Immigrate to New Brunswick: PNP Streams, Atlantic Program and Settling In

People move to New Brunswick for a mix of practical reasons:

• Two languages. You can live, work and send your children to school in English or French. The school system has separate Anglophone and Francophone sectors.
• Smaller cities. The main cities are small by Canadian standards, with shorter commutes and easy access to the coast and countryside.
• Living costs. Housing and daily costs are often lower than in Canada's largest cities, such as Toronto or Vancouver. Check current rents in the city you are considering before you move.
• Routes for workers already here. Many provincial pathways reward people who already work or studied in the province.
• Universities and colleges. Schools include the University of New Brunswick, Université de Moncton, Mount Allison University, St. Thomas University and the two public college networks, NBCC and CCNB.

New Brunswick is one of four Atlantic provinces, with Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Each year the federal government gives every province a set number of provincial nominations. For 2026, New Brunswick's allocation is estimated at about 3,603 (reported by CIC News in March 2026, after Canada raised provincial allocations for 2026). The national target for all provincial nominee programs is 91,500 admissions in 2026.

Demand is higher than the number of spaces. That is why New Brunswick uses expression of interest pools, excludes some occupations, and since May 4, 2026 has limited new invitations under the New Brunswick Experience pathway to health care, education and construction. Separately, the Atlantic Immigration Program has about 6,500 spaces across the four Atlantic provinces in 2026. Learn how provincial programs fit into the federal system on the provincial nominee program page.

French speakers can also use federal Express Entry French-language draws and the Francophone Mobility work permit.

Most New Brunswick routes follow the same pattern:

1. Create an account in the Immigration New Brunswick (INB) portal.
2. Submit a free expression of interest (EOI) for one stream. It stays in the candidate pool for 365 days.
3. INB invites selected candidates in scheduled draws for the Skilled Worker, Express Entry and Strategic Initiative streams. Selection is based on labor market needs, not first come, first served.
4. If invited, submit a complete application and pay the fee ($250 for worker streams and $2,000 for the Business Immigration stream, as of September 2026).
5. If nominated, apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent residence. For the Express Entry stream, the nomination adds 600 points in the federal Express Entry pool.

One INB profile can hold only one active EOI or application. If you want to be in both the NBPNP pool and the AIP pool, use a separate profile with a different email for each. You can only move forward with one of them.

If you are not yet in Canada, most people first come as workers or students. See LMIA work permits and study permits.

The Atlantic Immigration Program is a federal permanent residence program run with the Atlantic provinces. You need a job offer from an employer that INB has designated. INB then endorses the job offer and you apply to IRCC. As of September 2026, New Brunswick runs it with these rules:

• Employer designation is paused. Since September 14, 2026, INB is not accepting new employer designation applications for the rest of 2026. Only employers already designated can hire through the program. Employers can read about Atlantic designation.
• Candidate pool. Endorsement applications go into a pool. INB selects applications for processing based on provincial priorities. Applications not selected expire after 365 days.
• Selection factors. INB favors candidates with longer employment in New Brunswick, strong ties to the province, and jobs in health care, education or construction.
• Restricted jobs. On September 14, 2026 INB lifted its ban on the accommodation and food services sector, but some jobs remain restricted, including restaurant and food service managers, food service supervisors, retail salespersons, retail sales supervisors, shippers and receivers, and fish and seafood plant workers.
• Candidates outside Canada. Endorsements for people living outside Canada are limited to recruitment initiatives led by the Government of New Brunswick in health care, education and construction.

New Brunswick's own immigration rules show where it needs workers. In 2026:

• Top priority: health care, education and construction. These are the only sectors for new New Brunswick Experience invitations and for AIP recruitment of people outside Canada.
• Other groups invited in 2026 draws: construction and other trades, education, social and community services, manufacturing, professional and IT jobs, transportation, and some sales and service roles.
• Restricted: many accommodation, food service and retail jobs are excluded from the Skilled Worker and Express Entry streams since February 3, 2026.

Job seekers can search the provincial job board, NBjobs.ca, and watch for INB recruitment events. Always confirm a job offer is real before you pay for anything.

The Acadian Peninsula, in the northeast, is a French-speaking region and part of the federal Francophone Community Immigration Pilot.

Health coverage

New Brunswick's public health insurance is called Medicare. Since 2010, newcomers moving from another country may be covered from their first day in the province if they meet the eligibility rules and have established permanent residence there. You can only apply after you physically move. People moving from another Canadian province wait until the first day of the third month. Full-time international students with valid documents can also qualify. Prescription drugs, dental care and vision care are not covered by Medicare, so many people buy private insurance or get it through work.

Driver's license

Service New Brunswick handles driver's licenses. Drivers from other provinces and the United States can exchange their license without a test. Drivers from countries with a reciprocity agreement, such as France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, England, Scotland and Wales, can exchange for a regular car license without testing. Everyone else must take a vision test, a written test and a road test. Temporary residents with permits valid for more than six months may drive on a valid home license for up to 6 months after landing (as of September 2026).

Settlement services

Free settlement agencies help with language classes, jobs and housing. They include the Multicultural Association of the Greater Moncton Area (MAGMA), the Multicultural Association of Fredericton, the Saint John Newcomers Centre, YMCA of Southwestern New Brunswick, PRUDE Inc., and French-language centers such as CAFi in Dieppe and CRNANO in Edmundston. INB also offers an online orientation guide for newcomers.

Many jobs are regulated in New Brunswick, including doctors, nurses, engineers, teachers, and some skilled trades. To work in a regulated job you need a license or certificate from the provincial regulator, for example the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick for doctors. Some provincial streams require you to meet these job requirements before you are nominated.

Start the licensing process early, because it can take months and may need extra exams or training. An educational credential assessment for immigration is not the same as a license to practice. Tradespeople can check whether their trade uses the national Red Seal standard.