In a bold bid to make Canada’s easternmost province the country’s most newcomer-friendly destination, Newfoundland & Labrador abolished its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) processing fees with immediate effect on December 5. The move, announced by Immigration, Population Growth and Skills Minister Gerry Byrne, removes the CAD 250–1,000 charges that applicants previously paid for the NLPNP’s Skilled Worker, International Graduate and Express Entry categories.
The province currently lands around 1,700 new permanent residents a year, but Ottawa has allocated enough PNP and Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) spaces for Newfoundland to welcome up to 5,100 newcomers annually by 2026. Officials say scrapping fees is one part of a wider strategy—paired with record-fast 25-day application turnaround times and free settlement services—to gain a competitive edge over larger provinces that continue to tighten admission rules or raise costs.
![Newfoundland & Labrador eliminates all provincial nominee processing fees to triple newcomer intake]()
For employers in offshore energy, aquaculture and the burgeoning tech sector, the fee exemption could remove a financial hurdle when recruiting international talent, especially in lower-wage occupations where the processing levy was often paid by the company. Provincial staff confirm that applications already in process will automatically receive refunds, while new files lodged after December 5 will proceed at no cost.
Settlement agencies are preparing for an uptick in inquiries, noting that the policy change dovetails with the province’s population-growth strategy and aggressive marketing to international graduates at Memorial University. Employers are advised to review their relocation budgets, as eliminated fees alter overall cost-benefit calculations when choosing between federal, Atlantic and provincial streams.
Analysts caution that fee removal alone will not solve retention challenges: housing shortages in St. John’s and limited public transport remain barriers. Still, the announcement signals that smaller jurisdictions can compete on affordability and processing speed, and could prompt other Atlantic provinces to revisit their own fee structures.
The province currently lands around 1,700 new permanent residents a year, but Ottawa has allocated enough PNP and Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) spaces for Newfoundland to welcome up to 5,100 newcomers annually by 2026. Officials say scrapping fees is one part of a wider strategy—paired with record-fast 25-day application turnaround times and free settlement services—to gain a competitive edge over larger provinces that continue to tighten admission rules or raise costs.
For employers in offshore energy, aquaculture and the burgeoning tech sector, the fee exemption could remove a financial hurdle when recruiting international talent, especially in lower-wage occupations where the processing levy was often paid by the company. Provincial staff confirm that applications already in process will automatically receive refunds, while new files lodged after December 5 will proceed at no cost.
Settlement agencies are preparing for an uptick in inquiries, noting that the policy change dovetails with the province’s population-growth strategy and aggressive marketing to international graduates at Memorial University. Employers are advised to review their relocation budgets, as eliminated fees alter overall cost-benefit calculations when choosing between federal, Atlantic and provincial streams.
Analysts caution that fee removal alone will not solve retention challenges: housing shortages in St. John’s and limited public transport remain barriers. Still, the announcement signals that smaller jurisdictions can compete on affordability and processing speed, and could prompt other Atlantic provinces to revisit their own fee structures.
