Nova Scotia affirmed to allocate for the Nova Scotia Nominee Program and the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) for 2022.
Immigration, Refugees, Citizenship Canada (IRCC) declared an increase in the Provincial Nominee number to 5,340 with additional space for AIP endorsements of more than1,173. This is 75 percent more than 2021.
IRCC plans the allocation number as per the Immigration Levels Plan.
Interestingly, Nova Scotia witnessed the arrival of 9,025 permanent residents in 2021 which also broke the previous record of 2019 by up to 19 percent.
Nova Scotia continues to contribute largely to economic growth with its immigration initiatives.
As per reports, the provincial budget for 2022 to 2023 states that over $ 1 million is being allocated to the marketing campaigns concerning immigration and population growth.
The province also plans to invest $1,4 million in Nova Scotia’s settlement services and $895,000 in the staff to be supportive of immigration programs.
Jill Balser, Minister of Labour, Skills, and Immigration, stated that Nova Scotia is a special place and is all set to welcome more families and individuals settling in.
He further discussed the importance of population growth for economic growth. He talked about plans of working with more employers, settlement organizations, and communities to welcome more people to Nova Scotia.
Recently, British Columbia also welcomed 500 Ukrainians through CUAET. However, the participants of CUAET are excluded from the total allocation of new immigrants.
Atlantic Immigration Program
The Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP), introduced in 2017, was an initiative for skilled immigrants to settle in one of the four Atlantic provinces. Due to its success, it became permanent in January 2022. This program allows the Atlantic Canadian employers to recruit a foreign national without going through the LMIA process through applying to the province to attain the official designation.
The designated employer is supposed to help an employee with the designated settlement service provider once an employee accepts the job offer.
The settlement service provider will conduct a mandatory assessment for the candidate and his family members (suppose they are accompanying him) to develop a settlement plan successfully.
In 2021, the Atlantic Immigration Program witnessed the arrival of 1,564 new permanent residents in Nova Scotia to enhance the provincial population up to 1 million for the first time in history.
Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP)
The Nova Scotia Nominee Program operates individually offering nine different immigration pathways to the candidates.
Streams aligning with the Express Entry system
Only those candidates who have their profiles created under the Express Entry are allowed for Nova Scotia Experience, Nova Scotia Labour Market Priorities for Physicians, and Nova Scotia Priorities.
IRCC uses the Express Entry, a system of application management for the economic programs including the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Canadian Experience Class, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program. Those who qualify for the eligibility requirements under the above streams will attain CRS scores. The CRS scores help the candidates achieve a ranking against other candidates. Achieving a high score will determine whether the candidate will get an ITA (invitation to apply) for permanent residency status.
Skilled Worker Stream
As per the Skilled Worker Stream, the candidate must have a valid job offer from an employer in Nova Scotia and proven work experience under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill types.
This stream applies to those with NOC A, O, B, C, and D. The candidate will need to prove his language proficiency depending upon his NOC type.
Occupation: In-Demand Stream
The Occupation: In-Demand Stream applies to those candidates who possess a valid job offer under the NOC C and D or occupations that are in demand as per the latest list.
In-Demand Stream for International Graduates
The candidates under this stream should have completed a program of a 30-week duration concerning any in-demand occupation (Childcare or Orderly). 50 percent of the program must be completed in Nova Scotia. The candidate should also have a genuine job offer in Nova Scotia.
Entrepreneur Stream for International Graduates
This stream applies to those candidates who have already completed a program of at least two years in Nova Scotia’s postsecondary school. They should also have a Post- Graduation Work Permit along with a minimum experience of 1 year as a business owner.
Entrepreneur Stream
The candidates under the Entrepreneur Stream will require three years of minimum experience in business ownership with a concrete business plan and also a strong will to invest $150, 000 for purchasing or establishing a business in Nova Scotia.
Successful initiatives for immigration in Atlantic Canada
The population growth in Nova Scotia stems from the NSNP and the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)
10,000 newcomers were welcomed in Nova Scotia through the Atlantic Immigration Plan alone between 2017 to 2021. Also, during this period there were up to 91 percent of immigrants were living in the province.
