Eleven communities across Canada chosen for immigration pilot
Credit to Author: Canadian Immigrant| Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2019 02:24:00 +0000
Eleven rural and northern communities have been selected as part of the new Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot to invite newcomers to make these communities their home.
As the Canadian population ages and the birth rate declines, rural Canada’s workforce has seen a significant decrease in available workers. This pilot will help attract people that are needed to drive economic growth and help support middle-class jobs in these communities.
The participating rural and northern communities will have access to a range of supports to test this new innovative, community-driven model that will help fill labour gaps. The selected communities are:Thunder Bay (ON), Sault Ste. Marie (ON), Sudbury (ON), Timmins (ON), North Bay (ON), Gretna-Rhineland-Altona-Plum Coulee (MB), Brandon (MB), Moose Jaw (SK), Claresholm (AB), West Kootenay (BC), and Vernon (BC).
The participating communities were selected as a representative sample of the regions across Canada to assist in laying out the blueprint for the rest of the country.
According to Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen, “The equation is quite simple. Attracting and retaining newcomers with the needed skills equals a recipe for success for Canada’s rural and northern communities. We have tested a similar immigration pilot in Atlantic Canada and it has already shown tremendous results for both newcomers and Canadians.”
Throughout the summer, the government will begin working with selected communities to position them to identify candidates for permanent residence as early as the fall 2019. Newcomers are expected to begin to arrive under this pilot in 2020.