NOVA SCOTIA LABOUR GAP? [HUH?/WOT!]

THE NEW MIGRATION PROGRAM WILL FILL THE NEW VACANCY PROVINCIAL LABOR IMMIGRATION INITIATIVES WORKING TO BRIDGE NOVA SCOTIA [LABOUR GAP? .....Huh!]

September 15, 2014 6:15 pm , Dakai Maritimes

Now there's a happy chappie ....Giggles all round I'd say

Text / Cyndi Sweeney  

Nova Scotia to encourage immigrants introduced a number of New Deal, as the new scholarship policy, one of the province plans to start this year at Mount Saint Vincent University.

Ms. Paula Barry Mercer, director of the International Education Center Mount Saint Vincent University, said: "I often think, how to do it to encourage international students to stay in the new province." Barry Mercer in international student affairs work for ten years. She said that next year's recruitment, hiring intention intend to stay in the new province of fresh international graduates.

"We do our utmost to provide all kinds of assistance to international students, including language test preparation courses, individualized career planning, career guidance, immigration counseling, as well as alumni mutual aid, etc. wish to apply for permanent resident status in the new province of helping international students."

Mount Saint Vincent University currently has 644 international students enrolled. Data from the past five years show that each year the number of international students in the form of 5% to 10% average annual increase.

Nevertheless, Barry Mercer said that according to official data Citizenship and Immigration Canada, only three percent of international students after graduation to choose to stay in the new province.

Barry Mercer said, under the guidance of the Office of Employment and internship office Mount Saint Vincent University, the joint efforts of the new provincial university scholarship program will help students in a timely manner about 15. "Humane employment guidance is significant because students need to explore the depth of their own future development direction ...... career guidance that will help them shape themselves competitive."

Barry Mercer Inspired Immigration Immigration is also co-founder of the company. In April this year, she worked with Ms. Caroline Lodge ISIS co-founder of immigrant company Inspired Immigration.

"We focus on the new province, the province is willing to help retain more talent." Barry Mercer want to qualify for the Canadian Experience Class immigration to broaden, she also believes that Canada's immigration system is relatively complex and changeable. "This is a relatively chaotic immigration system, we need to work together to improve it."

Inspired Immigration assist applicants to provide local and overseas resume modification, language test counseling and recruiting information and other services. Barry Mercer share with us one of her client's experience: "There is an excellent conditions before customers 'express channels' program we hope to be able to apply for an immigrant to stay in his new province, his family is here, but this. Customer eventually decided to go to Alberta's development. "

"Express Channel" Immigration Plan

Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) of the "Express Channel" Immigration is scheduled to be launched from January 2015. The program shortens the specific economic plan permanent resident applicants' waiting time, the application approval time from a few years to eight months.

Immigration policy and strategy of the new provincial director of the Foreign Relations Centre Ms. Suzanne Ley told us:. "'Express Lanes' resettlement program focuses on economic migrants in January next year, the federal skilled worker, mechanic immigration, the Canadian Experience Class immigration and some Provincial Nominee by 'Express Lanes' immigration applications. Its auditing standards unchanged, but the overall process is different. "She also said that through the provincial nominee immigration program, they have the opportunity to" express channel "nominated applicants.

Barry Mercer believes that "express channel" with Australia in 2012 of an immigration plan is very similar to its plan at the time did not get attention to local businesses and organizations. She also said the province should serve as a pioneer of the new project, for January next year before the start of the project to promote the focus on the business circles of this project.

Ley said: "In fact, we particularly value this opportunity, we want to take advantage of this opportunity, as much as possible to encourage more immigrants to the new province."

In May this year, at an enlarged meeting of the new provincial offices Immigration Department and carried out by the CIC, compared to other provinces, a new province out of three times more votes. Ley introduced:. "More than 70 companies, employers and organizations to attend the conference to learn more about 'Express Lanes' policy content, also discussed how to use the policy to solve their labor vacancies" This conference participation those from the IT industry, manufacturing, and Irving kind of business, they all want to know more about "Express Channel" program. "We will make every effort to promote the new province 'Express Lanes' plans, enforcement of this policy has become one of the largest province in Canada."

August, this program will be expanded to preach in the business, software engineering, engineering, accounting, financial analysis and medical and other industries.

"If skilled migration applicants to submit an application to the outside, you need to wait 3-4 years to apply the results." Barry Mercer also introduced the "Express Channel" immigration program through an online portal Job Bank site, the technology through which applicants System fill in personal information. Among them, they were hired or Provincial Nominee applicants will occupy a priority position in the list. "

Once selected, the selected applicant will have 60 days to submit an application for permanent residence, while CIC promised to complete 80% of the applicant's material approval within six months.

For lack of international work experience students, Barry Mercer believes is the fastest provincial nominee selection, application time takes roughly eight months. She also hoped that the new immigration policy could help compensate for local labor shortages.

Many graduates choose to look for work in the field. For the new province, to retain these talents is significant. Nominee project in Alberta allows the applicant to submit an application under the conditions of work experience less than 12 months. Barry Mercer, said: "Once you are hired can start to apply for immigrant ...... This is their competitive advantage."

