Maple News reports that Newfoundland and Labrador have introduced new exemptions to simplify the hiring process for foreign workers in critical sectors facing labour shortages under the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP).
The provincial government has published a list of in-demand occupations that are now exempt from its traditional labour market testing, a process that previously required employers to demonstrate that they were unable to find suitable local candidates before extending job offers to international talent.
This exemption applies to the province’s Job Vacancy Assessment (JVA), which functions similarly to Canada’s federal Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). Both assessments are designed to prioritize local hiring, but the exemption acknowledges ongoing gaps in Newfoundland and Labrador’s healthcare and tech labour markets.
Employers who hire foreign workers through the AIP in these listed occupations no longer need to complete the JVA or meet the AIP’s advertising requirements, provided that the job offer aligns with the province’s designated in-demand roles.
The health care occupations covered by this measure include Physician, Nurse Practitioner (NP), Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), Personal Care Attendant (PCA), Clinical Psychologist, Medical Physicist, Radiation Therapist, and Dosimetrist.
Meanwhile, the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector and technical fields also benefit from the update. Exempt roles in this category include Software Developer, Python Developer, AI Developer, Web Developer, Electrical Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Biomedical Engineer, Cloud Specialist, Security Specialist, UI/UX Developer, Computer Network Support, Data Analyst, Technical Writer, and Ocean Mapping Specialist, among others.
The Atlantic Immigration Program is a federal immigration initiative aimed at helping employers across Canada’s Atlantic provinces—Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island—fill job vacancies that the local labour market cannot meet. The program is employer-led, making it a valuable pathway for foreign nationals to secure permanent residence in Canada.
These targeted exemptions are part of Newfoundland and Labrador’s ongoing strategy to address persistent labour shortages and to attract skilled talent in vital sectors crucial to the province’s economic growth and public service delivery.