1.0 Background

The Job Vacancy Assessment (JVA) is a labour market test designed to support Newfoundland & Labrador (NL) employers in identifying their labour force challenges and evaluating the need to recruit international workers to fill indeterminate full-time positions in their organizations.

The JVA will determine both an employer’s eligibility and the identified vacant position(s) eligibility. A positive JVA does not guarantee that the prospective worker will be eligible for nomination under the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program (NLPNP).  It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure a prospective worker’s skills, experience, training and/or education match those of the position for which the employer is hiring.

The JVA process should benefit:

  • Employers, by providing long-term solutions to their labour force needs;
  • Employees, by providing stable, long-term employment and a path to permanent residency;
  • Government, by providing information on high-demand positions in all regions of the province; and
  • Newfoundland and Labrador communities, by spurring economic development.

To apply for a Job Vacancy Assessment, please contact 1-800-563-6600 or EmploymentPrograms@gov.nl.ca.  The JVA is meant to assist employers who have already exhausted their local hiring strategies. Normally this would be done with the assistance of Provincial Government labour market specialists, such as Labour Market Development Officers, in the employer’s region. If employers have not utilized these options, or are not familiar with them, they are encouraged to look to the following resources:

1.1      Covid-19 Related Background

OIM will continue to process applications for JVAs during the pandemic, provided the employer has given adequate justification for labour needs.

Employers who wish to be considered for JVA processing the COVID-19 pandemic should email pnp@gov.nl.ca for assistance.