Effective May 4, 2026, all new invitations to apply under the New Brunswick Experience pathway will be limited to occupations in the following sectors:
- health care
- education
- construction
- NOC 14400 – Shippers and receivers
- NOC 60020 – Retail and wholesale trade managers
- NOC 62010 – Retail sales supervisors
- NOC 62101 – Retail and wholesale buyers
- NOC 63201 – Butchers - retail and wholesale
- NOC 64100 – Retail salespersons and visual merchandisers
- NOC 64409 – Other customer and information services representatives
- NOC 65100 – Cashiers
- NOC 65101 – Service station attendants
- NOC 65102 – Store shelf stockers, clerks and order fillers
- NOC 65202 – Meat cutters and fishmongers - retail and wholesale
- NOC 94142 – Fish and seafood plant workers
- NOC 95106 – Labourers in food and beverage processing
- NOC 95107 – Labourers in fish and seafood processing
- NOC 60030 – Restaurant and food service managers
- NOC 62020 – Food service supervisors
- NOC 62021– Executive housekeepers
- NOC 62024 – Cleaning supervisors
- NOC 62200 – Chefs
- NOC 63200 – Cooks
- NOC 63202 – Bakers
- NOC 64300 – Maîtres d’hôtel and hosts/hostesses
- NOC 64300 – Maîtres d’hôtel and hosts/hostesses
- NOC 64301– Bartenders
- NOC 64314 – Hotel front desk clerks
- NOC 65200 – Food and beverage servers
- NOC 65201– Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers, and related occupations
- NOC 65310 – Light duty cleaners
The guide below takes a deep look into one of the streams of the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP), the New Brunswick Skilled Worker (NBSW) stream. The guide will go through an overview of the stream, its eligibility requirements, how it works, the documentation needed, its cost and processing times.
NB Skilled Worker – Overview
The New Brunswick Skilled Worker (NBSW) stream is one of New Brunswick’s PNP streams that does require the candidate to hold a job offer to be eligible.
There are three separate pathways of eligibility under this stream, each with specific requirements:
- New Brunswick Experience pathway
- New Brunswick Graduates pathway
- New Brunswick Priority Occupations pathway
When receiving a nomination under the NBSW stream, candidates can then apply for Permanent Residence to the federal government of Canada.
This stream is not aligned with Express Entry, and if nominated, a candidate cannot take advantage of the 6-month average processing times of applications under Express Entry. Processing times of Provincial Nominee Programs when not using the Express Entry system are usually longer and take at least 1 year.
The NBSW stream requires a valid job offer as its main eligibility requirement, and candidates do not need to provide proof of funds. There are other requirements that must be fulfilled regarding the candidate, the employer and the job offer.
NB Skilled Worker – Eligibility
There are 7 main categories of eligibility requirements that we will summarize below. You may be eligible to the New Brunswick Skilled Worker (NBSW) stream if you satisfy to all the requirements below:
Age
Eligibility conditions – All 3 Pathways:
You must be at least 19 years old to be eligible when submitting a complete application.
Language proficiency
Eligibility conditions – All 3 Pathways:
You must demonstrate you meet theminimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) requirements for each language skill, either in French or in English, which is CLB4 for the first official language.
Exception under the New Brunswick Graduates pathway:
- If you meet both conditions below, you do not need to provide proof of language proficiency:
- Your New Brunswick employment falls under TEER category 0, 1, 2, or 3 of the NOC, and
- The program of study that you successfully completed in New Brunswick was conducted in English or French.
Education
Eligibility conditions – NB Experience & NB Priority Occupations Pathways:
You are considered eligible to the stream if your education level meets the requirements of your position in New Brunswick.
If the educational credential is from a foreign (non-Canadian) institution or authority, you must also submit an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) issued by an approved provider.
Eligibility conditions – NB Graduates Pathway:
You must have successfully completed a program of study that is eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) at a designated learning institution (DLI) located in New Brunswick.
Your education level must also meet the requirements of your position in New Brunswick.
Exception: If you have successfully completed the MAHE-UNB Dual Degree in Nursing program and you have accepted a job offer for a registered nurse position (NOC 31301), you are exempt from this education requirements.
Intent to reside in New Brunswick
Eligibility conditions – All 3 Pathways:
To establish intent, you may be asked to demonstrate your attachment to New Brunswick, that may include, but are not limited to:
- description of any actions taken to permanently settle in New Brunswick;
- prior or current employment/studies in New Brunswick;
- employment search details;
- community involvement;
- ability to support yourself in New Brunswick;
- family ties and other social relationships and connections;
- details of prior visits to Canada; and
- your connection to other jurisdictions in Canada.
New Brunswick Residency
Eligibility conditions – NB Experience Pathway:
You must have been living in New Brunswick with valid temporary residence status for at least 6 months before submitting your expression of interest.
