Government increases the numbers of Canadian Visas for provinces

Provinces, such as Alberta, have been lobbying the Harper government to scrap its plans to impose a Canadian Visa cap on the number of migrants arriving through the provincial nominee program.

Many provinces are experiencing permanent labour shortages and have asked for an increase in the numbers of workers they can nominate to fill permanent jobs. Alberta’s cap imposed by the government initially sat at 4,400 - well short of the 5,000 places Alberta had requested this year.
 
Canadian immigration officials initially indicated in June that the number of visa places under the provincial nominee programme will be reduced, but on Tuesday they announced they will increase the numbers after reviewing their case loads and immigration targets for the year.

The provincial nominee programme is considered good solution for labour shortages as migrants must already have obtained work in Canada before arriving, and therefore are almost immediately paying taxes and contributing to the economy.

Alberta Immigration Minister Thomas Lukaszuk said the additional nominees would be critical to sustaining the short-term economic turnaround as well as long-term growth.

However, he said the number was just a start and still doesn't address Alberta's long-term economic and immigration needs.

Alberta will now receive 5,000 provincial nominees this year up from the 4,400 initially approved.

 British Columbia will now receive 3,500 provincial nominees, a slight increase from the initial 3,200.

Saskatchewan has been allocated 4,000 up from 3,700, and Manitoba will now get 5,000 places increased from 4,600.

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The Canadian Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in helping people apply for a Canadian Visa with the Canadian Embassy.