Low uptake for new immigration program in Nova Scotia, numbers reveal
HALIFAX — Nova Scotia is lagging on a highly touted initiative aimed at boosting East Coast immigration, filling only a quarter of the province’s available slots last year.
Provincial Immigration Minister Lena Diab said Thursday she remains optimistic the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Project will be a “wonderful tool,” and she’s confident Nova Scotia is doing the work needed to promote it.
Launched last March, the project is aimed at attracting and retaining skilled immigrants for the workforce, as a way of supporting population growth and addressing labour shortages.
Each of the Atlantic provinces designate employers that want to hire skilled immigrants, while newcomers get a job offer and an individualized settlement plan for them and their families.