New Brunswick conducted its first Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) draws of 2025 on March 5 and 6, issuing a total of 498 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to candidates under two key pathways of the New Brunswick Skilled Worker stream. The draws focused on addressing labor shortages in healthcare, education, social services, and construction trades — sectors that are crucial to the province’s economic growth.
Also Read New Brunswick Conducts First Provincial Immigration Draws of 2025
Targeted Pathways and Occupations
Candidates were invited under the following two pathways:
- New Brunswick Skilled Worker – New Brunswick Experience Pathway – For individuals already working full-time in the province for at least six months.
- New Brunswick Skilled Worker – New Brunswick Graduates Pathway – For international graduates with a valid post-graduate work permit (PGWP) and a job offer from an eligible employer.
The province focused on high-demand occupations, including healthcare workers (nurses, support workers), educators, social service providers, and construction trades (carpenters, electricians).
Changes to New Brunswick Immigration in 2025
New Brunswick has received an allocation of 2,750 immigration spots in 2025 — 1,500 under the NBPNP and 1,250 under the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP). Significant changes to the NBPNP include:
- New Brunswick Express Entry Stream – The program now accepts applications under the Employment in New Brunswick and New Brunswick Interests pathways. However, the New Brunswick Student Connection pathway has been discontinued.
- New Brunswick Strategic Initiative Stream – Paused for 2025 due to high application volumes.
- New Brunswick Skilled Worker Stream – Now includes a third pathway, the New Brunswick Priority Occupations pathway, which targets high-demand jobs from government-led recruitment missions.
Certain occupations, such as administrative assistants, cooks, retail managers, and food service workers, have been excluded from eligibility under the updated program.
Also Read
- Ontario Issues 468 Invitations in Targeted Employer Job Offer Draws on August 28, 2025The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) conducted a set of targeted draws under the category of Employer Job Offer on August 28, 2025, and extended
- Canada Reveals Schedule of Express Entry Invites for Category-Based Drawings for 2025Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has released its Express Entry invitation to apply (ITA) issuance schedule for the remainder of the year 2025, giving
- Saskatchewan Receives Larger Immigration Allocation for 2025Saskatchewan got an increase to its 2025 immigration allotment, including 1,136 new spots under the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP). The adjustment brings the total
- Manitoba Targets Skilled Workers in Latest Immigration DrawThe province of Manitoba issued yet another draw to invite experienced professionals under the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP). It invited eligible candidates possessing strong
- Yukon Expands Immigration Opportunities with Additional PR NominationsThe Yukon Government announced that it will receive an additional 67 spots under the Yukon Nominee Program (YNP) in 2025. Yukon’s annual quota rises to
New Brunswick’s revised immigration strategy reflects the province’s focus on attracting skilled talent to support its economic and labor market needs.
