Express Entry Labour Market Stream

NB Express Entry Labour Market Stream

The New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) has developed and launched its Express Entry Labour Market Stream. This stream allows the NBPNP to use the federal Express Entry immigration selection system to meet New Brunswick’s specific labour market and demographic needs. This stream operates under an ‘Expression of Interest’ model.

The Express Entry New Brunswick Labour Market Stream is new to the NBPNP. Potential applicants are asked to complete an expression of interest and submit it to the NBPNP.

Applicants to the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program Express Entry Labour Market stream will, if nominated, be processed through the federal government’s Express Entry electronic immigration management system. This is a twostep process through which eligible applicants can apply for permanent residency, with faster processing times.

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

• All eligibility criteria and selection factors for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (obtaining at least 67 points out of 100); and Provincial criteria, including age (21-55); a signed commitment to live and work in New Brunswick (NBPNP – 001); and other criteria described in this document.
• If you meet these criteria, and receive a nomination from the Government of New Brunswick, you may be invited by the Federal Government to apply for permanent residency through the Express Entry system. Applications that do not meet these requirements will not be eligible for consideration by the NBPNP.
• Documented proof of your ability to meet these eligibility criteria will be required for both the NBPNP assessment stage as well as the IRCC permanent residency stage.

There are also criteria for employers where you may have an arranged offer of employment. The New Brunswick Company offering you employment must have been operating for at least one year at the time the application is received at the NBPNP office. You must also demonstrate that you have been interviewed and hired by your employer.

The highest ranked candidates are invited to apply to the NBPNP by email. Applicants to the NBPNP will, if nominated, be processed through the federal government’s Express Entry electronic immigration management system, which aims to process complete applications within six months of submission.

The NBPNP only accepts EOI forms from individuals who demonstrate that they have:

http://www.welcomenb.ca/content/dam/wel-bien/pdf/ExpressEntryGuide-E.pdf

Minimum Requirements

In order to be eligible for the NBPNP – EELMS, candidates must:

• Be between the ages of 22 and 55;
• Demonstrate proficiency in each of the four language abilities (speaking, reading, writing, and listening) equivalent to or greater than Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7. Language test results must be no more than two years old and must come from a designated agency: IELTS (General Training Test only) for English; CELPIP (General test only) for English; or TEF for French;
• Have a completed Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary educational credential (at least one academic year in length) OR a completed foreign educational credential from a recognized institution or authority. In the case of a foreign educational credential, an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report, issued by an organization designated by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC, formerly CIC), is required;
  • If the applicant is being considered for provincial nomination under an occupation, he or she will require a valid job offer from a New Brunswick employer.
• Have at least 12 months full-time (or an equal amount in part-time) paid skilled work experience in New Brunswick in the three years before the application is made, which cannot have been gained through self-employment or while the candidate was a full-time student (volunteer work, unpaid internships, co-op terms, etc. do not count) and which is in NOC Skill Type 0, Skill Level A or B;
• Sign and submit a Commitment to Live and Work in New Brunswick form; and
• Show sufficient funds to support the settlement of themselves as well as all dependent family members. The required amount of funds varies depending on family size according to the following table:

NOTE: Proof of sufficient settlement funds is not necessary if the applicant has a valid job offer of arranged employment in Canada, or if he or she is currently working or authorized to work in Canada.

Selection Factors

Potential candidates must score at least 67 out of 100 points on a points grid that measures education, language ability, work experience, age, adaptability factors, and whether the candidate has an arranged job offer from a New Brunswick-based employer.

Factor 1: Education

Candidates must have a completed Canadian secondary or post-secondary educational credential OR a completed foreign educational credential from a recognized institution or authority AND an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report issued by an organization designated by IRCC.

An ECA is used to verify that a candidate’s foreign degree, diploma, certificate (or other proof of credential) is valid and equal to a completed credential in Canada. The ECA report will also indicate the authenticity of foreign educational credential(s).

