Population Growth Secretariat Financial Management Institute of Canada

Population Growth Secretariat Financial Management Institute of Canada Fredericton Chapter May 2009

Population Change • Our population is aging • Current population estimate for New Brunswick (as of July 1, 2006) – 749, 168 • Births have been declining • Over next 20 years, NB’s population expected to decrease by 25, 000

Population Growth Secretariat • Public Consultation, Research • Action Plan on Self-Sufficiency • Population Growth Strategy “Be Our Future” – 43 Recommendations

New Brunswick’s Broad Approach to Population Growth • Increasing and Targeting Immigration • Increasing Supports for Settlement Services • Promoting Diversity and Multiculturalism • Retaining Youth through Engagement and Developing Linkages • Repatriating Former New Brunswickers • Attracting Other Canadians • Promoting Family-Friendly Policies • Marketing New Brunswick to the World

Population Growth Secretariat Immigration Branch Presented by Mario Boisvert

Immigration Team • • • • Tony Lampart …………… Executive Director Beverly Woznow …………………. . Senior Manager Tammy Caseley ………… Manager Bogdan Georges Itoafa…………… Manager Lindsay Bell …………. …. Program Officer Lilian Wo………………. . Program Officer Renu Dhayagude …………………. . Program Officer Michael Theriault …………………. . Program Officer Mohsen Masoori………………. . … Program Officer Lilian Wo………………. . Program Officer Mario Boisvert…………… Program Officer Paulette St-Germain………………. Senior Processing Officer Paula Den Hollander………………. Processing Officer Karen Lipsett …………… Processing Officer Rachel Gervais …………. Administrative assistant

PQA - Immigration Responsibilities • Work with employers and government stakeholders to determine skill shortages • Pre-screen entrepreneurs for business experience and resources • Review and evaluate applications • Prepare nominations • Submit complete immigration applications and Nomination Certificates to overseas visa posts • Evaluate program

Immigration ……… CIC/PNP

Citizenship and Immigration Canada - Immigration • Skilled Worker Class: Canada values the skills and experiences that foreign professionals and workers bring with them. • Business Class: Investors Entrepreneurs Self-employed persons • Family Class: Family class immigration reunites families in Canadian homes. • PNP: Provincial Nominee Program

Citizenship and Immigration Canada - Visas • Work Visa Every year over 90, 000 foreign workers enter Canada working temporarily to help Canadian employers address skill shortages in Canada. • Study Visa More than 130, 000 students come to study in Canada every year. • Visit Visa Every year more than 35 million people visit Canada welcomes these visitors as tourists, students or temporary workers.

Our Tools • Canada-New Brunswick Agreement on Provincial Nominees • Negotiated in 1999 • Renewed in 2005 • Partnership in selecting immigration applicants for New Brunswick • CIC-BNB Agreement on Postgraduate Employment or Foreign Students 2003 • CIC-NB Agreement on Off-Campus Work 2004

Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) Two categories of applicants: 1. Job Offer applicants - employer driven PILOT PROJECT - Community support for skilled workers 2. Community Sponsorship 3. Business Plan applicants - start-up, partnership or purchase

Job Offer applicants - Criteria • Guaranteed offer of permanent employment • Work for a New Brunswick employer • Work normally done in New Brunswick • Employer provides competitive wages and working conditions • Worker in an area of skill shortage

Job Offer applicants - Process • Employer makes a job offer • Employer requests a labour market opinion and obtains authorization to hire a foreign worker (Service Canada) • Candidate applies for work permit (CIC) • Candidate applies to NBPNP for permanent status if employer and employee wish to make the job “permanent”

Criteria for communities • To make application under the Community Support for Skilled Workers Pilot Project communities must have less than 6, 000 residents and have met or exceeded the requirements of the Community Support for Skilled Workers Pilot. Criteria for immigrant applicants Applicants must meet all requirements of the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program for skilled workers with one exception; they are not required to have a guaranteed offer of full time employment from a New Brunswick employer.

