New Brunswick Announces New Immigration Pathway for Private Career College Graduates.
Under the new immigration pathway, graduates from four private career institutions in New Brunswick will be eligible to apply for permanent residency beginning in April.
“We have been working on this initiative for quite some time, and we are glad to see it through,” Labor Minister Trevor Holder said.
“Newcomers are critical to tackling our labor market difficulties, and by offering this additional immigration stream, we are enabling more of our post-secondary institutions to generate the qualified workers that New Brunswick requires.”
Those who graduated from Atlantic Business College, Eastern College, McKenzie College, and Oulton College with training in any of 19 occupations will be able to apply to the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) beginning April 1 next year under the pilot program in the Atlantic Canadian province.
Labor Shortages Make It Crucial To Have New Pathway For International Students
Opportunities NB and Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada collaborated to create the new pathway (IRCC).
“We are excited to be able to assist in the retention of more foreign students by creating an innovative pathway tailored to New Brunswick,” said Arlene Dunn, Minister of Opportunities NB.
“With the rising competition for skilled labor, the ability to convert overseas students into permanent residents has never been more important.”
Graduates will be able to work and live in the province while waiting for permanent residency.
For this pilot, the following jobs were chosen:
- social and community service workers;
- early childhood educator and assistants;
- educational assistants;
- health-care aides;
- home support worker;
- licensed practical nurses;
- paramedic and related occupations;
- medical laboratory technologists;
- medical laboratory technician and pathologists’ assistants;
- administrative assistant;
- computer programmer and interactive media developers;
- web designers and developer;
- computer network technicians;
- user support technicians;
- accounting technician and bookkeepers;
- payroll clerks;
- shippers and receiver;
- supply chain and logistic supervisors; and
- production logistic co-ordinators.
Colleges Eager To Assist With Labor Shortage
The new stream will benefit graduates who are not already eligible for the federal Post-Graduation Work Permit.
“For generations, private career colleges have provided domestic students with the skills they need to succeed, and we are ready to help bring international students to our province to participate in this exciting new program,” said Tony Reeder, president of the New Brunswick Association of Private Colleges and Universities.
“We collaborated extensively with Opportunities NB to give program and administration ideas to ensure the program satisfies the needs of all stakeholders.”
To be eligible, the private career college must be a New Brunswick Designated Learning Institution with that classification for at least five years.
Education and social development, health care, information technology, and cyber security, business administration, and supply chain and logistics are among the programs that are eligible.
New Brunswick Announces New Immigration Pathway for Private Career College Graduates: Eligibility Requirements
Graduates must:
- be between the ages of 22 and 40;
- Show that you have a minimum language competency level of CLB 7 in English or French in all four language abilities: reading, writing, listening and speaking.
- must have earned a full-time New Brunswick post-secondary degree or diploma from a recognized university or community college for at least two years (15 hours of class each week);
- have lived in New Brunswick for the duration of the academic program (no distant learning or truncated academic programs are acceptable);
- must have owned and maintained a business for at least one year in New Brunswick (100 percent equity ownership);
- have a valid work permit after graduation, and demonstrate their desire and capacity to reside in New Brunswick.
The following characteristics are considered while evaluating an EOI for the PGES: age, language, education, job experience, adaptability, and the economic benefit of the firm to New Brunswick.
Individuals must achieve a minimum score of 65 out of 100 on the PGES ranking system in order to be considered.
Expression of Interest Scores
Age is worth a maximum of ten points to a candidate. A breakdown can be found in the table below:
| Age in Years | Maximum Points |
| 21 or less | 0 |
| 22-34 | 10 |
| 35-40 | 5 |
| 41 or more | 0 |
Language
Candidates may receive up to 35 points for language competency, with the first language receiving up to 28 points.
For all four areas of language talents, the minimum language competence level is a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 in English or French.
By the time an application number is assigned, the test results cannot be older than 18 months.
The following is a list of language test providers who have been approved by the PGES:
-
International English Language Testing System General (IELTS)
- Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program General (CELPIP-General)
- French Evaluation Test or Test d’Evaluation de Français.
Education
Candidates may be awarded a maximum of 25 points for education.
A full-time New Brunswick post-secondary diploma or degree of at least two years from a recognized university or community college in New Brunswick is the minimum qualification.
It’s crucial that he or she has lived in the province for the duration of his or her education.
When submitting an EOI, individuals may include an overseas educational certificate, but they must include an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report from an authorized organization.
Work Experience
For previous work experience, a qualified candidate may obtain up to 10 points.
The one year of business operations in New Brunswick is not included in the total number of years listed.
| Work Experience in Years | Points |
| six (6) or more years in the last 10 years in NOC O, A or B | 10 |
| 1-5 years in the last Ten (10) years in NOC O, A or B | 5 |
Economic Benefit of the Business
Eligible Candidates may get a maximum of 10 points for the economic benefit of the business to New Brunswick province.
Adaptability
Candidates considered eligible may be awarded a maximum of 10 points for adaptability.
