New Brunswick has released the most extensive rewrite of its immigration rules in years, effective 3 February 2026. Key changes affect both the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) and the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP):
• Immediate suspension of Expressions of Interest (EOIs) from the accommodation and food-services sector (NAICS 72) across Skilled Worker and Express Entry streams, and an outright refusal to process eight additional low-skilled occupations ranging from cashiers to shippers/receivers.
• Introduction of a candidate-pool model for AIP endorsements: designated employers will submit job offers, which the province will now rank and invite monthly, mirroring Express Entry mechanics. Simultaneously, New Brunswick has frozen new AIP employer designations while it audits existing participants.
![New Brunswick overhauls PNP and Atlantic Immigration Program, bans accommodation-sector applications]()
• Overseas hires will be limited to provincial recruitment missions in health care, education and construction trades until further notice, reflecting targeted labour shortages.
• Extension of the Private Career College Graduate Pilot, but only for current international students at Oulton College or Eastern College whose programmes run past the original 2026 end date.
For employers and foreign workers trying to interpret these revised pathways, VisaHQ can provide end-to-end assistance with Canadian visas, eTAs and work-permit applications. Its online platform (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) offers document checking, deadline alerts and personalised guidance, helping HR teams and candidates stay compliant while the province fine-tunes its nomination and endorsement pools.
The reforms answer mounting criticism that some employers were using provincial streams for low-wage positions that offer little long-term retention. For global-mobility managers the implications are immediate: hospitality operators must look elsewhere, while health-care and construction employers gain a clearer path—provided they act quickly once monthly AIP pools open. Companies planning large intakes should also budget extra time as the province re-screens designated employers.
• Immediate suspension of Expressions of Interest (EOIs) from the accommodation and food-services sector (NAICS 72) across Skilled Worker and Express Entry streams, and an outright refusal to process eight additional low-skilled occupations ranging from cashiers to shippers/receivers.
• Introduction of a candidate-pool model for AIP endorsements: designated employers will submit job offers, which the province will now rank and invite monthly, mirroring Express Entry mechanics. Simultaneously, New Brunswick has frozen new AIP employer designations while it audits existing participants.
• Overseas hires will be limited to provincial recruitment missions in health care, education and construction trades until further notice, reflecting targeted labour shortages.
• Extension of the Private Career College Graduate Pilot, but only for current international students at Oulton College or Eastern College whose programmes run past the original 2026 end date.
For employers and foreign workers trying to interpret these revised pathways, VisaHQ can provide end-to-end assistance with Canadian visas, eTAs and work-permit applications. Its online platform (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) offers document checking, deadline alerts and personalised guidance, helping HR teams and candidates stay compliant while the province fine-tunes its nomination and endorsement pools.
The reforms answer mounting criticism that some employers were using provincial streams for low-wage positions that offer little long-term retention. For global-mobility managers the implications are immediate: hospitality operators must look elsewhere, while health-care and construction employers gain a clearer path—provided they act quickly once monthly AIP pools open. Companies planning large intakes should also budget extra time as the province re-screens designated employers.