Step-by-step process (1 of 2) • The Community organizes a meeting with the Population Growth Secretariat - Immigration Branch • The Community makes written application for Qualified Community Status. • Population Growth Secretariat reviews the application for Qualified Community Status and issues a letter of acceptance or refusal. • The Qualified Community will identify a Community Liaison Coordinator. • The community identifies a potential immigrant and submits to Population Growth Secretariat its recommendation and commitment to sponsor.

Step-by-step process (2 of 2) • The potential immigrant submits an application for permanent residence under the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program. • Population Growth Secretariat reviews the Provincial Nominee Program application and issues a letter of acceptance or refusal. • When accepted, an applicant is issued a nomination certificate. • The successful applicant receives permanent residence status, lands and takes up residence in New Brunswick.

Business Plan applicants - Criteria • Experience in owning or managing a business • Financial resources for business development and family settlement • Be actively involved in the business • Link between previous experience and business plan • Basic knowledge of English or French • Joint ventures or partnerships with existing New Brunswick companies are often desirable options

Business Plan applicants -Process • Submit the completed preliminary Evaluation form • Interview in New Brunswick (Exploratory visit) • Submit an Application for Immigration, including a business plan

Immigration Application • New Brunswick nominates applicants on the basis of job offer or business plan, experience and net worth • Canadian Visa Post screens applications for medical, security and criminal background • Canadian Visa Post makes the final decision on immigration and issues a permanent resident visa

New Brunswick PNP Nominations April 30/2009 134/520

Source of nominees to date Europe Asia/Pacific Middle East Africa Austria Belgium + Bosnia Bulgaria Finland France + Germany + Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kosovo Netherlands + Romania + Russia Switzerland UK + Ukraine Bangladesh China + India Iran Japan Korea + Madagascar Malaysia New Zealand Pakistan Philippines Sri Lanka Taiwan * Turkey Vietnam + Israel Jordan Lebanon * Palestine Saudi Arabia Syria Cameroon * Egypt * Ghana Guyana Ivory Coast Kenya Morocco + Nigeria Senegal South Africa Tunisia * Zimbabwe Americas Brazil Chile Columbia Cuba Jamaica Mexico Peru Trinidad & Tobago USA Active + Some activities *

Population Support Division • Settlement and Multiculturalism • Repatriation • Retention

Settlement & Multiculturalism • Strategic Settlement Plan • Francophone Strategic Settlement Plan • Immigrant Settlement Support Funding Program ($870, 000 in new funding) • Multicultural Grants Program ($200, 000) • Immigrant Entrepreneur Support Program (under development) • New Orientation Manual for Newcomers (in pre-production) • Public Awareness Campaign (under development)

Repatriation & Attraction • Workforce Development • Outreach and Attraction • Strategic Initiatives

Repatriation & Attraction National Job Fair & Training Expo, Toronto NAFSA (international student conference and recruitment fair) Washington, DC

Retention Youth Engagement and Developing Linkages • Youth Summit • Youth Engagement Funding Program • Youth Engagement Action Plan • Atlantic Population Table MOU (Awareness and Retention Stream)

Retention Some Promising Practices… • 21 inc. (www. 21 inc. ca); • Fusion Saint John Inc. (www. fusionsj. com); • Northwest Graduates’ Data Bank (www. bdno. ca); • School District 2 Mentorship Project; • NBjobs. ca • 22 projects funded under the Youth Engagement Funding Program (YEFP) in 2008 -2009

Marketing • Build awareness of NB’s demographic challenges; • Promote and market New Brunswick to the world.

Population Growth Secretariat HSBC Place 520 King Street, Suite 830 P. O. Box 6000 Fredericton, NB E 3 B 5 H 1 Immigration Division Phone: (506) 453 -3981 Fax: (506) 444 -6729 Population Support Division Phone: (506) 453 -2491 Fax: (506) 453 -3899 www. gnb. ca/population