Immigration to New Brunswick through the Strategic Initiative for French-speaking candidates

If you have at least an intermediate level of French, you can immigrate through the Strategic Initiative stream.

Applications under this stream are not currently accepted.

The Strategic Initiative stream of New Brunswick’s provincial program is designed for candidates who speak French and have some connection to the province, such as a job offer or an exploratory visit.

Eligibility

To be eligible to immigrate through the Strategic Initiative stream, you must meet the following requirements:

be between the ages of 19 and 55;
have at least a high school education;
demonstrate French proficiency at level 5 on the CLB scale;
have 1 year of work experience (not required for those who have completed at least a 2-year program at a provincial university);
get a connection to New Brunswick:
- make an exploratory visit to the province;
- get a job offer from a local employer;
- receive a direct invitation from provincial representatives;
make a settlement plan;
show enough money to support yourself and your family members (see below);
score 65 points out of 100 on the provincial evaluation system (see below).

Some professions are excluded from participation in the stream:

Evaluation system

New Brunswick evaluates candidates using the Expression of Interest system, in which you can score up to 100 points. Points are awarded as follows:

Criterion	Points
Age (maximum 12)
19 to 24 years old	4
25 to 44 years old	12
45 to 50 years old	4
51 to 55 years old	0
Language level (maximum 28)
Points are given for each skill (reading, writing, listening, speaking) depending on the level. They must be added up.
CLB 7 and higher	7
CLB 5, 6	6
CLB 4	5
Education (maximum 25)
Master's or PhD degree	25
Professional degree required for a licensed profession (medical, veterinary, dental, optometry, law, chiropractic, or pharmacy professions only)	25
Two or more certificates/diplomas from a college, university, or other institution (one must be for an academic program of 3 years or more)	22
Bachelor's degree or completed academic program of 3 years or more	21
Diploma/certificate in a 2-year academic program	19
Diploma/certificate in a 1-year academic program	17
High school diploma	15
Work experience (maximum 15)
6 or more years	15
4 to 5 years	12
1 to 3 years	10
Less than 1 year	0
Adaptability (maximum 20)
An exploratory visit to New Brunswick	15
At least 1 year of work experience in New Brunswick
A job offer in New Brunswick
An invitation from representatives of New Brunswick
Relatives in the province (children, brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nephews)	5
Your spouse or partner has a job offer in New Brunswick or a Canadian work permit	5

Settlement funds

You must show that you have enough money for the first time living in New Brunswick. This requirement is waived if you have a job in the province.

Number of family members	Required amount in Canadian dollars
1	$13,310
2	$16,570
3	$20,371
4	$24,733
5	$28,052
6	$31,638
7	$34,224
Each additional family member	$3,586

How to apply

If you want to make an exploratory visit to the province to get a connection, you have to notify the provincial representatives by mail at least 30 days in advance. In the letter you must indicate the dates of your visit and attach a photo or scan of your passport.

Those who already have a connection to the province should create an account on the New Brunswick provincial website.

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