This Round: AIP Overtakes NLPNP for the First Time in Nearly a Year

Newfoundland and Labrador's Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism (OIM) held its eighth provincial immigration selection round of the year on July 10, 2026, issuing a combined 57 invitations to candidates in the Expression of Interest (EOI) pool through the NLPNP and AIP streams.

The most notable feature of this round is that AIP invitations clearly outnumbered NLPNP invitations for the first time, accounting for 70.2% of the total. This marks the first time since September 2025 that AIP candidates have received more invitations than NLPNP candidates. The province did not disclose the specific categories or industries targeted within this round's NLPNP invitations. Under the province's EOI prioritization criteria, candidates working in health care, sales and service occupations, rural areas, or underrepresented occupations may receive priority consideration during selection.

Draw Sizes Have Fallen Round after Round This Year, and 57 Sets a New Low

With the exception of a slight uptick in the June 10 round, invitation numbers in every one of Newfoundland and Labrador's 2026 draws have declined from the previous round, and this round's total of 57 sets a new low for the year.

1,544 Invitations Year to Date: A Contrast Amid a Major Federal Quota Expansion

As of July 10, Newfoundland and Labrador has issued a cumulative 1,544 invitations in 2026 to provincial immigration candidates to apply for a provincial nomination (NLPNP) or an endorsement (AIP), with the large majority (81.8%) going to NLPNP candidates.

This steady tightening is playing out against a backdrop of a notable rebound in federal immigration quotas, which makes for an intriguing contrast. In 2025, the federal government cut the national Provincial Nominee Program's permanent resident target by 50%, from 110,000 in 2024 to 55,000, and Newfoundland and Labrador was allocated 2,525 spaces that year, comprising 2,050 for NLPNP and 475 for AIP. Heading into 2026, the federal government raised the PNP target again in its latest Immigration Levels Plan, lifting it to 91,500, an increase of roughly 66% over 2025 and the largest single-year increase on record, with most provinces generally expected to receive correspondingly larger allocations. Some immigration industry observers note that Newfoundland and Labrador's continued paring back of invitation numbers even as overall quotas expand may reflect the province having front-loaded a large batch of invitations earlier in the year and now taking a more measured approach to pacing invitations for the rest of the year; the sharp rise in AIP's share this round may also signal that the province is reallocating resources between the two streams.

How to Enter NLPNP or AIP Selection

Candidates hoping to immigrate through NLPNP or Newfoundland and Labrador's AIP stream must first submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) online through the OIM's Immigration Accelerator Portal. Except for NLPNP's entrepreneur streams, both programs generally require candidates to already hold a valid job offer from an employer in the province before submitting their profile.

Candidates must provide information in their EOI on their work experience, education, language ability, and intention to settle in the province; these profiles then enter the EOI candidate pool. The OIM may give priority based on a range of factors, such as employment in health care, work outside the province's major urban centres, strong long-term settlement prospects, and connections established with the province through local study. The full prioritization criteria are available on the OIM's "EOI Prioritization Criteria" webpage. The province periodically selects the highest-ranked candidates from the pool and issues invitations.

After the Invitation: A 60-Day Deadline and the Permanent Residence Application

Once selected, candidates must submit a complete application to Newfoundland and Labrador within 60 days. NLPNP applications are submitted by the candidate, while AIP applications must be submitted by the employer. If the application is approved by the province, the province issues the applicant a provincial nomination certificate (NLPNP) or an endorsement certificate (AIP).

After receiving a provincial nomination certificate or an AIP endorsement, the provincial nominee or AIP-endorsed candidate can then submit a permanent residence (PR) application to the federal government; once approved, the applicant receives a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR). As of July 7, processing times for these PR applications are as follows:

In addition, candidates whose EOI profile has been active for 12 months without receiving a provincial invitation must resubmit their profile (for AIP candidates, the resubmission is done by their employer) in order to remain under consideration in future provincial selection rounds.