
Top Ways to Immigrate to Newfoundland & Labrador
SEP 10, 2021
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KAYLA PETERS
Learn the top ways to immigrate to Newfoundland and Labrador as Newfoundland is looking to invite more immigrants. This comes as a result of its ageing and declining population. Immigration has become a priority among political campaigns. There are also talks of welcoming triple the number of newcomers by the next five years.
Newfoundland offers a vibrant cultural scene with naturally beautiful coastlines and woodlands. The province has the best of both worlds with both rural and urban living.
See below on how foreign nationals can make this a new reality for themselves and their family.
How to Immigrate to Newfoundland and Labrador

Those wishing to immigrate to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador have two main options, namely the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program and the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program.
The Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program
The Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program (NLPNP) allows the province to nominate foreign nationals with the skills and experience targeted, in order to address the labour and population shortage in the province. The NLPNP accepts applications under the following immigration categories:
- Newfoundland & Labrador Express Entry Skilled Worker;
- Skilled Worker Category;
- International Graduate Category;
- International Entrepreneur Category;
- International Graduate Entrepreneur Category; and
- Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program.
Newfoundland & Labrador Express Entry Skilled Worker
This category allows the NLPNP to nominate candidates with job offers through the Express Entry system. Those who do get nominated will receive an additional 600 points towards their Comprehensive Ranking System(CRS) score, which gives them an increasingly high chance of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residency. This is because the total CRS score an applicant can receive is 1,200.
To apply via this category applicants must be eligible and accepted into the Express Entry system.
Skilled Worker Category
This category is for foreign nationals who have specialized skills that may help Newfoundland and Labrador employers overcome labour shortages. Employers can nominate skilled workers under this category if they are able to demonstrate a need for the applicant’s particular skills.
International Graduate Category
This category is for international students who have graduated from a Designated Learning Institute (DLI) in Newfoundland and Labrador, and have a valid Post-Graduate Work Permit. Applicants must have either a current job or a job offer from a Newfoundland and Labrador employer in the field of their studies.
For those applicants who have graduated outside of the province, there may be a requirement for those applicants to acquire one year’s work experience.
International Entrepreneur Category
This category is open to foreign nationals who would like to live in Newfoundland and Labrador and create, co-manage or buy a business in the province. Applicants will need to perform their business on a Temporary Work Permit before applying for a provincial nomination from the province.
International Graduate Entrepreneur Category
This category is for international students who have graduated from Memorial University or College of the North Atlantic in the last two years and would like to start, co-own or run a business in the province with a pathway to Canadian permanent residence.
The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP) is an immigration program designed to hire foreign workers who are seeking permanent residence to fill jobs in Atlantic Canada that cannot be filled locally. Newfoundland and Labrador are one of the four provinces that have this partnership with the Canadian government. Applicants for this program can be living in Canada on a temporary visa or abroad when applying.
The AIPP has two programs for skilled workers and one program for international graduate students:
- Atlantic High-Skilled Program;
- Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program; and
- Atlantic International Graduate Program.
See the table below for the requirements of each program.
Atlantic Immigration Pilot Programs | |||
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Requirements | Atlantic International Graduate Program | Atlantic High-Skilled Program | Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program |
Job offer from a designated employer |
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Skilled work experience | N/A | 1 year in occupation related to job offer | One year in occupation related to job offer |
Education | 2-year post-secondary diploma from a learning institution in the Atlantic region, obtained within the 12 months before the submission of the application for permanent residence. | Have a foreign degree or diploma equal to a Canadian credential, for which you will need an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report done | Have a foreign degree or diploma equal to a Canadian credential, for which you will need an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report done |
Language | Level 4 of the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) in English or the Niveau de compétence linguistique Canadien in French | Level 4 of the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) in English or the Niveau de compétence linguistique Canadien in French | Level 4 of the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) in English or the Niveau de compétence linguistique Canadien in French |
Funds | Proof of funds that meet the minimum required amount to support yourself as well as any dependents regardless of whether they are joining you in Canada or not. | Proof of funds that meet the minimum required amount to support yourself as well as any dependents regardless of whether they are joining you in Canada or not.< | Proof of funds that meet the minimum required amount to support yourself as well as any dependents regardless of whether they are joining you in Canada or not. |
A great advantage of the AIPP is that Canadian employers do not have to obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
What is an LMIA?
A Labour Market Impact Assessment or LMIA is a document that a Canadian employer may need to get before hiring a foreign worker. A positive LMIA would mean there is a need for a foreign worker to fill the position. A positive LMIA is also known as a confirmation letter.
Cost of living in Newfoundland and Labrador
Cost of Living | |
---|---|
Fee | Amount in CAD |
Monthly rent for 85m2 | $815 |
Utilities for 1 month | $226 |
Taxi trip on a business day, basic tariff, 8 km) | $15 |
Monthly ticket public transport | $78 |
Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) | $47 |
Basic dinner out for two in neighbourhood pub | $59 |
1 month of gym membership in business district | $57 |
The average Newfoundland salary is $47,385 per year or $24.30 per hour. Entry-level positions start at $33,072 per year, while most experienced workers make up to $96,769 per year.
Jobs in-demand in Newfoundland and Labrador

With Newfoundland looking to invite more immigrants, the best chance applicants have at success is to have jobs that are in demand in the province. Below are just a few jobs that are in demand in Newfoundland and Labrador:
- NOC 3124 - Nurse practitioner
- NOC 2111 - Medical Physicist
- NOC 3215 - Radiation Therapist
- NOC 2174 - Software Engineer
- NOC 2132 - Mechanical Engineer
- NOC 2172- Data Analytics
- NOC 2281 - Computer Network Support
Life in Newfoundland and Labrador
Newcomers can enjoy several activities in the province including camping, hiking, sports, and fishing in the summer and skiing, and snowmobiling in the winter. There are lots of land to explore as Newfoundland and Labrador is bigger than many countries such as Germany and Japan.
Those moving to the province with children will be pleased to know that the Memorial University of Newfoundland is one of the most affordable universities in North America.
So start the Canadian journey today, as Newfoundland looking to invite more immigrants and there’s no better time!