New Brunswick Immigration Program: NB PNP Guide

The New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) is a provincial immigration program that can lead to Canadian permanent residence for people who want to live and work (or run a business) in New Brunswick. Immigration New Brunswick selects candidates based on provincial needs, but IRCC makes the final permanent residence decision.

Many people get confused because they think they can “apply anytime.” In reality, NBPNP uses an Expression of Interest (EOI) system, and meeting eligibility does not guarantee an invitation or a nomination.

What streams exist under the New Brunswick PNP?

New Brunswick lists these NBPNP streams:

New Brunswick Skilled Worker stream
New Brunswick Express Entry stream
New Brunswick Strategic Initiative (French-speaking focus)
New Brunswick Business Immigration stream

New Brunswick also lists pilot programs connected to NBPNP intake, including:

New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot (employer-driven)
Private Career College Graduate Pilot Program (extended in limited capacity through end of 2026)

Internal guidance: If you are building separate pages later, each stream deserves its own guide. This page should stay as the “main NBPNP overview” and link out.

How the NBPNP EOI system works (INB Portal)

New Brunswick manages NBPNP intake through the INB Portal and an EOI pool. Key rules from the province:

You must create a candidate profile and submit an EOI before you can submit a full application.
EOIs are placed in a pool and stay valid for 365 days.
ImmigrationNB issues invitations based on labour market needs, available allocation, and other priorities.
EOI is not a complete application and does not support an expiring work permit.
If your info changes, you usually withdraw and submit a new EOI (this does not put you “at the back of the line”).

New Brunswick also warns applicants to control their own portal access and not share logins.

Stream overview: New Brunswick Express Entry stream

The New Brunswick Express Entry stream is for skilled people already in the federal Express Entry pool. New Brunswick says a nomination increases your chances of receiving an ITA from IRCC.

New Brunswick explains it targets candidates with connections to NB, such as:

Employment in New Brunswick, or
New Brunswick Interests (for example, receiving a letter of interest in your Express Entry profile)

Important operational notes New Brunswick publishes:

The province may restrict certain occupations and can change priorities.
The province says it cannot provide processing times for individual applications and cannot guarantee processing before a work permit expires.

What happens after a nomination (Express Entry)

IRCC confirms that accepting a provincial nomination in Express Entry gives 600 additional CRS points which helps you get invited.
This is helpful, but it is still not a guarantee, because you must remain eligible and IRCC still assesses admissibility.

Stream overview: New Brunswick Skilled Worker stream

The New Brunswick Skilled Worker stream is designed for people who are working in NB or have a full-time, non-seasonal job offer from an eligible NB employer.

New Brunswick lists several pathways under this stream (examples shown on the official page):

New Brunswick Experience (working and living in NB, with employer support)
New Brunswick Graduates (eligible NB study + job offer/employment)
New Brunswick Priority Occupations (often linked to recruitment missions and priority NOCs)

A key practical detail: the NBPNP candidate pool page states the NB-004 Employment Information form signed by your supporting employer is required for Skilled Worker pathways (and also for the private career college pilot).

Stream overview: New Brunswick Strategic Initiative (Francophone pathway)

New Brunswick describes the Strategic Initiative as intended for French-speaking foreign nationals with eligible connections to NB who want to live and work permanently in the province.

Examples of targeted connections include:

Francophone workers in New Brunswick (or job offers)
Francophone priorities (including specific eligible study in NB)
Francophones working remotely in NB (with conditions)

Internal guidance: If your site already has a “French-speaking skilled worker (EE)” page, keep this NB Strategic Initiative page separate, because it is a provincial program with its own rules.

Stream overview: New Brunswick Business Immigration stream

New Brunswick states the Business Immigration Stream replaced the older Entrepreneurial stream (now closed).
It is for experienced entrepreneurs who will establish or buy a business and actively manage it while living in NB. New Brunswick notes applicants can request nomination after the business has operated for 6 consecutive months and after meeting the business performance agreement requirements.

New Brunswick is clear: creating an EOI and meeting requirements does not guarantee a nomination, and the province can change criteria or pause streams.

