The provincial and federal governments have announced a new immigration stream called the New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot to attract skilled workers into occupations that are difficult to fill.

The new stream provides more flexibility by allowing participating employers to provide skills and language training as well as guidance and support to the newcomers they bring into the province.

Six employers have been identified to participate in the pilot: Cooke Aquaculture, Groupe Savoie Inc., Groupe Westco, Imperial Manufacturing, J.D. Irving Ltd., and McCain Foods. These employers have been in good standing with the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program; have demonstrated consistent immigrant recruitment practices; have newcomer settlement programs in place; are willing to provide on-the job training as well as language support.

Participating employers are required to fulfill several requirements. They must have robust settlement plans for housing and transportation to best support the successful establishment of candidates into their new jobs and communities, with strong commitments to long-term retention; have comprehensive human resources planning in place for recruiting and hiring skilled international talent, and for on-the-job skills enhancement; provide up to 200 hours of language training, as required, to recruited candidates; and offer guidance and support to candidates who may wish to pursue their Canadian secondary education equivalency.

The five-year pilot program will be monitored and evaluated regularly so that it remains responsive to immigration needs and delivers the highest possible outcomes for the province.