Canadian province Newfoundland and Labrador has started a new immigration program for permanent residency (the program operates as an Expression of Interest (EOI) system).
The new program is called the “Priority Skills Immigration” stream starting from 2 January 2021. According to government officials, the program will be able to accommodate 2,500 applicants each year by 2022.
The immigration program will offer the chance to those who have studied in Canada and also to those newcomers from around the world with foreign qualifications and work experience to apply for the PR. No job offer, no LMIA, and low English language requirements such as CLB level 5, the minimum age at 21, and one-year professional work experience make this program very special among all as a result the province has so far received many quarries since it was first to announce back in September. Honorable Minister of Immigration, Skills, and Labour Mr. Gerry Byrne said, “Newfoundland and Labrador invests a great deal of time, effort, and money to attract newcomers to our shores. Once we attract newcomers, we invest even more into our own Memorial University for education and training. Driven by the leadership of the premier, our government is now investing to assist more highly-skilled, highly educated newcomers to stay, right here, and go on to have full careers and raise families throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.”
Introduction of the program
The newly announced “Priority Skills Immigration Program” by Canadian province Newfoundland and Labrador are for highly educated, highly skilled newcomers with specialized experience in areas where demand has outpaced local training and recruitment, such as technology and ocean sciences occupations. The program will also accommodate post-graduates who completed a Masters or Doctorate degree at Memorial University within three years.
Eligibility requirements
Eligibility requirements vary for both categories which can be as follows:
In-Demand Workstream
The individuals who have worked in a specialized, highly-skilled, high-demand occupation for at least one full year in the last 10 years. The other requirements are:
- English language requirements at CLB level 5
- the minimum age at 21
- one-year professional work experience
- a professional degree
- occupation from in-demand list of occupations
In-Demand Academic path
The individuals who have completed a Ph.D. or Master’s degrees from Memorial University within the past three years in the following specialties:
- Agriculture
- Health Care
- Technology
- Aquaculture
In-demand occupations in Newfoundland and Labrador (all are exempt from LMIA)
1- Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector
(a) Technical Specialists
- Technical Writer
- Offshore Technician
- Research Associate
- Cloud Specialist
- Security Specialist
- Bioinformatician
- Computer Network Support
- Data Analytics
- ROV Operator
- Ocean Mapping Specialist
(b) Engineers and Developers
- Infrastructure Engineer
- Software Developer
- UI/UX Developer
- Electrical Engineer
- Biomedical Engineer
- Python Developer
- AI Developer
- Mechanical Engineer
- Web Developer
- .NET Developer
2- Health Care for public and private healthcare providers
- Dosimetrist
- Nurse Practitioner (NP)
- Medical Physicist
- Physician (Family Medicine; Psychiatry; Pathology; General Internal Medicine; Radiology; Obstetrics and Gynecology; Anesthesia; Pediatric Intensivists (PICU); Neonatologists (NICU); Pathology (Hemopathology)
- Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
- Personal Care Attendant (PCA)
- Clinical Psychologist
- Radiation Therapist
Scoring / Points Grid for Newfoundland and Labrador Priority Skills Program
Processing timings
The amount of time it takes the federal government to process your subsequent application for permanent residency varies depending on the category: Skilled Worker takes approximately 18 months, while Express Entry takes approximately 6 months. Please note that these processing times fluctuate. While awaiting permanent residency, Provincial Nominees receive dedicated support from the Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism staff, and access to specialized services, such as letters of support for work permit requests.
How to apply?
The application process can be distributed into three steps.
- Complete an expression of interest
- Potentially receive an Invitation to Apply
- Invitees Apply for Nomination through Online Portal
Step One – Complete an expression of interest
The first step of the Priority Skills NL process is completing a questionnaire.
- The Expression of Interest process will also let you know if you meet minimum eligibility requirements to potentially receive an invitation.
- The questionnaire will ask you about five topics: your English and French language ability, age, education, work experience – including using esdc.gc.ca to confirm position details – and whether you have family in Newfoundland and Labrador
- If you meet the minimum requirements and score high enough on the questionnaire, you will be asked to provide the following information: your name, citizenship, current address, and email address.
- If you meet the minimum requirements and score high enough on the questionnaire, you will be asked to submit three supporting documents to support your expressions of interest, such as a résumé, education or work credential, and cover letter
Step Two – Potentially receive an Invitation to Apply
While the final decision to extend invitations rests with the Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism (OIM), your questionnaire score, language ability, education, and work experience, along with your three supporting documents, will be viewable by employers that have accounts with OIM.
- Employers can use this information to vote on whether they feel candidates would be successful or not in their companies and/or Newfoundland and Labrador.
- Priority Skills NL is intended for candidates who do not have a job or job offer, but during the voting process, employers may wish to contact you to offer a job. The email address that you provide at the start of the questionnaire can be used by employers who wish to contact you.
Step Three – Invitees Apply for Nomination through Online Portal
If you receive an invitation to apply to the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program, it will be sent to the same email address that you use to register your Expression of Interest. The invitation will invite you to submit an immigration application through our online portal.
If you meet eligibility criteria for either the Skilled Worker or Express Entry Skilled Worker category, you will be issued a provincial nomination certificate, which you can include in your application for permanent residency, and send to the federal government. Eligibility for express processing will depend on your language ability and work experience.