June 21, 2017 – A key stakeholder has called for a municipal nominee program to be introduced to give cities more control over New Brunswick immigration.

Alex LeBlanc, executive director of the New Brunswick Multicultural Council, says the integration of immigrants happens in towns and cities, meaning it made sense for immigration decisions to happen there too.

“Where immigration is controlled at a federal level, integration happens at a local level,” said LeBlanc. “Really, it’s our cities, it’s our communities that are the brokers for inclusion.”

LeBlanc’s idea is for a municipal program to run alongside the current provincial program. He wants to see skilled workers and business immigrants given expedited processing to bring them in where needs are greatest.

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The current provincial nominee programs allow Canadian provinces limited control over immigration, except in the case of Quebec. Quotas are set at federal level for how many immigrants the provinces can bring in.

“We could use the same structure that we have in place now with the provincial nominee program, but perhaps receive an additional allocation from the federal government which is earmarked to pilot a municipal approach,” Le Blanc said.

“Then it will be up to the cities to allocate any kind of resource staff time to do some of this work.”

He added that if cities were given those greater responsibilities, they would be more inclined to make sure the immigrants were integrated quickly on arrival.

“Give cities the responsibility of selecting people, in partnership with employers, and then give cities a greater role in the integration and retention process,” he said.

New Brunswick has been successful in bringing in 625 immigrants on an annual basis to directly answer workforce needs.

Now LeBlanc is calling for a pilot project to see what impact a city-level program could have.

Aging Population

He points to figures which show that despite New Brunswick making up 6.6 per cent of Canada’s population, only 3.1 per cent of Canada’s total immigrants come in to the province.

The province, as well as the wider Atlantic region including Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, are struggling with an aging population, with immigration the major tool to tackle the problem.

To respond to the growing need, the federal government recently launched the Atlantic Immigration Pilot (AIP), which aims to bring in 2,000 new skilled immigrants to the region per year for three years.

But this is run at federal level in partnership with the provinces. LeBlanc argues such programs need to be operated at a much more local level.

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot has immigration programs for intermediate and high-skilled workers, plus international graduates.

A key part of the AIP is a settlement plan which gives new immigrants information on where they will be living and how to access services.

Atlantic Immigration Pilot: The Programs

1. Atlantic High-Skilled Program
2. Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program
3. Atlantic International Graduate Program

The work experience, education, and job offer a candidate needs will depend on whether they are applying as a worker or an international student graduate. The other requirements are the same for both.

Work Experience

Workers

You must have worked for at least one year (1,560 hours total or 30 hours per week) within the last three years. It can be full-time, non-continuous, or part-time, as long as it adds up to 1,560 hours.

The work must be:

• In one occupation (but can be with different employers)
• Paid (volunteering or unpaid internships do not count)
• At skill type/level 0, A, B, or C of the National Occupational Classification (NOC)
• Under the Atlantic High-Skilled Program, workers need one year of experience at skill type/level 0, A, or B.
• Under the Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program, workers need one year of experience to be at the skill level C.
• The experience can be gained inside or outside Canada.

International Graduates

Candidates do not need work experience.

Education

Workers

Candidates must have:

• A Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree,

OR

• A foreign degree, diploma, certificate, or trade or apprenticeship education credential. Candidates need an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) to make sure it is valid and equal to a Canadian credential. The ECA must show your education is equal to a completed Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree. Your ECA must be less than five years old when you apply.

International Graduates

Candidates must have:

• A minimum two-year degree, diploma, certificate, or trade or apprenticeship credential from a recognized publicly-funded institution in an Atlantic province.
• Been a full-time student in Canada for at least two years.
• Graduated in the 12 months prior to the application date.
• Lived in one of the Atlantic provinces for at least 16 months in the last two years before graduation.
• Had a visa or permit to work, study or train in Canada.

A candidate does not qualify if their study or training included:

• English or French second language courses for more than half of the program.
• Distance learning undertaken for more than half of the program.

A candidate cannot apply if their scholarship or fellowship required them to return to their home country after graduation.

Note: Starting in early March 2017, Atlantic Immigration Pilot candidates will be able to apply for a temporary work permit if the job needs to be filled urgently. If an employer wants a candidate to apply for a temporary work permit first, the candidate will need to commit to applying for permanent residence within 90 days of the temporary application being submitted.

Job Offer

Under the high-skilled, intermediate-skilled and international graduate programs, candidates must have a job offer that is:

1. From a designated employer in an Atlantic province.
2. Non-seasonal.
3. Reviewed by the province (details on a new endorsement process will be available in early March 2017)

Job offers for high-skilled workers must:

• Be skill type/level 0, A, or B
• Last at least one year

Job offers for intermediate-skilled workers must:

• Be skill type/level 0, A, B, or C
• Be indeterminate (permanent)

Job offers for international graduates must:

• Be skill type/level 0, A, B, or C
• Last at least one year

A candidate’s job offer does not need to be in the same occupation as past work experience. However, a candidate does need to meet employment requirements for the job, as listed in the NOC.

The employer does not need an LMIA. Each province will communicate a list of employers hiring under the Atlantic Immigration Pilot.

Language

Requirements applicable to all three programs

Candidates must:

1. Score at least a level 4 in the Canadian Language Benchmark exam in English or the Niveaux de Compétence Linguistique Canadiens in French.
2. Take an approved language test and meet the level for speaking, listening, reading and writing.

Results must be less than two years old on the date of application.

Proof of Funds

Requirements applicable to all three programs

Candidates need to show they have enough money to support themselves and their families after immigration. Amounts depend on the size of the family and includes family members a candidate supports that are not immigrating.

Proof is not required if a candidate is already living and working in Canada with a valid work permit.

Settlement Plan

A candidate must have a needs assessment before immigrating. After the assessment, a candidate will get a plan with information about the community they are moving to and where they can get help after arrival. To find out about the needs assessment, click here.

Endorsement

Employers must complete an Endorsement Application for each candidate able to fill an existing vacancy.

Candidates cannot apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada without an endorsement., which includes details of the job offer and settlement plan.

Interested employers: Kindly contact us here to receive further information.

Interested candidates: Find out whether you qualify to Canada by completing our free on-line evaluation. We will provide you with our evaluation within 1-2 business days.

Read more news about Canada Immigration by clicking here.