Pilot programs you may see mentioned

Critical Worker Pilot

New Brunswick describes this as a multi-year pilot to address labour shortages. It is employer-driven and does not accept direct applications from candidates without a participating employer.
It also states the processing fee is $250, paid through your online account, and deadlines can apply after ITA.

Private Career College Graduate Pilot

New Brunswick says this pilot was launched in September 2022 and has been extended in limited capacity through the end of 2026 for students already registered in specific programs.

Fees and timelines (what is safe to say)

Provincial fee (NBPNP)

New Brunswick guides state:

Submitting an EOI is free
If invited, you pay a non-refundable $250 through your INB portal account (no extra fee for included family members).

Employer compliance fee (federal)

Some NB pathways require employer support through IRCC’s Employer Portal, including a $230 employer compliance fee, and the province states the employer cannot recover that fee from you.

Federal PR fees

IRCC’s fee list shows $1,525 (processing $950 + right of PR fee $575) for many economic PR applications, including provincial nominees.

Processing times

New Brunswick states it cannot provide processing times for individual files and cannot guarantee completion before a work permit expires.
For the federal stage, use IRCC’s processing time/status tools rather than fixed promises.

Required documents (clean list)

Remove template items that do NOT belong here:

“Endorsement Certificate From an Atlantic Province” (that is not an NBPNP document)

Typical NBPNP requirements depend on the stream, but often include:

Passport + status documents (if you are in Canada)
Language test results (when required by your pathway)
Education + ECA if needed (stream/pathway dependent)
Job offer/employment documents (Skilled Worker / many pathways)
NB-004 Employment Information form (required for all Skilled Worker pathways and the private career college pilot)
Express Entry profile number + job seeker validation code (Express Entry stream)

FAQ

Can I apply directly to NBPNP without an EOI?
No. New Brunswick states you must submit an EOI first, and only invited candidates submit a complete application.

Does meeting requirements guarantee an invitation or nomination?
No. New Brunswick says eligibility does not guarantee an ITA, and an ITA does not guarantee nomination.

How much is the NBPNP fee?
New Brunswick guides list $250 (non-refundable) if you are invited to apply.

Does a nomination guarantee PR?
No. New Brunswick and IRCC both state IRCC makes the final PR decision, even after nomination.

Reality check

NBPNP is managed intake: the province invites based on labour needs and allocation, not first-come first-served.
Do not plan around “fast processing.” New Brunswick warns it cannot guarantee processing before work permits expire, and EOIs do not protect status.
A nomination is not permanent residence. IRCC still checks admissibility and makes the final decision.

NBPNP overview (streams + pilots):
https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/corporate/promo/immigration/immigrating-to-nb/nb-immigration-program-streams.html

NBPNP candidate pool (EOI rules, 365 days, INB portal):
https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/corporate/promo/immigration/immigrating-to-nb/nb-immigration-program-streams/candidate-pool.html

Invitation and selection rounds (latest draws + warning on no guarantees):
https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/corporate/promo/immigration/immigrating-to-nb/invitations-to-apply.html

NB Express Entry stream:
https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/corporate/promo/immigration/immigrating-to-nb/nb-immigration-program-streams/nb-express-entry-stream.html

NB Skilled Worker stream:
https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/corporate/promo/immigration/immigrating-to-nb/nb-immigration-program-streams/nb-skilled-worker-stream.html

NB Strategic Initiative:
https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/corporate/promo/immigration/immigrating-to-nb/nb-immigration-program-streams/nb-strategic-initiative-stream.html

NB Business Immigration stream:
https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/corporate/promo/immigration/immigrating-to-nb/nb-immigration-program-streams/nb-business-immigration-stream.html

NB Critical Worker Pilot:
https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/corporate/promo/immigration/immigrating-to-nb/nb-immigration-program-streams/nb-critical-workers-pilot.html

Private Career College Graduate Pilot:
https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/corporate/promo/immigration/immigrating-to-nb/nb-immigration-program-streams/private-career-college-graduate-pilot-program.html

IRCC: Provincial nominees overview:
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/provincial-nominees.html

IRCC: Get/confirm a nomination (600 CRS points):
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/provincial-nominees/express-entry/get-confirm-nomination.html

IRCC fee list:
https://ircc.canada.ca/english/information/fees/fees.asp