New Brunswick has temporarily stopped accepting new nominations for its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) after reaching the annual allocation set by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
While the province does not publicly disclose the exact number of allocations, it is estimated that New Brunswick can nominate around 2,000 candidates per year.
The province hit its nomination cap for the Express Entry and Skilled Worker programs in mid-August. New Brunswick will not issue new nominations for permanent residency through these streams until 2024.
Despite the pause in PNP nominations, foreign nationals can still immigrate to the province through federal immigration pathways such as the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) program, Federal Skilled Trades (FST) program, and Canadian Experience Class (CEC), all available through the federal Express Entry system.
Last year, New Brunswick welcomed 11,455 new permanent residents, with more than half coming through its PNP. In the first half of 2023, the PNP helped 4,900 foreign nationals gain permanent residency, accounting for 55.1 percent of the province’s new permanent residents.
The Skilled Worker stream of the PNP requires applicants to have a job offer from a New Brunswick employer and a commitment to settle in the province.
Meanwhile, the Express Entry stream focuses on temporary foreign workers and international students already living and working in high-skilled occupations in New Brunswick.
In addition to permanent residents, New Brunswick welcomed 10,730 temporary foreign workers under the International Mobility Program and 4,420 under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program in 2023. The province also issued nearly 11,000 study permits to international students.
Despite the temporary halt on PNP nominations, New Brunswick’s population growth strategy remains on track, surpassing its target of 7,500 new permanent residents by 2024.
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