Dear future neighbour,
Newfoundland and Labrador held its 11th provincial nomination draw of the year on August 18, and something about this one was different. The province invited 122 people to apply for nomination and every single invitation went out through the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program (NLPNP). Not one invitation came from the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) this time around.
That might sound like a small technical detail, but it’s actually a meaningful shift. Since the province adopted its Expression of Interest (EOI) model back in February 2025, every previous draw had included at least a handful of AIP invitations alongside NLPNP ones. This is the first time in 2026 that AIP candidates were left out entirely.
Here’s how this draw stacks up against the rest of 2026:
| Date of draw | Invitations issued | Invitations issued by program |
|---|---|---|
| March 6, 2026 | 445 | NLPNP – 362, AIP – 83 |
| March 30, 2026 | 245 | NLPNP – 209, AIP – 36 |
| April 13, 2026 | 210 | NLPNP – 177, AIP – 33 |
| May 1, 2026 | 190 | NLPNP – 157, AIP – 33 |
| May 11, 2026 | 186 | NLPNP – 168, AIP – 18 |
| May 28, 2026 | 103 | NLPNP – 84, AIP – 19 |
| June 10, 2026 | 108 | NLPNP – 89, AIP – 19 |
| July 10, 2026 | 57 | NLPNP – 17, AIP – 40 |
| July 28, 2026 | 445 | NLPNP – 400, AIP – 45 |
| August 10, 2026 | 208 | NLPNP – 186, AIP – 22 |
| August 18, 2026 | 122 | NLPNP – 122 |
Looking at the bigger picture, the province has now issued 1,849 invitations through the NLPNP and 348 through the AIP so far this year. Out of the 2,197 total invitations sent between January 1 and August 18, roughly 85% went to NLPNP candidates. So even before this latest draw, the NLPNP was already carrying most of the weight – this round just made that even clearer.
So how does the NLPNP actually work?
If you’re hoping to move to Newfoundland and Labrador through this program, here’s the path:
You start by submitting an Expression of Interest through the province’s Immigration Accelerator Portal. In it, you’ll lay out your education, your work history, your language skills, and your plans for settling in the province. Unless you’re applying under one of the entrepreneur streams, you’ll also need a valid job offer from an employer based in Newfoundland and Labrador.
From there, the province’s immigration office reviews submitted EOIs and periodically sends out invitations based on what it currently needs. Priority tends to go to people working in healthcare, those settling outside major urban centres, French speakers, and graduates of post-secondary institutions in the province.
If you’re invited, you’ll have 60 days to submit a full nomination application. Once nominated, you can apply to the federal government for permanent residence, and IRCC will issue a Confirmation of Permanent Residence once your application clears.
One thing worth flagging: your EOI profile only stays active for 12 months. If you don’t get invited within that window, you’ll need to submit a fresh one to stay in the running.
Current federal processing times, as of August 10:
| Application type | Processing time |
|---|---|
| Base PNP | 13 months |
| Enhanced PNP | 7 months |
Thinking About Your Next Move to Canada? Let’s Map It Out Together
Draws like this one show just how quickly provincial programs can shift; what worked last month might not be the strategy that gets you invited next month. Whether you’re eyeing a spot through the NLPNP, hoping to strengthen your Express Entry profile, or exploring a completely different pathway into Canada, timing and strategy matter more than ever.
At Ese Umoh Immigration, we help people navigate exactly these kinds of moving targets – from provincial nomination and Express Entry to work permits, postgraduate work permits, spousal sponsorship, visitor visas, super visas, citizenship applications, and school admissions. If you’re ready to find out where you stand and what your best options look like right now, book a one-on-one consultation with us at https://euiacademy.selar.com/30minutes. Let’s figure out your path together.