Eligibility conditions – NB Graduates Pathway:
You must have been living in New Brunswick with valid temporary residence status for at least 6 months before submitting your expression of interest.
Exception: If you have successfully completed the MAHE-UNB Dual Degree in Nursing program and you have accepted a job offer for a registered nurse position (NOC 31301), you are exempt from this residency requirement.
New Brunswick Employment
Eligibility conditions – NB Experience Pathway:
You must :
- be working full time in a non-seasonal position for an eligible New Brunswick employer, AND
- have been working for the same employer for at least 6 consecutive months.
If your New Brunswick employment falls under NOC 73300 (Transport truck drivers), you must already have and include your New Brunswick class 1 license in your application.
Eligibility conditions – NB Graduates Pathway:
You must:
- be working full-time in a non-seasonal position for an eligible New Brunswick employer, OR
- have accepted a full-time, non-seasonal position for an eligible New Brunswick employer.
If your New Brunswick employment falls under NOC 73300 (Transport truck drivers), you must already have and include your New Brunswick class 1 license in your application.
Eligibility conditions – NB Priority Occupations Pathway:
You must have accepted a full-time, non-seasonal job offer from an eligible New Brunswick employer.
This job must have been offered to you as a direct result of a recruitment mission led by the Government of New Brunswick. It must be classified under one of the following NOC codes:
- Healthcare
- NOC 31301 – Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
- NOC 32101 – Licensed practical nurses
- NOC 32109 – Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
- NOC 32124 – Pharmacy technicians
- NOC 33101 – Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations
- NOC 33102 – Nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service associates
- NOC 33109 – Other assisting occupations in support of health services
- NOC 44101 – Home support workers, caregivers, and related occupations
- Education
- NOC 41220 – Secondary school teachers
- NOC 41221 – Elementary school and kindergarten teachers
- NOC 42201 – Social and community service workers
- NOC 42202 – Early childhood educators and assistants
- NOC 43100 – Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants
- Construction trades
- NOC 70010 – Construction managers
- NOC 70011 – Home building and renovation managers
- NOC 72011 – Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades, and telecommunications occupations
- NOC 72014 – Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers, and servicers
- NOC 72020 – Contractors and supervisors, mechanic trades
- NOC 72102 – Sheet metal workers
- NOC 72106 – Welders and related machine operators
- NOC 72200 – Electricians (except industrial and power system)
- NOC 72201 – Industrial electricians
- NOC 72310 – Carpenters
- NOC 72320 – Bricklayers
- NOC 72401 – Heavy-duty equipment mechanics
- NOC 72402 – Heating, refrigeration, and air conditioning mechanics
- NOC 72500 – Crane operators
- NOC 73100 – Concrete finishers
- NOC 73102 – Plasterers, drywall installers, and finishers and lathers
- NOC 73110 – Roofers and shinglers
- NOC 73200 – Residential and commercial installers and servicers
- NOC 73400 – Heavy equipment operators
- NOC 75110 – Construction trades helpers and labourers
Eligibility conditions – All 3 Pathways
The offered wage must be competitive with New Brunswick wage rates for the occupation.
If the intended job offer is in a regulated occupation, you are required to be certified or licensed by the regulatory authority for that occupation.
Work experience
Eligibility conditions – NB Priority Occupations Pathway:
To be eligible to the NBSW stream, you need to have at least one year of full-time (1,560 hours full-time or equivalent part-time) work experience related to the New Brunwick occupation in the last 5 years, in Canada or abroad, with one or more employers.
NB Skilled Worker – Application Process
For a better understanding of the process, below is a list of the steps involved in obtaining Permanent Residence through the New Brunswick Skilled Worker (NBSW) stream. Candidates must:
- Qualify for the NBPNP stream eligibility requirements and submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) on the INB portal.
EOIs are placed in a pool and remain valid for 365 days. They are not processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Invitations to apply are issued only to selected individuals through scheduled draws.
- Receive an Invitation to Apply through their INB portal.
- Apply to the NBSW stream, maximum 20 days after receiving the invitation, by submitting their application through INB portal (filling in forms and uploading required documents).
- Apply for permanent residence to the federal government (IRCC) within 6 months of receiving the nomination (after NBPNP processes their application). Candidates will need to apply online to IRCC, and include the nomination documents received from the NBPNP. A work permit support letter may be issued if they do not have a valid work permit or their current work permit will expire within 180 days.
NB Skilled Worker – Application Fees
NB Skilled Worker – Processing Times
NB Skilled Worker – Latest News & Data
NB Skilled Worker – In-Demand Occupations?
Some streams target specific NOC codes, meaning that if you have experience in those in-demand jobs, you either (i) have more chances to be invited or (ii) that you can be eligible to the stream.
In the case of the New Brunswick Skilled Worker stream, there is no in-demand occupation list. However, a job offer is needed that depends on the needs of employer in the province.
