New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program – New Brunswick Graduates Pathway

At a Glance

Item	Details
Visa / Stream name	New Brunswick Graduates Stream
Nomination validity	6 months from issue date
Expression of Interest fee	Free of charge
Provincial application fee	$250 non-refundable
Employer compliance fee	$230 (IRCC Employer Portal)
Age requirement	At least 19 years old
Work rights	Valid Canadian work authorization required
Study rights	Not stated in the source
Medicare	Not stated in the source
Travel facility	Not stated in the source
Citizenship pathway	Leads to Canadian permanent residence
Family sponsorship	Spouse/partner and dependent children included
Visa record / Status	Valid temporary resident status required

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Purpose

The New Brunswick Graduates stream provides a pathway to provincial nomination for permanent residence for international graduates from designated learning institutions (DLIs) in New Brunswick who are working in the province.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicant Requirements

To be eligible, you must meet all criteria at the time of Expression of Interest (EOI) submission and application:

• Age: Be at least 19 years old.
• Education: Successfully completed a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP)-eligible program of study at a New Brunswick DLI. Your education level must match the National Occupational Classification (NOC) requirements for your position.
• Employment: Be working full-time (at least 30 hours/week; 1,560 hours/year) in a non-seasonal, year-round position with an eligible New Brunswick employer, or have accepted an offer for such a position.
• Wage: Receive a competitive base wage matching regional Job Bank standards and your employer's pay structure. Non-base compensation (bonuses, overtime, tips, housing allowances) is excluded.
• Licensing: Hold valid professional licensing or certification if working in a regulated occupation. NOC 73300 (Transport truck drivers) requires a valid New Brunswick Class 1 licence.
• Language Proficiency: Score at least Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) 4 across reading, writing, listening, and speaking on an approved test (IELTS General Training, CELPIP-General, PTE Core, TEF Canada, or TCF Canada) taken within the past 2 years.
  • Test Exemption: You do not need test results if your job is NOC TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 and your NB DLI program was completed in English or French.
• New Brunswick Residency: Have lived in New Brunswick under valid temporary resident status for at least the past 6 months.
• Intent to Reside: Demonstrate genuine intention and ability to permanently settle and establish economically in New Brunswick.

Minimum Language Test Scores (CLB/NCLC 4)

Test	Reading	Writing	Listening	Speaking
IELTS – General Training	3.5	4.0	4.5	4.0
CELPIP – General Test	4	4	4	4
PTE Core	33	41	28	42
TEF Canada	306	268	306	328
TCF Canada	342	4	331	4

Special Exemption (Nursing)

Graduates of the MAHE-UNB Dual Degree in Nursing who have accepted a job offer as a registered nurse (NOC 31301) and hold a valid temporary registration permit from the Nurses Association of New Brunswick (NANB) are exempt from the NB education and 6-month residency requirements.

Employer Eligibility

The supporting employer must:

• Be actively operating a genuine business in New Brunswick from a physical location for at least the past 24 months (or 24 consecutive months registered with the International Registration Plan for NOC 73300).
• Hold a valid registration with the New Brunswick Registry of Employers of Foreign Workers.
• Comply with provincial and federal labour laws (ESA, IRPA, IRPR).
• Have a genuine employer–employee relationship (placement agencies cannot support applications; the applicant or their spouse/partner cannot be a majority shareholder).
• Demonstrate genuine local recruitment efforts (advertising the role for at least 4 weeks within the preceding 6 months across at least two approved methods).
• Submit an offer of employment and pay the non-recoverable $230 federal compliance fee in the IRCC Employer Portal.

Ineligibility

You cannot apply if you:

• Are currently enrolled in post-secondary education in Canada;
• Have an active immigration application in any Canadian province or territory;
• Were refused for misrepresentation under any immigration program in the past 5 years;
• Are not living lawfully in your country of residence;
• Were refused admission to or ordered to leave Canada or another country;
• Are working in Canada without authorization; or
• Have an active, approved, or failed refugee or humanitarian and compassionate claim in Canada.

Family Provisions

• You must declare all family members (spouse, common-law partner, and dependent children under 22, or 22+ dependent due to a physical/mental condition) in your application, even if they are not immigrating with you.
• No additional provincial fee is charged for family members.

Application Steps

1. Job Offer: Secure a qualifying full-time job offer from an eligible New Brunswick employer.
2. Expression of Interest (EOI): Submit a free EOI profile via the INB portal.
3. Invitation to Apply (ITA): If invited, submit a complete application within 20 calendar days through the INB portal and pay the $250 fee.
4. Assessment & Procedural Fairness: ImmigrationNB assesses the application. If concerns arise, you may receive a Procedural Fairness Letter (PFL) with a deadline to respond.
5. Nomination Decision: If approved, a nomination certificate is issued via the INB portal (valid for 6 months).
6. Federal PR Application: Apply for permanent residence with IRCC before your provincial nomination certificate expires.
7. Post-Landing Notification: Within 30 days of receiving your signed Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR), log in to the INB portal and select "Report PR Landing."

Document Requirements

• Format: Upload PDF files (max 2 GB each) via the INB portal. Image-based documents must be in colour; text-only documents may be black and white.
• Mandatory Initial Documents:
  • Proof of Canadian education (degree/diploma, official transcript, student ID) or Education Credential Assessment (ECA) less than 5 years old.
  • Completed and signed NB-004 Employment Information form.
  • Valid language test results under 2 years old (unless exempt).
  • Work permit or Canadian work authorization proof.
  • Job offer letter, employment contract, or reference letter.
  • Pay stubs and bank statements showing salary deposits from the past 6 months (if applicable).
  • Proof of NB residency covering the past 6 months from at least 3 approved categories (lease, driver’s licence, vehicle registration, insurance, property tax/mortgage, 2 utility bills, pay stubs, child tax benefit statement).
• Translations: Non-English and non-French documents require certified translations (or non-certified translations accompanied by an affidavit) from an independent third party, along with copies of the original documents.

Important Warnings

• Single Application Rule: You can maintain only one active application with ImmigrationNB at a time. The stream cannot be altered once applied.
• Incomplete Applications: Missing mandatory documents (language test, proof of education/ECA, or NB-004 form) will result in immediate application closure without a fee refund.
• Fee Prohibition: Employers cannot recover the $230 IRCC compliance fee from the worker. Applications will be refused if the employer refuses to pay.
• Nomination Conditions: You must maintain the conditions of your nomination while your permanent residence application is processed by IRCC.