NB Strategic Initiative – Overview
The New Brunswick Strategic Initiative (NBSI) stream is one of New Brunswick’s PNP streams that does not require the candidate to hold a job offer to be eligible, but will need to have good language proficiency in French.
When receiving a nomination under the NBSI 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 NBSI stream requires a good level of French language proficiency as its main eligibility requirements, and candidates may not need to provide proof of funds.
NB Strategic Initiative – Eligibility
There are 8 main categories of eligibility requirements that we will summarize below. You may be eligible to the New Brunswick Strategic Initiative (NBSI) stream if you satisfy to all the requirements below:
Age
You must be at least 19 years old to be eligible when submitting a complete application.
Language proficiency
You must demonstrate you meet the minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) requirements for each language skill, in French, which is CLB5.
Education
You are considered eligible to the stream if you have at least a Canadian secondary (high school) diploma or foreign equivalent. 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.
Work experience
To be eligible to the NBSI stream, you need to have at least 1 year of full-time (1,560 hours full-time or equivalent part-time) work experience in the last 10 years. The work experience must have been accumulated for over a period of at least 12 months.
Intent to reside in New Brunswick
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.
Qualifying Connection to New Brunswick
To be considered under the NBSI stream, you must have one of the following three eligible connections:
a. An Exploratory Visit,
b. A job or genuine job offer with a New Brunswick employer, or
c. A New Brunswick Priority.
a. Exploratory Visit:
Exploratory Visits to New Brunswick must be conducted within 12 months prior to submitting an Expression of Interest for the NBSI stream, last for at least five full business days (statutory holidays and weekend are not counted), but longer trips are recommended.
The purpose of an exploratory visit is to conduct extensive research related to employment and living opportunities in New Brunswick. Suggestions for meetings may include, but are not limited to:
- New Brunswick employers,
- Regulatory bodies, if you are in a regulated occupation,
- Regional economic development offices/chamber of commerce officials/municipal newcomer coordinators,
- Residential real estate agents,
- New Brunswick settlement agencies,
- Schools and childcare facilities.
If you participate in an Exploratory Visit, you must submit an Exploratory Visit Report with your application (that includes details about the length of stay in New Brunswick, copies of all airline tickets, boarding passes and hotel receipts, records of meetings held, etc.).
The Exploratory Visit Report is different from the required Settlement Plan.
It is mandatory to inform the NBPNP at least 30 days before your arrival to New Brunswick.
The NBPNP does not provide letters of support for visas or authorizations to enter Canada.
This connection is only for candidates who will be coming from outside of Canada. If you have been a temporary resident in another province in the past 5 years, you do not qualify for this connection.
b. Job or genuine job offer with a New Brunswick employer:
A New Brunswick employer has offered, and you have accepted, permanent, full time (at least 30h/week), year-round (non-seasonal) employment in an occupation in any NOC TEER Category.
The wage offered 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.
The NBPNP reserves the right to consider only certain types of jobs and occupations for nomination, based on New Brunswick’s labour market, current inventory, yearly nomination allocations distributed by IRCC, and any other factors determined by the NBPNP.
c. New Brunswick Priorities:
On a very limited basis, the NBPNP may directly invite a candidate from the Expression of Interest (EOI) pool to submit an application based on the following New Brunswick Priorities:
- You have completed your program of study from Université de Moncton or Collège Communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB) within the last 6 months.
- You have been residing in New Brunswick for 12 months and have been working remotely for 12 months for the same Canadian company located outside of Quebec.
- You received a letter of interest from a New Brunswick Immigration Officer.
Settlement funds
You must show that you have sufficient funds to successfully establish yourself and your family in New Brunswick. The amount needed and types of funds accepted can be found in the settlement funds guide. You do not have to show that you have these funds (i) if you have a genuine job offer in New Brunswick, OR (ii) if you are currently working or authorized to work in New Brunswick.
Selection factors 100-point assessment grid
To be eligible to the NBSI stream, you need to score a minimum of 65 points out of a 100 in the following point assessment grid.
