01 October 2007

Canadian province wants Canadian immigrants

The Canadian province of New Brunswick enjoyed a modest population increase in 2007 but needs significantly more skilled workers interested in Canadian immigration and the government has set ambitious targets to attract them.

In the year to June 30th 2007 the population increased by 557, or 0.1 per cent, according to the latest figures form Statistics Canada. Recent years have seen a declining population and the previous year saw a decrease of 2,094, or 0.3 per cent.

The declining population and skill shortages have prompted the provincial Liberal government to set an ambitious target of attracting 5,000 immigrants per year by 2015. The current yearly number of immigrants is around 800 people. It has established a population growth secretariat to encourage further Canadian immigration.

Greg Byrne, the provincial minister Byrne promised recently to make it more attractive for immigrants to relocate to Canada and to encourage federal action and funding to quash "major irritants" in Canada's immigration policy, which stifle the flow of newcomers to the province, reports the Telegraph Journal.

"The more we can do to remove some of the obstacles to immigration, then the more success we're going to have. Even though we're a very welcoming province sometimes policy issues make it difficult (to attract immigrants). It would make the transition easier if we could meet some of these issues head on and encourage the federal government to (act)," he said recently.

New Brunswick is one of the three maritime provinces on Canada's east coast. It is constitutionally bilingual (French and English) with an English-speaking majority and a large (35 per cent) francophone minority. The capital city is Fredericton.

Canada needs skilled immigrants: The Canadian Visa Bureau can assist skilled workers interested in Canadian immigration. More information on Canadian visas is available on the website. Anyone applying for a Canadian visa should begin by completing the online Canadian visa application to see if they meet the legislative requirements.