Nova Scotia Receives 200 More Immigrant Nominees

Nova Scotia is now able to attract more skilled workers to help meet the growing needs of businesses and industries.

The federal government is giving an additional 200 immigration nominees, on top of the existing cap of 500, to the province. This gives Nova Scotia 700 nomination in 2012, the largest amount yet.

"This means there is the potential for 200 more families to choose Nova Scotia as a place to call home, to lay roots and be part of the economy," said Premier Darrell Dexter.

The province has successfully attracted new opportunities from companies such as IBM Canada and PROJEX Technologies Ltd. to Nova Scotia, creating well-paying, long-term jobs.

The province is also preparing people with the right skills so Nova Scotians will benefit from the good jobs on the horizon.

"Even with our efforts and investments to get people ready for the workforce, businesses are telling me that they are concerned about potential labour shortages – that there won't be enough skilled workers," said Premier Darrell Dexter.

The province has a comprehensive immigration strategy to help attract new skilled labour into the workforce.

Under the strategy, the Nova Scotia Nominee Program is the best option to attract international professional and skilled workers to help meet the changing needs of the province's economy in areas such as shipbuilding, information technology and health care.

"The nominee program is providing my family an opportunity to come to Canada and improve our lives," said Shernette Smith, one of the additional 200 nominees who hopes to immigrate from Jamaica to Halifax. "It would be a dream come true for us. I see a better and promising future for me, my husband and my two-year-old daughter."

The immigration strategy is part of jobsHere, the province's plan to grow the economy, and helps ensure there is enough skilled labour for businesses and industries.

"Our immigration strategy focuses on the future and it's working. We are attracting and keeping more immigrants," said Marilyn More, Minister responsible for the Office of Immigration. "The province is on its way to almost doubling the retention rate for families coming to Nova Scotia. We are engaging more employers, and successfully marketing the province internationally."

Ms. More says the province has a strong business case that supports the need to increase immigrant levels.

"It will help us address existing and expected labour shortages," said Ms. More. "We will continue to lobby the federal government for this increase so that we can attract more professional and skilled workers from around the world to help grow successful communities."

For more information on the Nova Scotia immigration strategy, visit www.novascotia.ca/jobshere .