Remember that for each factor you will be claiming points for, you will have to provide supporting documents to prove you satisfy the criteria of the factor.
| 100-point assessment grid | Maximum Points |
|---|---|
| Factor 1 – Age | 12 |
| Factor 2 – Official languages | 28 |
| Factor 3 – Education | 25 |
| Factor 4 – Work experience | 15 |
| Factor 5 – Adaptability | 20 |
| Total | 100 |
| Minimum required | 65 |
You can score up to 12 points in this factor. You must be at least 19 years old to be eligible. Your age taken into consideration is the one as of the day that a complete application is submitted to the NBPNP (post receiving the invitation to apply).
| Factor 1 – Age | Points |
|---|---|
| Under 19 years old | Not eligible |
| 19 to 24 years old | 4 |
| 25 to 44 years old | 12 |
| 45 to 50 years old | 4 |
| 51 years old and older | Not eligible |
You must demonstrate you meet the minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) requirements for each language skill, in French, which is CLB5. You can get a maximum of 28 points.
| Factor 2 – Official languages | Writing | Listening | Reading | Speaking | Max points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLB7 or higher in French | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| CLB6 in French | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | |
| CLB5 in French | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | |
| CLB4 or less in one of the four language abilities in French | Not eligible | ||||
You must submit a completed Canadian secondary or post-secondary educational credential, or 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. You can score up to 25 points in this factor.
You are considered ineligible to the stream if you don’t have at least a Canadian secondary (high school) diploma or foreign equivalent.
| Factor 3 – Education | Points |
|---|---|
| Doctoral (PhD) degree | 25 |
| Master’s degree OR professional degree needed to practice in a licensed profession (medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, optometry, law, chiropractic medicine, or pharmacy) | 25 |
| Two or more credentials, with a least one for a program of three years or more | 22 |
| Bachelor’s degree OR Post-secondary credential of at least three years | 21 |
| Post-secondary credential of two years | 19 |
| Post-secondary credential of one year | 17 |
| Secondary diploma (high school graduation) | 15 |
| Less than a Secondary diploma (high school graduation) | Not eligible |
To qualify for the program, you must have a minimum of one year (1,560 hours full-time or part-time) of work experience in the last ten years related. The work experience must be in the same occupation (same NOC code) as the primary occupation chosen in your immigration application. You can score a maximum of 15 points.
| Factor 4 – Work Experience | Points |
|---|---|
| 6 years or more | 15 |
| 4 to 5 years | 12 |
| 1 to 3 years | 10 |
| Less than 1 year | Not eligible |
You can earn a maximum of 20 points in this factor.
| Factor 5 – Adaptability | Points |
|---|---|
| Conduct an eligible Exploratory Visit to New Brunswick | 15 |
| Have at least one year of full-time work in New Brunswick | 15 |
| Currently have full-time, paid employment or have a genuine offer of full-time, paid employment, from a New Brunswick company in the same occupation as your eligible work experience | 15 |
| Have received a letter of interest from the Province of New Brunswick inviting you to the NBSI stream | 15 |
| Have at least one academic year of full-time study at a post-secondary accredited institution in New Brunswick | 5 |
| You or your spouse/partner have a relative, permanent resident or Canadian citizen, residing in New Brunswick in the 12 months preceding submission of the application. The relative can be a (i) parent, (ii) grandparent, (iii) child of a parent (sibling), (iv) child of a grandparent (uncle or aunt), (v) grandchild of a parent (nephew or niece), or (vi) step-family members or in-laws of the same relationships. | 5 |
| Spouse/partner has a language level in either English or French at CLB5 or higher in all 4 language abilities | 5 |
| Spouse/partner has at least one year of full-time work in New Brunswick | 5 |
NB Strategic Initiative – 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 Strategic Initiative (NBSI) stream. Candidates must:
- Qualify for the NBPNP stream eligibility requirements and submit an Expression of Interest on the INB portal.
- Receive an Invitation to Apply through their INB portal.
- Apply to the NBSI stream, maximum 45 days after receiving the invitation, by submitting their application through INB portal (filling in forms and uploading required documents, including a Settlement Plan).
- 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 on paper 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 Strategic Initiative – Application Fees
NB Strategic Initiative – Processing Times
NB Strategic Initiative – Latest News & Data
NB Strategic Initiative – 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 Strategic Initiative stream, there is no in-demand occupation list.
