New Brunswick PNP: 203 AIP Selections, 550 Invitations

New Brunswick has selected 203 Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) applications for processing, in draws held on October 2, 9 and 29, 2026, according to the province's latest invitation and selection rounds. That follows a busy September, when it invited 550 candidates across its three Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) streams. At the federal level, IRCC has paused Express Entry draws while it recalculates scores under the new points rules that took effect on November 3, 2026.

The short version

New Brunswick selected 203 AIP applications across three October draws with cut-offs on October 1, 9 and 28 at 11:59 pm (AST). September PNP invitations totalled 550 across three streams—197 Skilled Worker, 102 Express Entry and 251 Strategic Initiative (Francophone)—which is 86 fewer than July's 636. Health care was listed in the October AIP draws but not in the September Skilled Worker, Express Entry or Francophone rounds, and from November 3, 2026, IRCC no longer requires an LMIA for any Express Entry job offer, though a provincial nomination still adds 600 points.

New Brunswick's October AIP and September PNP rounds

Under the NBPNP, the province invites candidates in its pool to submit a complete application. Under the AIP, it selects complete applications already in the pool for processing. The province says both depend on "provincial labour market needs, available allocation and other priorities."

Every round covered construction, education/social and community services, manufacturing, other trades, professional and IT, and sales and services. Transportation was in every round except Skilled Worker. Health care appeared only in the AIP draws.

September against earlier 2026 rounds

Where a stream had more than one round in a period, the figures are added together.

Against July, Skilled Worker invitations fell by 70 (267 to 197), Express Entry by 13 (115 to 102) and Strategic Initiative by 3 (254 to 251). PNP invitations for the year reached 3,538.

Health care was in every July PNP round, so its absence in September stands out. Earlier AIP entries were 60 (September 10), 63 (September 25 and October 2) and 68 (August 10 and 20). The 203 figure covers three draws, so it isn't like-for-like with those entries.

How IRCC's November 3 changes affect New Brunswick nominees

The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) is the points system IRCC uses to rank profiles in the Express Entry pool. As of November 3, 2026, IRCC's CRS criteria page shows that it has changed how points are given for Canadian work experience and valid job offers, removed LMIA (Labour Market Impact Assessment) and LMIA-exemption requirements for all Express Entry job offers, and added a new "Labour Market Integration factor" worth up to 140 points with a spouse or partner, or 150 without. Recalculating existing profiles could take up to 2 weeks, and invitation rounds are paused until it's done.

A provincial or territorial nomination is still worth 600 points. New Brunswick's Express Entry stream page describes a nomination as a CRS boost leading to an invitation to apply for permanent residence.

Where a valid job offer is part of a program's criteria, including "some streams under provincial nominee programs," that hasn't changed. Only the LMIA requirement for those offers is gone.

Who New Brunswick's rounds affect

Temporary workers already in New Brunswick, graduates of New Brunswick schools, and French-speaking workers are the main groups affected by recent invitations, along with employers and candidates in the AIP pool (including health care, the only October category missing from September's PNP rounds) and every Express Entry candidate because of the federal pause and recalculation. People with no New Brunswick job, study or employer connection are less directly touched. The Skilled Worker stream needs the support of an employer that has operated in New Brunswick for the past 24 months. No Priority Occupations or New Brunswick Interest rounds appear among the latest results.

What to do now if you're in New Brunswick's pool

• Check your occupation's category against the latest rounds and note each stream's cut-off date.
• Re-read your pathway's requirements on the Skilled Worker stream page. New Brunswick Experience, for example, lists six months of full-time work with the same employer, six months living in New Brunswick and at least a high school diploma.
• If you're in Express Entry, compare your profile with the Express Entry stream page. It lists:
  • age 19 to 55
  • CLB 7 in all four language skills (CLB is the Canadian Language Benchmarks scale)
  • one year of continuous work in one NOC code in TEER category 0, 1, 2 or 3 within the past 10 years
  • 67/100 on the provincial selection grid
• Add any valid job offer to your Express Entry profile, as IRCC advises. The online system may still ask for LMIA details, so follow IRCC's instructions to have the offer accepted without one.
• Budget for fees: an expression of interest is free, but a complete nomination application carries a non-refundable $250 fee.
• Send questions to New Brunswick's Immigration Navigation Service: 506-451-2083 or immigration@gnb.ca, Monday to Friday, 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

You can also see how New Brunswick's PNP streams are structured before choosing a pathway.

An example: new job-offer points plus a nomination

Illustration only: a candidate with a spouse has worked full time in New Brunswick for 1 year in an occupation that isn't high-wage, and holds a job offer that isn't in a high-wage occupation either.

Under IRCC's new table:

• The year of experience earns 35 work-length points.
• High-wage points are 0, because the occupation isn't high-wage.
• The job offer earns 0, for the same reason.

Their Labour Market Integration factor is 35. A provincial nomination adds 600, making 635 from those two items.

If the offer were instead at twice the median wage, it would be worth 100 points against 35 for the experience. IRCC awards points for experience or a high-wage offer, "but not both," so the two can't combine into 135.

The factor's top score with a spouse is 140: 5 or more years of Canadian experience (70) plus at least 12 months in an occupation paying at least twice the median wage (70).

For this candidate, a non-high-wage offer adds no CRS points but still matters for any stream that requires a job offer. These figures are parts of a score, not a full CRS total.

Common questions

What's the difference between Express Entry and the Skilled Worker stream for New Brunswick?

The Express Entry stream requires a job offer in New Brunswick and CLB 7 in all four language skills. The Skilled Worker stream requires an employer connection but not necessarily a job offer, and lists CLB 4. Express Entry candidates also benefit from IRCC's federal pause and recalculation affecting all profiles in that system.

Do I still need an LMIA for a job offer in my Express Entry profile?

As of November 3, 2026, IRCC removed LMIA and LMIA-exemption requirements for all Express Entry job offers. Programs that require a valid job offer still do, and IRCC asks candidates to keep offer details in their profile.

What happens to my CRS score when IRCC finishes recalculating?

That depends on your work history and whether you hold a job offer. IRCC's new Labour Market Integration factor rewards continuous Canadian experience and high-wage offers separately, not both together. The recalculation could take up to 2 weeks, and we won't know individual score movement until rounds resume.

What we don't know yet about New Brunswick's next rounds

We still can't confirm next draw dates, scores or cut-off ranks, how the 203 AIP selections split across the three draws, when Express Entry rounds resume after IRCC's recalculation, how individual CRS scores will move, whether health care will return to PNP rounds, or the AIP and Strategic Initiative criteria that the rounds page doesn't set out.

An RCIC can assess your specific case against New Brunswick's stream rules and IRCC's new points table. Book a consultation with our team to talk it through.