New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot (NBCWP)
The New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot lets six participating NB employers recruit skilled foreign workers for hard-to-fill occupations and support them toward permanent residence. It is employer-driven: you can only enter if a participating employer has offered you a job.
Key takeaways
The New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot (NBCWP) is an employer-driven pilot that lets six participating New Brunswick employers recruit skilled foreign workers for hard-to-fill occupations. The employers were chosen partly for their ability to provide settlement, skills-development and language-training supports, and participation is limited to them. A nomination leads to permanent residence through a separate application to IRCC.
- What it is: the New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot (NBCWP) is an employer-driven pilot that brings skilled workers for hard-to-fill occupations toward permanent residence.
- Who can enter: only workers hired by the six participating New Brunswick employers; the program does not accept direct applications.
- Language: the pilot sets a minimum of CLB 4, and an employer attestation letter can stand in where a worker lacks valid test results.
- Nomination type: the NBCWP is a base nomination, so it adds no CRS points and a nominee files a separate online application with IRCC.
- No guarantee: meeting the criteria does not entitle you to a nomination, because New Brunswick runs the pilot on a limited allocation and a fixed employer list.
What is the New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot?
The New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot (NBCWP) is an employer-driven immigration pilot that lets six participating New Brunswick employers recruit the skilled foreign workers they need for occupations that have been difficult to fill, and support those workers toward permanent residence. The pilot is built around the employer: the province selected employers with at least three years of consistent use of provincial and federal immigration programs and the ability to provide settlement, skills-development and language-training supports. In short, the New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot is a retention-focused route that puts the designated employer, not a points score, at the centre of the process.
New Brunswick selects pilot candidates from its pool based on immigration allocations, application volumes and labour market needs, and both the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program and the Atlantic Immigration Program run on limited allocations (gnb.ca, checked 12 October 2026). Because supply is constrained, New Brunswick channels several routes, including the Critical Worker Pilot, through specific employers and sectors rather than an open intake. Allocations and stream rules move from year to year, and the current numbers are published on gnb.ca.
The NBCWP is an employer route, not a self-apply stream
Who is eligible for the New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot?
You are eligible for the New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot only if one of the six participating employers has offered you a genuine, full-time, non-seasonal job, and you are at least 19, have a language result of CLB 4 in all four abilities, a Canadian secondary diploma or foreign equivalent, and at least 1,560 hours of work over 12 months in the last five years. Where you fall short on language, education or work experience at the time of application, your employer must provide a signed attestation letter instead.
That attestation option is unusual, so the pilot can open a door for workers other streams turn away. You still need the participating employer's support, and the process includes a settlement plan.
| Requirement | What the NBCWP asks for |
|---|---|
| Participating employer | A genuine full-time, non-seasonal job offer from one of the six participating New Brunswick employers |
| Occupation | A role the participating employer has found hard to fill; the guide publishes no occupation list |
| Language | CLB/NCLC 4 in all four abilities on an approved test, or a signed employer attestation letter |
| Education & experience | A Canadian secondary diploma or foreign equivalent, and 1,560 hours of work over 12 months in the last five years (or an employer attestation letter) |
| Intent to settle | A genuine intention to live and work in New Brunswick long term |
Lower language, but still a real test
How does the New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot work?
New Brunswick selects the participating employers, and the relationship with that designated employer then carries the case: the employer recruits the worker and issues the Invitation to Apply through the worker's INB account, and the worker then has 45 calendar days to submit a complete application, which includes a settlement plan.
Some candidates are already in New Brunswick on a temporary work permit, which makes the pilot a practical route from temporary status to permanent residence; others are recruited from abroad. Either way, the employer leads. You cannot enter the pilot without a participating employer's offer.
Once New Brunswick nominates you, the route to permanent residence is the same as other base streams: the nomination is a provincial endorsement, and you then file a separate online application through the non-Express Entry process with IRCC, which makes the final decision. Because the NBCWP is a base nomination, it does not add 600 Comprehensive Ranking System points to an Express Entry profile. If you want a quick read on which routes you might qualify for, try our free eligibility checker, and to understand your federal standing, use our free CRS calculator.
NBCWP compared with other NB routes
The Critical Worker Pilot is one of several New Brunswick options, and it is easy to confuse with the wider Skilled Worker stream. The table below sets the pilot beside the routes it is most often compared with so you can see where it fits.
| Route | Open to | Language | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical Worker Pilot (NBCWP) | Workers hired by the six participating employers | CLB 4, or employer attestation | Base (pilot) |
| NB Skilled Worker | Wider range of NB employers; New Brunswick Experience ITAs limited to health care, education, construction (since 4 May 2026) | CLB 4 | Base |
| NB Express Entry | Express Entry candidates with NB employment or provincial interest | CLB 7 | Enhanced (+600 CRS) |
How to apply for the New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot
You apply to the New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot through your employer rather than on your own. The process is employer-led: after you accept the offer and submit an expression of interest in the INB system, the participating employer issues your Invitation to Apply. The sequence below runs from confirming a designated employer to the federal permanent-residence decision, and the first step (checking that your employer is genuinely in the pilot) is the one that decides whether the rest is worth doing.
- 01
Confirm a designated employer
Verify that the New Brunswick employer offering you a job is one of the six participating employers. This is the gateway, and we can help you check.
- 02
Secure a genuine job offer
Accept a genuine offer of full-time, non-seasonal employment from the participating employer.
