Can you start work while waiting for permanent residence under Canada’s Atlantic Immigration Program?
Eligible Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) applicants can apply separately for a temporary work permit to work while their permanent residence application is processed. IRCC lists a two-year permit for this route, tied to the employer who offered the job. Before agreeing to a start date, check that your actual work authorization is in effect and covers the employer and work in question.
Ask for the provincial referral letter and the offer number
Ask the employer whether it has requested a work permit referral letter from the Atlantic province where you will work. The confirmation of endorsement goes with the permanent residence application. The referral letter supports the work permit application. If you have received one provincial notice, confirm which document it is and keep it with the appropriate application.
For a first AIP work permit application, the employer also submits the offer through IRCC’s Employer Portal and gives you the offer of employment number. A recruiter’s vacancy number or the employer’s internal reference is a different identifier. Compare the offer, referral letter and employer information, and ask the employer to clarify any differences in the legal name or work location before filing.
Keep the first work permit checklist separate
IRCC’s first-application instructions call for the signed IMM 0156 undertaking, language results, education credentials and any applicable work experience evidence. An Atlantic graduate relying on the work experience exemption should check the exemption criteria. Use the instructions for your actual location. If you are in Canada as a visitor, check whether you are eligible to apply from inside Canada.
Suppose the province has endorsed your offer and the employer wants you to start next month, but you have yet to receive a referral letter or an offer number. Prepare the documents you already control and ask the employer which steps remain. Keep the proposed start date separate from the date you are legally authorized to start.
Check the impact of a change of employer or family plans
The principal applicant’s AIP permit authorizes work for the employer that made the offer. If the job or employer changes, check your permit conditions and confirm how to handle the endorsement and permanent residence file with the province. A spouse or common-law partner can review their own eligibility for an open work permit under IRCC’s instructions.
For help identifying missing documents, bring your written offer, provincial correspondence, offer of employment number and current Canadian immigration documents to 卓越移民 Premiervisa Group.
Sources checked 6 November 2026
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