Ley told us that the new provincial population overall retention rate was 70%. Although the "Express Channel" is an effective way to attract immigrants, the new Provincial Immigration Office will also continue to explore other projects, and actively adjust the immigration system to respond to changes in labor demand in the province.

Ley said: "We are holding a cautious optimism, saying that" express access "plan for the new province is a great opportunity, so we are working very hard to promote the scheme."

For more information on the "Express Channel" program, please call 902-424-5230, advising new provincial immigration office. Ley finally told us: "Recently, we have been discussing this with a different business plan Our goal is to effectively promote the plan to the job market.." (End)

Nova Scotia Scholars is a program launching at Mount Saint Vincent University this year and is one of several initiatives geared towards encouraging immigration to the province.

"I've thought a lot about what we can do at the Mount to encourage students to stay," says Paula Barry Mercer, director of the International Education Centre at MSVU. Barry Mercer has worked with international students for almost 10 years and says she's recruiting international students who are graduating in the next year who want to stay in the province.

"We're going to provide them with everything they need, including a language testing preparation course, individualized career counselling, career preparation, immigration counselling, provide them with a mentor through our alumni, and hopefully set them up to become permanent residents of Nova Scotia, "says Barry Mercer.

MSVU has 644 international students enrolled and has seen a growing annual trend of about five-to-10 percent every year for the past five years.

However, she says according to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) statistics, only about three percent of international student graduates stay in Nova Scotia.

Working with the MSVU career planning office and the co-op office, Barry Mercer says the Nova Scotia Scholars program will help find the right opportunities to help about 15 students. "Individualized career counselling is important because they need to think deeply about what they ' re moving on to ... to help them identify their best skills. "

Barry Mercer is also co-owner of Inspired Immigration, a consultancy business opened in April with Caroline Lodge, formerly with ISIS.

"We're trying to be very Nova Scotia-focused and helping the province retain people who are in the province," says Barry Mercer. She says she hopes to see the number of Canadian Experience Class landings grow and says the immigration system is changing Quickly Becoming increasingly in Canada and Complicated.   "It's a very confusing system and Help People do need to navigate the system."

Inspired Immigration assists applicants both locally and overseas with resumes, language testing and job opportunity identification. "One client is highly skilled and is applying from abroad under Express Entry. We hope to be able to retain him in the province. He has family here ... but he may end up in Alberta, "says Barry Mercer.

Express Entry system

Express Entry is a federal electronic system being launched by CIC in January 2015, which will help reduce wait times for applicants for permanent residence in certain economic programs, from several years, to as little as about eight months.

"Express entry will only focus on economic immigration. In January, the Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades, Canadian Experience Class and parts of the provincial nominee program will be able to submit applications through express entry ... the criteria is the same, but it's a different intake process, "says Suzanne Ley, Director of Strategic Policy and External Relations with Nova Scotia Office of Immigration. Ley says through the nominee program, they'll have the opportunity to nominate people through express entry.

Barry Mercer says a concern with a similar program launched in Australia in 2012, was lack of awareness by businesses and organizations. She says in Nova Scotia, the role of the province is to be be ambassadors of the program and encourage business sector awareness ahead of the January launch.

"Really, we see this as a big opportunity and we really want to capitalize on it as much as possible to bring more immigrants to Nova Scotia," says Ley.

The Nova Scotia Office of Immigration began outreach sessions with CIC in May and says Nova Scotia showed three times the turnout of other provinces. "More than 70 businesses, employers and organizations came to learn about express entry and how they could use that to fill their labour market needs, "says Ley enthusiastically. She said participants from the IT sector, manufacturers and companies like Irving were all interested in learning about the system." We want to be the hardest working small jurisdiction in order to make express entry work for our part of the country. "

Further information sessions took place in August around the province to industries like business, software engineers, engineers, certified trades, financial analysts and medical professionals.

"If applying as a skilled worker from abroad, the wait time at many embassies is three-to-four years," says Barry Mercer. She says express entry uses an online portal through the jobbank website, where skilled applicants can enter their information into the system. "People with a job offer or nominees by the province will go to the top of the list."

Upon selection, she says selected applicants will have 60 days to submit an application for permanent residency and CIC has committed to processing accurately completed applications within six months for 80 per cent of applicants.

For international students applying under the work experience class, Barry Mercer says the provincial nominee program has been relatively fast at about eight months and she hopes recent changes will help bridge the labour shortage.

But it's a matter of catching graduates before they find work elsewhere. In Alberta, provincial nominee program allows for immediate application without 12 months work experience. "You have a job offer, you have the means to immigrate immediately ... it's hard for us to compete , "says Barry Mercer.

Ley says the overall retention rate of keeping people in the province once they've landed is upwards of 70 per cent. While express entry is one way of looking at ways of attracting immigrants to Nova Scotia, she says they are looking at several other streams and adapting the system to meet the changing labour needs of the province.

"We're cautiously optimistic it'll be a good opportunity for Nova Scotia, which is why we're working so hard," says Ley.