- 03
Meet language & document requirements
Take an approved English or French test showing CLB 4 in all four abilities (or have your employer provide an attestation letter), and gather your work, identity and job-offer documents.
- 04
Employer-led nomination application
Create an expression of interest in the INB Portal. If selected, your employer issues an Invitation to Apply through your INB account, and you submit a complete application, with a settlement plan, within 45 calendar days. Eligibility alone does not guarantee a nomination.
- 05
Apply to IRCC for permanent residence
Once nominated, apply to IRCC online through the non-Express Entry process while your six-month nomination certificate is valid, with medicals and police checks. IRCC makes the final decision.
Eligibility is not the same as a nomination
How Wild Mountain Immigration helps with the Critical Worker Pilot
The single most common mistake we see with the New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot is assuming it is an open route. Our team is led by a licensed RCIC (CICC #R706497); we first confirm whether your New Brunswick employer is genuinely part of the pilot. We then review your eligibility, language, the critical role and your settlement plan honestly against the current gnb.ca rules. We work entirely online. If the pilot does not fit, we will tell you, and point you to a route that might, such as the wider NB Skilled Worker stream or a work-permit pathway to get to Canada first.
Prefer to handle the legwork yourself? Our lower-cost File Review gives your own New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot application an expert check before you submit, and our transparent fees are set out up front. Whether the New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot is the right fit or another NB route serves you better, a licensed RCIC will give you a candid, current read. Program details and allocations move from year to year, and we work from the live gnb.ca guidance rather than last year's.
Frequently asked questions
What is the New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot?
The New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot (NBCWP) is an employer-driven, five-year immigration pilot that lets six participating New Brunswick employers recruit skilled foreign workers for occupations that have been hard to fill, and support them toward permanent residence. The province chose those employers partly for their ability to provide settlement, skills-development and language-training supports. The program does not accept direct applications from candidates, so you can only take part if one of them has offered you a job.
Which employers are part of the Critical Worker Pilot?
The pilot is open through a fixed group of six participating New Brunswick employers selected by the province: Cooke Aquaculture, J.D. Irving, Groupe Savoie, Groupe Westco, Imperial Manufacturing Group and McCain Foods (gnb.ca, checked 12 October 2026). New Brunswick does not run an open application stream for the NBCWP, and the province can change the list of participating employers. If you have a job offer from a New Brunswick employer, we can help you confirm whether that employer takes part in the pilot before you rely on this route.
Do I need high English scores for the Critical Worker Pilot?
No. The New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot sets its minimum at CLB 4 in English or NCLC 4 in French in all four abilities. If you do not have valid test results showing that level when you apply, your New Brunswick employer must provide a signed attestation letter as part of the nomination application. Test results are valid for two years from the date they are issued.
Can I apply to the Critical Worker Pilot from outside Canada?
The pilot is employer-driven, so the starting point is always a job with a designated New Brunswick employer rather than a self-submitted profile. Once you accept an offer from a participating employer, you create an expression of interest in the INB Portal, and if you are selected your employer issues an Invitation to Apply through your INB account. You cannot enter the pilot independently. Confirm your employer's participation first.
Does the Critical Worker Pilot lead to permanent residence?
The pilot is built to help designated employers retain critical workers over the long term, with permanent residence as the goal. A provincial nomination through the NBCWP is a base nomination. It is not aligned with Express Entry and does not add 600 CRS points. Once nominated, you apply to IRCC online through the non-Express Entry process while your nomination certificate is valid (six months from issue), and IRCC makes the final permanent-residence decision on medical, security and admissibility grounds.
How is the Critical Worker Pilot different from the NB Skilled Worker stream?
Both are base, employer-driven routes, but the NB Skilled Worker stream is open to a wider range of New Brunswick employers and, since 4 May 2026, limits new New Brunswick Experience invitations to health care, education and construction occupations. The Critical Worker Pilot is far narrower, open only through six participating employers, but where a worker lacks the CLB 4 result, the secondary education or the work experience at the time of application, the employer can provide a signed attestation letter instead, and the process includes a settlement plan.
Does a nomination through the pilot guarantee permanent residence?
No. A provincial nomination is an endorsement from New Brunswick, not permanent residence itself. You still submit a separate application to IRCC, which decides on admissibility, medical and security grounds. We build a well-prepared case and flag risks before they become refusals. Figures and program rules move from year to year, and gnb.ca carries the current criteria.
What language level do I need for the New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot?
The New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot sets its minimum at CLB 4 (NCLC 4 in French) in all four abilities. Accepted tests are IELTS General Training, CELPIP General, PTE Core, TEF Canada and TCF Canada, and if you do not have valid results at the time of application, your employer must provide a signed attestation letter. Because your weakest ability counts, lifting a single weak band can be the difference between qualifying and falling short.
Which jobs and occupations qualify for the NBCWP?
The New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot covers occupations the six participating employers have found difficult to fill. Its guide publishes no occupation list you apply against on your own. The deciding factor is whether a participating employer has offered you a genuine full-time, non-seasonal job and you meet the pilot's age, language, education and work-experience criteria (at least 1,560 hours over 12 months in the last five years), or your employer provides an attestation letter.
Hired for a critical role in New Brunswick?
Get started with a licensed RCIC for an honest read on whether the Critical Worker Pilot, or another NB route, fits your situation.
A licensed RCIC replies by email, usually within two business days.
Licensed RCIC Nicola Wightman, CICC licence R706497.Verify on the CICC public register (opens in a new tab)