New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP)

What is the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP)?

The New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program(NBPNP) is the province's economic immigration route, and one of the most direct ways to immigrate to New Brunswick. It lets New Brunswick nominate people whose skills, experience or business plans meet its labour-market needs; a provincial nomination is then your stepping stone to applying to IRCC for permanent residence. The program is administered through the province's INB Portal, where most candidates submit an expression of interest and wait to see whether New Brunswick issues an Invitation to Apply (ITA).

New Brunswick's nomination space is limited: its 2025 allocation was 2,750 spaces, split between the Provincial Nominee Program and the Atlantic Immigration Program (welcomenb.ca and IRCC, May 2026). The 2026 figure is expected to stay tight after federal allocations were cut nationwide. Because supply is constrained, New Brunswick directs invitations toward its highest-priority sectors, so meeting the minimum eligibility is not the same as receiving an invitation. Allocations and sector priorities change through the year, and the province publishes the current position on welcomenb.ca.

Enhanced vs base nomination in the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program

An enhanced New Brunswick nomination is aligned with federal Express Entry and adds 600 CRS points to a valid profile, while a base nomination is not connected to Express Entry and leads to a separate paper application to IRCC. The enhanced streams are NB Express Entry and Strategic Initiative, and the 600 points put most candidates well above the typical federal draw cut-off, which makes that the fastest route to permanent residence.

A base nomination, such as the Skilled Worker or Business Immigration stream, is not connected to Express Entry. Once nominated, you submit a separate, paper permanent-residence application directly to IRCC, which is generally processed more slowly. Confirming whether a stream is enhanced or base is one of the first things we check, because it changes your whole timeline. Not sure where your federal score stands? Try our free CRS calculator first.

To use an enhanced New Brunswick stream you must already hold a valid Express Entry profile. New Brunswick searches the federal pool and, where your occupation and ties match its priorities, can issue a notification of interest; accepting it and securing the nomination adds 600 points to your Comprehensive Ranking System score. Skilled Canadian work experience, including a New Brunswick job, can also support a federal Canadian Experience Class profile, which is one reason we look at your federal options and your provincial options together rather than in isolation.

NBPNP streams in 2026

The New Brunswick PNP runs five main streams in 2026: Express Entry Labour Market and Strategic Initiative are enhanced, Express Entry-aligned routes that add 600 CRS points, while Skilled Worker, Business Immigration and the Critical Worker Pilot are base routes. The province has run a controlled, sector-focused intake since reopening, so several streams accept candidates only in specific occupations or through designated employers, and the table below links to a detailed guide for each.

New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program eligibility

New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program eligibility differs by stream, but most NBPNP routes share the same foundations for immigration to NB: qualifying work experience, language results appropriate to your occupation, education and a genuine intention to settle in New Brunswick. Employer-driven streams generally require a full-time job offer from an eligible New Brunswick employer.

This group covers the Skilled Worker stream, the Employment-in-NB pathway of NB Express Entry and the Critical Worker Pilot. The Strategic Initiative stream targets French-speaking candidates, and Business Immigration tests net worth, investment and a viable business plan instead of a job offer.

New Brunswick also publishes a list of excluded occupations, including accommodation and food services, retail, certain administrative roles and food-processing positions, that are not eligible for most streams. Because the eligible and excluded occupation lists are detailed and updated regularly, the safest step is a profile review against the current welcomenb.ca program guide.

2026 sector limits and the reduced allocation

Since May 4, 2026, New Brunswick has restricted new Invitations to Apply under the Skilled Worker stream to Healthcare, Education and Construction Trades occupations, and it runs a controlled, invitation-driven intake rather than a first-come, first-served one. Two shifts drive that. The first is the limited allocation: the province's 2,750 2025 spaces were shared between the PNP and the Atlantic Immigration Program, and 2026 allocations were cut nationwide. The second is those sector limits on Skilled Worker invitations.

How to apply for the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program

How to apply for the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program follows a clear sequence for most streams. First, confirm you meet a stream's requirements and that your occupation is currently eligible, our free eligibility check is a quick starting point. Next, submit an expression of interest through the INB Portal, which stays valid for 365 days. New Brunswick then runs periodic rounds of invitation: each NB PNP draw (or NB EOI draw) selects profiles by sector and labour-market priority rather than a published score.

If one of these rounds of invitation issues you an Invitation to Apply, you submit a full nomination application with supporting documents within the window you are given. Once nominated, you apply to IRCC for permanent residence, through Express Entry if your nomination is enhanced, or on paper if it is a base nomination.

1. 01

   Confirm an eligible stream

   We check that your occupation is currently invited, then match you to the right route, the enhanced NB Express Entry stream, the Skilled Worker stream, Strategic Initiative, Business Immigration or the Critical Worker Pilot.

2. 02

   Submit the INB Portal EOI

   For enhanced routes we prepare your Express Entry profile, then submit and optimise your INB Portal expression of interest, valid for 365 days.

3. 03

   Nomination application

   If New Brunswick issues an Invitation to Apply, we assemble a complete nomination application with documents that withstand scrutiny, inside the window you are given.

4. 04

   Permanent residence with IRCC

   Once nominated, we manage your permanent-residence application with IRCC, through Express Entry for an enhanced nomination or on paper for a base one, through to landing.

New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program costs and timelines

Submitting an expression of interest to the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program is free, and a provincial application fee falls due only when an invited candidate files a full nomination application. The amount differs by stream, and New Brunswick publishes the current figure for each stream on welcomenb.ca. That provincial fee is separate from the IRCC permanent-residence fees you pay at the federal stage, and from our own professional fee, which we set out plainly on our fees page.

On timing, provincial processing of a nomination typically runs several weeks to a few months; an enhanced Express Entry permanent-residence application is then usually processed in about six months, while a base, paper-based application generally takes longer. You can compare current federal targets with our processing times tool. Fees and service standards change, and the current figures are published on welcomenb.ca and canada.ca.

The Atlantic Immigration Program is separate

One important boundary: alongside the NBPNP, New Brunswick also takes part in the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP), but the two are not the same thing. The AIP is a separate, employer-driven federal pathway shared with Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.

It requires a job offer from a designated Atlantic employer and a settlement plan, and it does not run through the INB Portal. If you have an offer from a designated employer, the AIP may be a faster route than the NBPNP; if not, a provincial stream may suit you better. We assess both before recommending a path.

How Wild Mountain Immigration helps with the NBPNP

Wild Mountain Immigration assesses your profile against New Brunswick's current sector priorities, confirms whether your occupation is eligible, and steers you toward the stream with the strongest realistic chance: NB Express Entry, Skilled Worker, Strategic Initiative, Business Immigration or the Critical Worker Pilot. Our team is led by a licensed RCIC (CICC #R706497), and we prepare an INB Portal profile and nomination application that stands up to scrutiny, then represent you with the province and with IRCC.

We work entirely online. With New Brunswick's allocation tight and its sector limits in force, that positioning is where good advice earns its keep. If your plans range wider than New Brunswick, we also advise on the Atlantic Immigration Program, other Provincial Nominee Programs and federal Express Entry.

Prefer to handle the legwork yourself? Our lower-cost File Review gives your own application an expert check before you submit. Whether the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program is the right fit or another NB immigration route serves you better, when you are ready, get in touch for an honest read on your New Brunswick PNP options.