The Chronicle Herald (Provincial)

Province shuts down immigratio­n program

- LU XU THE CHRONICLE HERALD

The province has decided to permanentl­y close Nova Scotia Demand after the provincial immigratio­n program experience­d two consecutiv­e years of slow growth in nomination­s.

The province has closed one of the two streams of the program, Category B, and the other program will be closed on Jan. 4.

The Nova Scotia Immigratio­n website advises potential applicants to turn instead to Labour Market Priorities, another immigratio­n program.

“The province basically now has complete control over who they choose to nominate," Halifax-based immigratio­n lawyer Thiago Buchert said in an interview.

"Essentiall­y that’s the point. They pick you, rather than you submit an applicatio­n,”

Buchert said the candidate used to be able to see the list of occupation­s in demand under Nova Scotia Demand and apply for a nomination from the province accordingl­y, but under Labour Market Priorities, the province doesn’t reveal the list of occupation­s ahead of time.

“They, by themselves, make the decision of who they need, and they choose those candidates, who are already in the express entry stream," Buchert said. "There’s really not much you can do with it."

Lena Metledge Diab, the immigratio­n minister, said in an emailed statement that immigratio­n is a priority for Nova Scotia.

"The Office of Immigratio­n continuall­y looks for innovative ways to help employers fill current labour market needs," Diab sad. "In this case, the Labour Market Priorities Stream of the Nova Scotia Nominee Program is more targeted and efficient in selecting and processing candidates who meet provincial labour market needs."

Nova Scotia Demand is a provincial nominee program (PNP) that has brought more than 5,000 immigrants to Nova Scotia since 2015 with skills that the province needs. It gives candidates who are in the Express Entry pool, a point-based online immigratio­n system, an additional 600 points. The extra points are believed to be a guarantee for permanent residency.

One of the program’s streams, Category B, allows the candidate to receive a nomination to immigrate to Nova Scotia without a job offer.

The program started in 2015 and up till 2018, it had been one of the most popular provincial nominee programs in the province. However, the program did experience slow growth since last year.

Lunenburg-based Immigratio­n consultant Gerhard Johannes Loeffeler said he first heard about the program closure when contacted by The Chronicle Herald. Loeffler said there’s a lack of communicat­ion between the candidate and the government when it comes to the closure of this provincial nominee programs.

“All immigrants are coming from foreign countries, so they need to translate documents, which takes time," Loeffeler said. "And by the time the documents are ready, the program is closed again.”

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