Although Canada is known as the “Land of Immigrants,” it is no secret that some cities are more popular with newcomers than others. Toronto, for example, is the country’s financial centre and the most populous city, while Vancouver has one of the busiest ports in North America. Naturally, these cities have seen an influx of newcomers due to job opportunities, a higher standard of living, and other factors such as warmer weather.
Citing the imbalance and the crucial need for labour force in other cities such as the Atlantic areas, the Immigrations Refugees Citizenship Canada (IRCC) launched the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP), a pathway to permanent residence for skilled foreign workers and international graduates from a Canadian institution who want to work and live in one of Canada’s four Atlantic provinces—New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP) – now called the Atlantic Immigration Program- became permanent on January 1, this year, following the success of the four-year pilot program, has brought over 10,000 new permanent residents to Canada since its inception in 2017.
Almost all of the key applicants who were granted permanent status through AIPP chose to stay in the Atlantic region. The pilot was a success in terms of assisting Atlantic firms in filling labor market gaps and facilitating foreign worker immigration to Canada.
“Over the past few years, the Atlantic Immigration Pilot has made an incredible difference in communities across our region. It has brought us the resource we need most: more people. They’re skilled, they’re young and they’re staying. Now, we’re doubling down on what works by making it permanent, so we can continue attracting the best and brightest to our region and build a vibrant, prosperous future for Atlantic Canada,” said the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, in a press statement
In a press statement, the Honourable Gerry Byrne, Minister of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills, Newfoundland and Labrador said: “The Atlantic Immigration Pilot’s great success for Newfoundland and Labrador resulted from it being both flexible and precise in responding to our province’s challenges in attracting newcomers. 2021 will be the first year that targets were not only met, but exceeded. This demonstrates that flexibility is crucial to resolving the unique challenges we face as a province, while also building on and maximizing the many strengths of the Federation. We will now make every effort to ensure our new Atlantic Immigration Program builds on work to accelerate the arrival of more newcomers to Newfoundland and Labrador than ever before, while also being responsive to the needs of employers to meet evolving labour demands.”
To participate in the Program, employers must first be approved by being designated and then have their positions endorsed by the Province.Once the employer’s positions are endorsed, it may employ foreign workers. Once these foreign workers are identified by the employer, the applicant can apply directly to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada for permanent residency. The foreign worker can also get a temporary work permit while waiting for permanent residency.
The Government of Canada invests more than $880,000 in nine community shared spaces and two tourism businesses to stimulate local economies, create jobs, boost tourism, and improve the quality of life of Canadians.
The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) works to create opportunities for economic growth in the region by helping businesses become more competitive, innovative and productive, by working with diverse communities to develop and diversify local economies, and by championing the strengths of Atlantic Canada.
