Immigration continues to rise in the Atlantic region of Canada

The Atlantic Region in Canada welcomed 18,000 newcomers in 2019 and immigration to the area continues to rise.

The Atlantic Region consists of four Canadian provinces- New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. The region has been making significant efforts to welcome more newcomers in recent years.

Atlantic Canada has a low birth rate and a rapidly ageing population. The rate of out-migration, that is, people moving out of the provinces is higher while the interprovincial migration rate is much lower than other provinces in Canada. To counter the same, governments, colleges, employers and Universities in the region have been working to bring in and retain more immigrants.

In 2010, only 8,000 new immigrants moved to the Atlantic Region. This accounted for a meagre 3% of all new immigrants that migrated to Canada. The Atlantic Region comprises of 6.5% of the population of Canada, yet the immigrant intake was significantly lower than other Canadian provinces.

The immigration revolution has been in full force since 2016 as the Atlantic region was able to bring in 5% of all new immigrants to Canada. The increase in immigration happened mainly due to welcoming more refugees from Syria and other economic immigrants through the PNPs.

The Canadian Govt. launched the Atlantic Immigration Pilot in 2017. The pilot was designed as a tool to promote immigration in the Atlantic provinces of Canada.

In 2018, the Atlantic Immigration Pilot started picking up speed. Along with the PNPs, the AIP managed to bring in 14,000 newcomers to the Atlantic region. The AIP recorded a 22% increase in immigrants compared to the 12,000 newcomers that came into the region in 2017.

2019 was even better. It recorded a 26% increase in the number of immigrants that came into the Atlantic region. All 4 provinces in the region broke their immigration records.

Newfoundland and Labrador recorded a 21% increase welcoming almost 1,900 newcomers compared to 1,500 the previous year.

Prince Edward Island recorded a 15% increase bringing in 2,500 new immigrants compared to 2,100 in 2018.

Nova Scotia increased its immigration intake by 27% with 7,600 newcomers compared to 6,000 in 2018.

The largest increase in immigration intake happened in New Brunswick. The province welcomed 6,000 newcomers in 2019 compared to 4,600 the year before.

Atlantic Canada needs to bring in 24,000 newcomers to the region to reach its proportional share of migrants to Canada. If the region continues to increase its immigration intake by 20%, it could reach this milestone as early as 2021.

Canada has increased the allocations for the PNPs of the Atlantic region. The increased allocations, along with the AIP, have been pivotal in the success of immigration to the region.

Marco Mendicino, Immigration Minister, has issued a mandate letter stating that the AIP will soon become a permanent program.

Canada’s Immigration Level Plans have increased the immigration target for the AIP from 2,000 in 2019 to 4,000 in 2020.

The admission target for the Provincial Nominee Programs in Canada has also been increased from 61,000 to 67,800. This increase means that the allocation for the PNPs of the Atlantic region will also most likely increase in 2020.

If you are looking to Study, Work in Canada, Visit, Invest or Migrate to Canada, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company.

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