Newfoundland and Labrador invites 62 workers

Newfoundland and Labrador's Office of Immigration (OIM) invited 62 foreign workers to apply for provincial immigration on September 18, 2026. 61 of these invitations were issued through the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program (NLPNP) and one through the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP).

Invited candidates now have 60 days to submit a complete application for a provincial nomination or endorsement. A successful nomination or endorsement allows the applicant to then apply to the federal government for Canadian permanent residence.

Recent draws and 2026 totals

The September 18 draw was the province's 15th selection round of the year. It included the lowest number of AIP invitations since Newfoundland and Labrador switched to an Expression of Interest (EOI) selection model in February 2025. The province has used both its immigration programs in most of its 2026 draws, with only three rounds confined solely to the NLPNP.

The OIM does not publicly disclose which specific NLPNP streams candidates are invited under. It also does not specify the occupations or sectors of the workers invited through either program.

As of the September 18 draw, the province has issued a total of 2,654 invitations across both programs in 2026. The breakdown of invitations issued so far this year is shown in the table below.

The provincial selection process

To be selected, a foreign national must first meet the eligibility requirements of either the NLPNP or AIP pathway. A job offer from a Newfoundland and Labrador employer is required for both programs, except for the NLPNP's entrepreneur streams.

The candidate must then create an Expression of Interest profile to enter the province's candidate pool. These EOI profiles remain active for 12 months before expiring. The province selects candidates from this pool based on its current priorities and invites them to apply.

Selection priorities are influenced by factors listed on the province's official EOI Prioritization Criteria webpage. Reported priorities include employment outside major urban centres, employment in health care, and having completed studies at a Newfoundland and Labrador post-secondary institution.

Once invited, a candidate has 60 days to file a complete application. For the NLPNP, the candidate submits the application themselves. For the AIP, the employer submits the endorsement application on the candidate's behalf. A successful application results in a nomination or endorsement certificate, which allows the candidate to apply for permanent residence with the federal government.

Program allocations and work permit options

The federal government has allotted Newfoundland and Labrador 2,854 spaces across its provincial immigration programs for 2026. Of these, 2,379 spaces are for the NLPNP and 475 are for the AIP. This allocation refers to the number of nomination or endorsement certificates the province is permitted to issue this year. It is separate from the number of invitations sent, which can occur months before a certificate is issued.

A temporary federal measure now allows most provincial nominees to apply for a Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP) months sooner. As of June 9, 2026, nominees applying for permanent residence through a base PNP pathway no longer need to wait for the Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR) of their PR application. If a nominee's current work permit expires while their BOWP application is being processed, they can benefit from maintained status. This allows them to continue working under the conditions of their expired permit, provided they remain in Canada.

Applicants endorsed through the Atlantic Immigration Program cannot obtain a BOWP. Instead, those endorsed for permanent residence may qualify for a two-year employer-specific work permit tied to the AIP.