The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program will become permanent in the new year.
The program began in 2017 and helps all sectors hire qualified candidates for jobs that may not get filled locally.
Candidates can be overseas or living in Canada temporarily.
During an announcement on Friday, Federal Minister of Immigration Sean Fraser mentioned the permanent program will begin with 6,000 spots.
“It’s going to complement and enhance existing initiatives, such as the provincial nominee programs, and with labour shortages top in mind, and as we seek to exit this pandemic recession, it’s going to help business attract the skilled newcomers they need.”
Fraser shared statistics of the pilot’s success, such as the pilot helping bring over 10,000 newcomers to Atlantic Canada.
“And already we’ve seen 9,800 job offers through the program, this has helped businesses large and small get the talent that they need to succeed and to grow.”
The decision to make the program permanent was exciting for Nova Scotia’s Premier Tim Houston, as the province hit a population milestone.
“For the first time in our province has more than one million people living in it … some of those people were born here, others chose Nova Scotia to be their home.”
In New Brunswick, the minister responsible for immigration, Arlene Dunn said the province will continue to foster and promote Atlantic Canada’s shared interest in improving population growth.
“By developing a skilled pipeline, encouraging international study, increasing private sector and tourism investment, and fostering amongst all other business leaders.”
Over in Newfoundland and Labrador, is the only province in the country with population decline.
“All across our beautiful province, coast, and communities scatter amongst us, we recognize we need people to grow, we need people to reach our economic potential,” mentioned Premier Andrew Furey.
In Prince Edward Island, Minister of Economic Growth, Tourism and Culture, Matthew MacKay also shared excitement for the permanent program, as it has contributed greatly to the province’s overall growth and success.
“For a province of our size, this program can go a long way and make a big impact.”
“For the last four years this program has played a key role in increasing our population and decreasing our median age, it has helped us expand our economy, fill labour gaps, and grow communities,” added Mackay.
