The Government of New Brunswick has announced a plan to attract several thousand immigrants every year.
The New Brunswick government has announced a plan to significantly increase immigration to the province over the next five years to address the economic and social problems associated with its aging population.
Under the government population growth strategy, the number of immigrants New Brunswick is ready to welcome every year will reach 7,500 by 2024. This will increase immigration to New Brunswick to almost 1% of the province’s population and almost double the current number of immigrants residing in the province.
“Population growth is crucial to the future success of our province. The attraction and retention of new Canadians is critical to helping us increase our province’s population and meet the needs of our employers,” New Brunswick’s Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour, Trevor Holder, said in a statement.
Over the next 10 years, about 120,000 jobs will be open in New Brunswick. Statistics compiled by the New Brunswick Multicultural Council (NBMC) show that the provincial workforce will lose 110,000 workers over the same period, mainly due to retirement.
Action Plan
According to the strategy, increased immigration to the province will be achieved mainly through the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) and the Atlantic Immigration Pilot.
The NBPNP allows the province to annually select a certain number of skilled workers, entrepreneurs and foreigners graduated from New Brunswick universities to obtain a permanent residence permit in Canada.
The Atlantic Immigration Pilot is a federal-provincial immigration program that has been launched to help employers in the Atlantic provinces recruit foreign workers and fill labour gaps.
New Brunswick will achieve population growth targets through a 60-point action plan based on four broad goals:
- Attract skilled workforce that meets the needs of the labour market
- Hire entrepreneurs who promote sustainable economic growth
- Create an environment where immigrants and their families can settle and succeed
- Help the community create a more diverse and welcoming province
As to immigration, the targets contain a number of key actions related to French-speaking immigrants, foreign graduates, foreign entrepreneurs and skilled workers, enterprises and communities.