The Canadian Government have announced in their Immigration Report for 2014 that they expect an increase in Provincial Visa numbers for this year. Although migrant numbers for this category are due to increase, similar numbers of overall migrant numbers into the country are similar to previous years. The latest published figures are between 240,000 – 265,000 foreign workers forecast for 2014. The number of Canadian Experience Class (CEC) visas issued is also expected to increase
The increase comes from the Canadian Government’s focus of using migration for the health of the country’s economy and to fill skills shortages where they are needed most.
The Provincial Nominee Programme (PNP) has increased dramatically since 2000. In this year, 1250 migrants were accepted for this programme, in 2013 the figure was at 41,000. The PNP aims to populate Canada with migrants right across the country and not just the main expat destinations of Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. In other words, to spread expats across all of the provinces i.e. Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan and Yukon.
Different provinces have different skills shortages and immigration needs, potential migrants can check each individual website for further details: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/provincial/apply-who.asp. For example, Alberta’s media are reporting a labour crisis as the economy is growing but there is a lack of skilled labour to fill various roles. Local businesses such as oil and construction companies are in urgent need of skilled workers. The process for applying for the PNP involves being nominated by a province or territory and an application to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) for permanent residence. To get nominated by a province, migrants need to apply directly to the province.
Canada a popular country for migrants due to its stable economy, political system, quality of life and abundance of natural life. Moving to less common expat province could be a great opportunity for professional and skilled workers to move to Canada. Many provinces provide great options for an outdoor lifestyle with beautiful national parks and scenic landscapes ideal for walking or hiking.
An expat story about living in one of Canada’s provinces can be found here: Moving to Nova Scotia.
