Canada Immigration News

The Canadian province of Nova Scotia would like to double its intake of immigrants by 2020 to offset looming skills gaps as the working age population dwindles.

Nova Scotia will invest an extra $790,000 in attracting skilled migrants under a new immigration strategy introduced by Premier Darrell Dexter.

Dexter said the province is aiming to attract 7,200 immigrants a year by 2020, doubling current levels of immigration.

Former Canadian immigration minister Monte Solberg says that immigration solves many problems in Canada, including labour shortages.

"Immigration should be encouraged between India and Canada to build strong connections between the two nations," he said, adding that health care workers were in particular demand.

A recent study by Canadian professor Tony Fang recommends that Canada should increase its immigration levels to bolster investment in housing and boost the nation's gross domestic product.

Canada already has the highest immigration rate per capita out of all major countries. The country already has a number of skilled immigration programs to help deal with skills shortages in the labour force.

The Canadian government is providing CAD $22 million to help skilled immigrants in Ontario find work.

The Bridge Training program helps skilled migrants enter the Canadian workforce and find employment which best matches their skills and qualifications. This program also funds regional projects in Ontario to helps skilled migrants obtain Canadian licenses in regulated professions, or get the training they need to get work in regulated or non-regulated occupations.

Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Visa Program will see stricter requirements. Immigration Minister Kenney claims that the changes will be an improvements to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and had the following to say:

The Canadian government has proposed a new rule which would require a person coming to stay in Canada with their partner to stay in the relationship for two years before being granted permanent residence.

The stricter requirement is an attempt by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to crack down on fraudulent marriages.