Nova Scotia welcomed nearly 5,500 new immigrants in 2016, more than at any time in the last seven decades. The province's Minister of Immigration, Lena Diab, stated in the provincial legislature that the results show that Nova Scotia is well on the way to achieving its goal of welcoming 7,000 immigrants per year by 2024.
"It’s my extreme pleasure to report that we’ve had a remarkable year for immigration to Nova Scotia," said Diab to her peers. "I am so proud of these results; they reflect the hard work that we’ve been doing to grow our population and make Nova Scotia a more diverse and welcoming province."
Of the newcomers who settled in Nova Scotia as new permanent residents last year, 1,350 were nominees through the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP), one of Canada's Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) (PNPs). As recently as 2013, only around 600 people came through this route.
Recently released data from the federal government shows that a further 2,386 newcomers (applicants and accompanying family members) came through the federal Express Entry system. Other newcomers arrived through family sponsorship programs and as refugees.
With an eye towards breaking this new record again in 2017, Minister Diab added that she is "looking forward to another outstanding year for immigration. We have a total of 2,150 spots to fill in 2017, that is the 1,350 spots for our Provincial Nominee Program and 800 spots in our new program, the Atlantic Immigration Pilot [Program, AIPP]. We’re on track to break more records."
In addition to the NSNP and AIPP, Nova Scotia continues to welcome a steady flow of federal economic migrants, sponsored persons, and refugees.
Source: http://www.canadavisa.com/news...