Every year, hundreds of immigrants around the world choose this province of Canada as their new home, the place where they want to establish themselves and start a new life. New Brunswick is happy to welcome these newcomers to the province, whether they are workers, business people, investors, refugees, or people who want to be reunited with family members.

When New Brunswickers say "Welcome," they mean: "You are family, make yourself at home, this is your new community!" The traditions of welcoming newcomers and celebrating diversity are part of the New Brunswick way of life.

New Brunswick has signed a Provincial Nominee Agreement with the federal government, which allows the Province to play a more active role in immigration by selecting a number of immigrants to fulfill specific economic needs.

According to this agreement, those nominated by the Province will see their immigration application processed expeditiously which should result in a shorter processing time for immigrant visas. Final approval of an applicant, based on the individual's health and security background check, is still the responsibility of Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

While New Brunswick is open to all categories of immigrants, its focus is on economic immigration. Immigration has been identified by the Province as a source of skills, entrepreneurship, expertise and capital to leverage additional employment and investment for New Brunswick. It can also respond to the demographic pressures that the Province is facing today and contribute to population growth.

Under the Provincial Nominee Program, the Province seeks immigrants who will come here to fill labor market shortages or create and expand employment and business opportunities.

The Province will continue to do its share in receiving and settling humanitarian immigrants (refugees) and in reuniting immigrant families. However, these two categories of immigrants are not eligible to participate in the New Brunswick's Provincial Nominee Program. Immigrating to New Brunswick can still be done through the regular Canadian immigration process.