News release

Province Accepts Auditor General Recommendations on Immigration, Population Growth

Labour, Skills and Immigration

As more people than ever before immigrate to Nova Scotia, the government is strengthening its programs and procedures to better meet the needs of newcomers and employers.

These changes are in keeping with the recommendations outlined in a report issued today, November 8, by the Auditor General.

The Province is committed to growing the population to two million by 2060 by attracting and retaining people who will help meet Nova Scotia’s labour market needs.

“We thank the Auditor General for reviewing our programming at this critical time of growth and providing recommendations that will help provide the best experience for newcomers,” said Jill Balser, Minister of Labour, Skills and Immigration. “We’re pleased to see the report also shows the Department is exceeding our performance indicators, the decisions we’re making on immigration applications are the right decisions, and the work that our settlement service providers do is extremely important to the success of newcomers.”

The Department has begun work to implement all recommendations, including:

  • commissioning research to understand how settlement funding can best meet the needs of newcomers
  • adding more human resources, including 12 new positions to process more applications with consistency, two new positions to conduct fraud investigations and program compliance reviews, and six navigators to support regional settlement and retention
  • ensuring policies and application assessment tools are updated regularly and effectively communicated to staff
  • developing a fraud reporting service to allow individuals to safely provide anonymous tips of fraudulent activity.

Quick Facts:

  • Nova Scotia’s immigration allocation for 2022 increased to 5,430 from 3,857, a 41 per cent increase in overall allocations between the Provincial Nominee Program and Atlantic Immigration Program
  • Nova Scotia experienced a record number of landings in 2021 with 9,160 arrivals and has already exceeded this in 2022 with 9,375 arrivals as of August

Additional Resources:

Nova Scotia Immigration: https://novascotiaimmigration.com/

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