experience and/or training in the last 5 years.
• Be 21 to 59-years-old.
• Intend to settle permanently in Newfoundland & Labrador.
• Have sufficient settlement funds.
• Have sufficient English or French language capability to perform the employment duties. Language testing is required for NOC C, In-Demand occupations.
• If the applicant has an ownership stake in a business in which they are employed, that stake cannot exceed 10 percent.

4) Priority Skills NL

Priority Skills NL is aimed at candidates with work experience in occupations in demand in Newfoundland and Labrador, plus a high level of education and language ability. Candidates must complete an Expression of Interest and those with the highest scores and greatest interest from employers are invited to apply to the NL PNP. Expressions of Interest (EOI) are accepted from:

• Candidates with at least one year of experience in the last 10 years in one of Newfoundland and Labrador’s in-demand occupations.
• Candidates with a PhD or Master’s from Memorial University within the past three years in Technology, Health Care, Aquaculture or Agriculture.

Other Eligibility Criteria

• Have Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 5 or higher in English. IELTS or CELPIP test must have been taken within the last year.
• Be at least 21 years old.
• Intend to live permanently in Newfoundland and Labrador.

5) International Graduate Entrepreneur Category

The International Graduate Entrepreneur category is aimed at graduates of Memorial University or College of the North Atlantic who have already started or bought a local business.

Requirements:

• Be at least 21 years of age.
• Provide a business plan with verified supporting financial documents.
• Have completed a degree or diploma after at least two academic years of full-time, in-person study at Memorial University or College of the North Atlantic with the degree or diploma having been completed within two years of submission of the Expression of Interest.
• Have a valid Post-Graduate Work Permit.
• Want to live permanently in Newfoundland Labrador while owning and actively managing a business of significant economic benefit to the province.
• Have at least one year’s continuous experience actively managing and owning the current business (33.3 per cent minimum ownership);
• Create at least one full-time job for Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
• Demonstrate that the business is a for-profit entity with the primary purpose of earning profits through the sale of goods and/or services.
• Score at least 7 on the Canadian Language Benchmark in speaking, listening, reading and writing in English or French;
• Complete an online Expression of Interest.
• Receive an Invitation to Apply from the Newfoundland Labrador Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism.

6) International Entrepreneur Category

The International Entrepreneur category is intended for experienced business owners or senior business managers who wish to permanently reside in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Requirements:

• Be 21 to 59 years of age.
• Provide a business plan with verified supporting financial documents.
• Have a minimum of Canadian high school diploma or equivalent.
• Want to live permanently in Newfoundland & Labrador while owning and actively managing a business of significant economic benefit to the province.
• Have at least $600,000 in unencumbered net business and personal assets that can readily be transferred to Canada.
• Be able to invest at least $200,000 to establish a business in Newfoundland & Labrador with minimum ownership of 33.3 per cent, or $1 million in equity investment.
• Create at least one full-time job for Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
• Demonstrate the business is a for-profit entity with the primary purpose of earning profits through the sale of goods and/or services.
• Have at least two years’ experience actively managing and owning a business (25 per cent minimum ownership) in the last five years OR 5 or more years’ experience in a senior business management role in the last 10 years.
• Score of at least 5 on the Canadian Language Benchmark in speaking, listening, reading and writing in English or French (acceptable tests are Canadian English Language Proficiency Program (CELPIP) General Test, or International English Language Testing System (IELTS), General Training Test; or Test d’evaluation de francais (TEF);
• Complete an online Expression of Interest (EOI).
• Receive an Invitation to Apply from the Newfoundland & Labrador Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism.