Liberals working to speed up immigration applications
More new immigrants overall and improvements in system: minister
The provincial government has plans to see 1,700 new permanent residents in the province every year as of 2022 — allowing five years for its immigration plan to improve on current numbers.
But the chance of meeting the target is already being challenged by the Progressive Conservatives who suggest the province is less effective now in attracting and retaining immigrants than it was just two years ago.
“In two years, only half the number of immigrants even applies to come to Newfoundland (and Labrador) compared to two years ago,” said Progressive Conservative MHA Barry Petten in the House of Assembly earlier this month. “(And) the wait time for express entry has gone from two days to almost six weeks under the Liberals.”
Speaking with The Telegram, he said he sees immigration improvements as a campaign promise being broken.
“The numbers don’t lie,” he said.
The story in the numbers
In terms of the key target, Newfoundland and Labrador recorded 1,190 new permanent residents in 2016. That’s up from the previous year.
The count for 2017 is ongoing.
On management, Petten made reference to processing times for applications being made to the provincial nominee program.
In October, the government released average times required to process provincial nominee program applications for 2015, 2016 and 2017, in response to an access to information request, showing mixed results.
A total 1,050 certificates of
nomination can come under the program in a year. Of that figure, 500 are made under two streams — skilled workers and international graduates and another 550 nominations of skilled workers come under the express entry stream for highly skilled workers.
Petten said there was a slow down in express entry. The figures show, at least up to September, applicants in 2017 under that stream are waiting more than five weeks on average.
That’s compared to 2015, when processing was less than a week on average, and a little over three weeks in 2016.
Immigration Minister Al Hawkins said the criticism of the track is unwarranted, and doesn’t speak to other streams under the provincial nominee program where the majority of applications are directed. In the 2007 to 2016 time period, roughly 1,800 of the principal applicants to the program overall were for the standard skilled worker stream. Fewer than 200 were for the express entry, according to information available on the department’s website.
Hawkins said the express stream had few applications in 2015. “That would have contributed to the fast turnaround. And of course then as applications increased, then obviously the length of time in getting through the system would also increase,” he said.
Atlantic Immigration Pilot
Separate, there is the threeyear Atlantic Immigration Pilot program, started in March. Under this program, employers apply to the government to become a designated participant. They can then apply for government endorsements of would-be employees of the company — people interested in coming here to fill a position.
The province issues endorsements, then the individual seeks permanent residency or a work visa as a high or medium-skilled worker, or an international graduate.
Newfoundland and Labrador is currently allowed to approve up to 442 people under the program in a year. But as the Saltwire Network reported Nov. 28, there have been 117 endorsement applications for Newfoundland and Labrador and 102 approved, with the application processing ongoing.
“Really what we’re seeing was it was pretty much up into June and July before we were actually seeing a lot of uptake on that,” Hawkins said, noting over 100 employers are now designated participants.
“I must say right now we’re seeing a significant amount of work in that area.”
Improvements ongoing
The Liberals hired two additional people to help with processing immigration applications this year and Hawkins said the added hands are helping all around.
But the province is also working on a new online system to allow individuals applying to complete, update and track the progress of their applications online, wherever they are in the world. The system is expected to speed up correspondence and processing times, starting in the next fiscal year.
Hawkins said the government is keenly aware of the need to improve outcomes, adding to outreach and recruitment efforts.
In July, a deal was announced for $800,000 in federal funding over two years to assist organizations to be in a better position to recognize and sync local and foreign qualifications.
A first round of funding was announced, awarded to the Association for New Canadians, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Centre of Nursing Studies, College of Licensed Practical Nurses in Newfoundland and Labrador, and Newfoundland and Labrador Council of Health Professionals.
A second round of awards — in response to project submissions — is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.