New Brunswick updated its online dashboard on 12 February 2026, confirming that the province invited 326 immigration candidates in a pair of draws held on 2 February. Details—now published in full—show 166 Express Entry invitations under the Employment in NB pathway and 160 under the Strategic Initiative for Francophone workers.(immigration.ca)
The invitations target applicants with profiles aligned to current labour needs and holding either a valid job offer or strong French-language skills. Invitees have 45 days to submit a complete application to the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP). Approved nominees receive 600 Comprehensive Ranking System points in the federal Express Entry pool, virtually guaranteeing an invitation to apply for permanent residence.
For applicants wondering how to juggle federal Express Entry paperwork alongside provincial requirements, VisaHQ offers step-by-step checklists and real-time support. Its Canada portal (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) lets users upload documents, track processing times and flag expiries, a handy safety net when the NBPNP clock starts ticking.
![New Brunswick issues 326 provincial invitations across Express Entry and Strategic Initiative streams]()
The province’s 2026 quota has not yet been released, but officials hint at a modest increase after last year’s 3,200 nomination ceiling. Employers in forestry, manufacturing and the fast-growing green-hydrogen sector are lobbying for larger allocations as mega-projects ramp up in Saint John and the Miramichi region.
For mobility planners, the NBPNP remains one of the faster routes to permanent residency outside the major metros. HR teams should flag the 45-day deadline to candidates and ensure supporting documents—particularly language test results—are valid for at least six months. The province requires settlement funds based on federal tables and has introduced spot audits to verify job-offer genuineness.
The fresh figures signal that Atlantic Canada continues to leverage provincial streams to counter demographic decline and bolster French linguistic vitality.
The invitations target applicants with profiles aligned to current labour needs and holding either a valid job offer or strong French-language skills. Invitees have 45 days to submit a complete application to the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP). Approved nominees receive 600 Comprehensive Ranking System points in the federal Express Entry pool, virtually guaranteeing an invitation to apply for permanent residence.
For applicants wondering how to juggle federal Express Entry paperwork alongside provincial requirements, VisaHQ offers step-by-step checklists and real-time support. Its Canada portal (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) lets users upload documents, track processing times and flag expiries, a handy safety net when the NBPNP clock starts ticking.
The province’s 2026 quota has not yet been released, but officials hint at a modest increase after last year’s 3,200 nomination ceiling. Employers in forestry, manufacturing and the fast-growing green-hydrogen sector are lobbying for larger allocations as mega-projects ramp up in Saint John and the Miramichi region.
For mobility planners, the NBPNP remains one of the faster routes to permanent residency outside the major metros. HR teams should flag the 45-day deadline to candidates and ensure supporting documents—particularly language test results—are valid for at least six months. The province requires settlement funds based on federal tables and has introduced spot audits to verify job-offer genuineness.
The fresh figures signal that Atlantic Canada continues to leverage provincial streams to counter demographic decline and bolster French linguistic vitality.
