Priority Skills Newfoundland and Labrador will be accepting applications, beginning January 2, 2021 at noon (NST). This is a new immigration option for highly educated, highly skilled newcomers with specialized experience in areas such as technology and ocean sciences, where demand has outpaced local training and recruitment.
At the time of launch, detailed application instructions will be posted on the Department of Immigration, Skills and Labour’s website.
This latest path for newcomers is designed in response to employers requesting additional assistance to meet a growing demand for highly educated, highly skilled workers. Since Priority Skills’ November 18 announcement, the Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism has been receiving hundreds of inquiries from professionals around the world.
Priority Skills Newfoundland and Labrador will be open to newcomers who completed a Masters or Doctorate degree at Memorial University within the last three years, and to others who are exceptionally qualified and have worked in a specialized, highly skilled, high-demand occupation for at least one year. The list of in-demand occupations will be revisited on a regular basis to best address labour priorities.
Eligibility requirements are provided in the backgrounder below. Potential applicants are encouraged to email any questions to immigration@gov.nl.ca.
Pathways similar to Priority Skills Newfoundland and Labrador account for up to 70 per cent of all immigration applications approved in other provinces.
Despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Provincial Government continues to plan for future growth and to meet the 2022 target of increasing immigration to 2,500 new permanent residents annually, subject to the established COVID-19 special measures orders and guidelines.
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“Newfoundland and Labrador invests a great deal of time, effort, and money to attract newcomers to our shores. Once we attract newcomers, we invest even more into our own Memorial University for education and training. Driven by the leadership of the premier, our government is now investing to assist more highly-skilled, highly educated newcomers to stay, right here, and go on to have full careers and raise families throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.”
Honourable Gerry Byrne
Minister of Immigration, Skills and Labour
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Learn more
Priority Skills Newfoundland and Labrador Guide
Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program
News Release: New Immigration Pathway to Attract Newcomers to Stay in Newfoundland and Labrador
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Media contact
Ryan Crocker
Immigration, Skills and Labour
709-729-1795, 725-9595
ryancrocker@gov.nl.ca
BACKGROUNDER
Eligibility Requirements for Priority Skills Newfoundland and Labrador
Priority Skills Newfoundland and Labrador will be open to persons who have one or more of the following advanced academic or specialized qualifications in priority sectors such as information and communications technology, ocean technology, health care, agriculture and aquaculture:
- Memorial University Masters or PhD degree graduates, whose studies have been completed within the last three years; or
- Exceptionally qualified individuals who have worked in a specialized, highly skilled, high-demand occupation for at least one year in the past decade.
For individuals with work experience, consideration will be given for in-demand occupations, such as the following:
Engineers and Developers:
- Software Developer
- Biomedical Engineer
- UI/UX Developer
- Electrical Engineer
- AI Developer
- Mechanical Engineer
- Python Developer
- .NET Developer
- Infrastructure Engineer
Technical Specialists:
- Security Specialist
- Cloud Specialist
- Bioinformatician
- Computer Network Support
In order to be eligible for Priority Skills Newfoundland and Labrador, individuals need to have taken an IELTS (International English Language Testing System) or CELPIP (Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program) language test within the last twelve months and scored equivalent to Canadian Language Benchmark level 5 or higher. Additionally, all candidates must be at least 21 years old at the time of application.
Scenarios
Post-Secondary Graduate
Mashaal is 33 years old, from Jordan, and is completing a Master’s Degree in Computer Science at Memorial University. She will complete her degree program in January 2021. Mashaal has a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 7 in English, but currently does not speak or write in French. Her older brother has been living and working in St. John’s for six years. Through Priority Skills Newfoundland and Labrador, Mashaal appears to meet minimum criteria due to her academic background, and may be invited to submit a full application online through the NLPNP, and pending assessment, be nominated to apply through the Express Entry pool.
Candidates with Work Experience
Li is 29 years old, from Hong Kong, and has three years of work experience as a Software Engineer. He worked in Newfoundland and Labrador for two of those years, but had to return to Hong Kong for family reasons, and subsequently lost his employment. He has applied to a number of companies in the province, but has been told by a few employers that he would need to be living in Newfoundland and Labrador in order to be considered for jobs. Li has a CLB level 6 in English. Li’s occupation is considered in-demand, and Li would appear to meet Priority Skills Newfoundland and Labrador criteria, and may be invited to apply online for nomination under the Skilled Worker category of the NLPNP.
Aurelie is 37 years old, from Mauritius, and has been living in another part of Canada for six years, working as a Project Manager for a major Canadian IT company. She previously worked for two years as a Software Engineer. Aurelie has a CLB level 7 in English, and a level 7 in Niveau de compétence linguistique canadien (NCLC) in French. Through her work experience and language competencies, Aurelie appears to meet minimum criteria for Priority Skills Newfoundland and Labrador, and may be invited to submit a full application online through the NLPNP, and pending assessment, may be nominated to apply through the Express Entry pool.
Employers
Alex is a startup company owner looking to expand his business, particularly in new and emerging markets. He is interested in hiring promising candidates with experience in business development, but also IT sector architecture. Through the Priority Skills Newfoundland and Labrador pathway, Alex and his company will be able to access a pool of highly skilled and qualified candidates who have expressed a desire to permanently settle in Newfoundland and Labrador. Through the pool, Alex may identify someone he wishes to hire, and may either choose to contact individuals he is interested in by directly connecting with them, or work with the Department of Immigration, Skills and Labour to connect.
For more information, please email immigration@gov.nl.ca.