- Applicants must report job changes through IRCC’s web form and submit updated documents within 90 days.
- Officers must issue a procedural fairness letter before refusing AIP permanent residence cases.
- Updated guidance, published July 23, 2026, covers employer changes, ownership changes, and moves between designated employers.
Ottawa has tightened Atlantic Immigration Program processing for applicants whose jobs change before permanent residence is decided. They must now report the change through IRCC’s web form and send updated documents within 90 days, or officers can refuse the PR application. The deadline is fixed.
Officers also have to send a procedural fairness letter before they refuse those cases. A letter now comes first. That gives applicants a short window to correct the record.
The updated guidance, titled “Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP): Other situations,” was published on July 23, 2026. The department treats it as an officer instruction change, not a full redesign. It covers a new employer, a change in the employer’s ownership, a role change with the same employer, and a move to another designated employer. The scope is spelled out.
When the job itself changes, the file changes too. Applicants need an updated provincial endorsement certificate and an updated Offer of Employment (IMM 0157). Those papers have to reflect changed wages, a different occupation, altered working conditions, or a shift to another NOC/TEER code. Paperwork must match.
Ownership changes bring the province back into the case. The endorsing province has to decide whether the employer still qualifies for AIP designation and whether provincial support remains in place. If support continues, processing can go on after the updated documents arrive within 90 days. If support is withdrawn, officers must refuse the PR application. Support decides the file.
Different triggers now lead to different filings
| Situation | What the applicant must file | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Job terms change with the same employer, including wages, occupation, working conditions, or a new NOC/TEER code | Updated provincial endorsement certificate and updated Offer of Employment (IMM 0157) | Processing can continue after the documents arrive |
| Employer’s ownership changes | Updated documentation, while the province reassesses designation and support | The PR file moves ahead only if provincial support remains |
| Applicant moves from one designated AIP employer to another | Updated provincial endorsement certificate and updated Offer of Employment (IMM 0157) within 90 days | The case stays alive only if the required papers are filed on time |
| Documents do not arrive on time | Updated papers not submitted within 90 days | Officers refuse the PR application |
The same 90-day clock also reaches a switch from one designated AIP employer to another. The file does not reset on its own. It has to be brought back into line.
Work-permit instructions were cleaned up too
The department also updated officer instructions on August 25, 2026 for AIP-related work permits. The revisions clarify renewals and what counts as acceptable proof that a PR application was submitted, while removing outdated references to the former Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program.
The permit still tops out at a maximum of 2 years. Renewals require a fresh employer offer in the Employer Portal and the employer compliance fee. Those pieces stay in place.
A new filing is still central to the renewal path. The permit will not extend unless the employer side is updated first. That remains the rule.