* Degree program must be in Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Dentistry, Podiatry, Optometry, Law, Chiropractic Medicine or Pharmacy. The occupation related to the degree must be NOC 2011 Skill Level A, and licensed by a provincial regulatory body.

Factor 2: Language Ability in English and/or French

Candidates may earn up to 28 points for skills in English and French. Points are given based on the candidate’s abilities in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Points may also be awarded for official second language capacity. If a candidate want to earn points for his or her skills in both English and French, her or she must provide language test results for each language at the same time.

Results must come from one of the following designated testing agencies:

• English:
  • CELPIP: Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (General test only)
  • IELTS: International English Language Testing System (General Training test only)
• French:
  • TEF: Test d’évaluation de français

Calculate language points: candidates must meet the minimum level of CLB 7 (for the first official language in all four language areas). To get points for the second official language, candidates must meet the minimum level of CLB 5 (in all four language areas).

Factor 3: Work Experience – Work experience in Canada or abroad must be:

• At least one year (1,560 hours), full-time or an equal amount in part-time;
• Paid work (volunteer work and unpaid internships do not count);
• In the same occupation;
• Within the last 10 years before the application to NSOI and at application for permanent residence to IRCC; and
• In National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2011 skill level 0, A, or B..

The National Occupational Classification (NOC) is a system used to classify jobs in the Canadian economy. It describes duties, skills and work setting for different jobs.

Factor 4: Age

Points are awarded based on the candidate’s age on the day that he or she was invited to apply for permanent residence by IRCC.

Factor 5: Arranged Employment in New Brunswick

A candidate will receive points if he or she has a valid offer of permanent employment from a New Brunswick employer. The job must be arranged before the candidate applies to come to New Brunswick as a federal skilled worker.

A valid offer of employment must be:

• for permanent full-time work in New Brunswick; and
• in an occupation in Skill Type 0, Skill Level A or B of NOC.

The job must:

• have compensation in the form of salary and benefits package that meets provincial employment standards and prevailing wage rates;
• be a position which has a shortage of qualified permanent residents or Canadian citizens to fill the position; and
• not contravene any existing bargaining unit agreements or be in any employment disputes.

A person can get arranged employment points without a new LMIA. The requirements in this case are:

• The applicant is currently working in Canada on a work permit that was issued based on a positive Service Canada LMIA with respect to employment in an occupation listed in Skill Type 0, Skill Level A or B of the NOC;
• the work permit is valid at the time the application for permanent residence is made;
• the applicant is currently working for an employer specified on the work permit; and
• the current employer has made an offer to employ the applicant on a full-time, non-seasonal, indeterminate basis in a NOC Skill Type 0, Skill Level A or B occupation in New Brunswick once a permanent resident visa, if any, is issued.

Factor 6: Adaptability

An applicant must demonstrate his or her genuine intention to settle in the province. In addition, he or she must meet federal criteria listed in the following table to gain points. If the applicant has an accompanying spouse or common-law partner who will also immigrate to Canada, he or she can earn points for adaptability, too. An applicant cannot claim points for a spouse who is a permanent resident living in Canada or a Canadian citizen. Even if an applicant qualifies for points under several criteria, he or she may only receive a maximum of 10 points for adaptability.

Interview

If required, an applicant may have to attend an in-person interview in New Brunswick. The applicant will be notified if such an interview is required.

Who is not eligible?

Candidates should not apply if they:

• have an application in process under another immigration program in Canada;
• intend to work in an occupation that is a National Occupational Classification (NOC) level C or D;
• are not lawfully residing in their country of residence at the time an application is received at the NBPNP office (proof of lawful residence is required);
• have an unresolved humanitarian and compassionate claim in Canada;
• are failed humanitarian and compassionate claimants living in Canada;
• have an unresolved refugee claim in Canada;
• are failed refugee claimants living in Canada;
• are under a removal order in Canada;
• are prohibited from entering Canada;
• are engaged in full-time post-secondary education;
• are on a valid federal post-graduation work permit whose occupation falls under NOC skill level C or D;
• are live-in caregivers;
• are a seasonal, part-time or casual worker;
• are an individual whose job is not based in New Brunswick;
• intend to start a business and/or be self-employed in New Brunswick; or
• are unable to provide proof of required amount of funds.

EELMS Categories

The priority categories for this NBPNP stream are outlined below.

Note that for each of these categories the recruitment of highly skilled French speakers is a priority for New Brunswick. The province encourages people who can demonstrate advanced French language ability through a Test d’évaluation de français (TEF) and have a desire to be part of New Brunswick’s vibrant Francophone community to submit their EOI as soon as possible because they will be given priority.

Connection to New Brunswick

The NBPNP will accept EOI forms continuously (any day of the week) from individuals who demonstrate at least one connection to New Brunswick, described below. More specifically, candidates who:

• are working in New Brunswick;
• have received post-secondary education diplomas from a recognized New Brunswick institution;
• have relatives who have been living in New Brunswick as permanent residents or Canadian citizens for at least one year;
• have worked full-time in New Brunswick for at least one year in the past five years;
• have a full-time, permanent offer of employment from a New Brunswick company; or
• have French as their first language which is backed by their Test d’évaluation de français (TEF) certificate.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Preference will be given to individuals who, in addition to demonstrating a valid connection to New Brunswick, also have work experience in a priority occupation.

Attended a NBPNP information session

Note: the NBPNP is not currently accepting EOIs through this category.

When this category was previously open, the NBPNP accepted EOI forms continuously (any day of the week) from individuals who had attended a NBPNP information session or had met with NBPNP staff at a domestic or international recruitment event within the previous two years.

The candidate must demonstrate that he or she has attended an information session. For instance, the candidate could provide the registration date and event, or name of the NBPNP staff he or she met and state the place and date.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Priority will be given to individuals who have work experience in a high demand occupation, listed above in the ‘Connection to New Brunswick’ section.

Open Category

Note: As of July 15, 2016, the NBPNP is no longer accepting Open Category EOIs.

The Open Category of this stream issues invitations to apply based on identified demand in the IT sector. A job offer is not required for this category.

Specifically, New Brunswick is looking for the following newcomers to settle in the province through the Open Category:

• Information systems analysts and consultants (NOC 2171)
  • Example titles include: IT (information technology) consultant, computer systems analyst, informatics consultant, informatics security analyst, information systems business analyst, information systems quality assurance analyst, management information systems (MIS) analyst, systems auditor, systems consultant, systems security analyst
• Database analysts and data administrators (NOC 2172)
  • Example titles include: data administrator, data custodian, data dictionary administrator, data warehouse analyst, database administrator (DBA), database analyst, database architect, technical architect – database
• Computer programmers and interactive media developers (NOC 2174)
  • Example titles include: Web programmer, application programmer, business, application programmer, computer game developer, computer programmer, e-business (electronic business) software developer, interactive media developer, multimedia developer, operating systems programmer, programmer analyst, scientific programmer, software developer, software programmer, systems programmer
• Web designers and developers (NOC 2175)
  • Example titles include: Internet site designer, Internet site developer, Intranet site designer, Web designer, Web developer, Web manager, Web site developer, Webmaster, e-business Web site developer
• Computer network technicians (NOC 2281)
  • Example titles include: Internet Web site technician, LAN (local area network) administrator, LAN (local area network) technician, Web technician, computer network technician, data centre operator, network administrator, network support technician, computer network technician supervisor, system administrator

Workers with experience in at least one of the above occupations may be in a position to submit an Expression of Interest in immigrating to New Brunswick through the NBPNP Open Category.

If a candidate is invited to apply and is then successful in obtaining a provincial nomination certificate from the NBPNP through this category, he or she will receive 600 additional points under the federal Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) and will be invited to apply for Canadian permanent residence in a subsequent draw from the Express Entry pool.