BEAVER BANK: The temporary hold on applications from workers seeking immigration for working in the food and accommodation sector is impacting several local food industry-related businesses.
Premier Tim Houston was asked about the pause during a visit last month to Beaver Bank.
“Nova Scotia is a great place to live and work for sure,” he said at the Brown Hall. “There’s lots of good happening in the province.
The province is growing and it’s people that drive economies. We need people working and filling these positions.”
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He said under the provincial nominee program N.S. gets a certain number of slots. I think it’s about 3600.
“We’re processing applications through that,” said Houston. “A number of those would be in food services and hospitality, a number would be in construction, a number would be in healthcare.”
Jenn L’Esperance, senior executive director with the immigration and population growth branch of the Labour Skills and Immigration Department told Global Halifax in a story on April 22, 2024, that the federal government accepts 3,657 applications for the program each year.
(Story here: https://globalnews.ca/news/10442056/restaurant-sector-workers-immigratoin-nova-scotia/)
However, that number remain unchanged, but the demand from the food service and accommodation sector has skyrocketed, she added to Global Halifax.
The program allows the province to nominate skilled workers to settle as permanent residents in Nova Scotia, but officials said a pause was needed.
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The province says while they are happy to see the nominee program thrive, they need to make space for applications in other sectors.
“Our provincial immigration programs are meant for when employers have looked in the local labour market or are unable to find the labour that they need,” said L’Esperance.
“We’re really happy to see that the work that we’ve done with employers, to let them know that we’re an option here, is working.
“We need to make sure that we keep some spaces for health-care workers and our construction workers, who are also coming through those programs as well.”
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Houston continued in his answer on the pause.
“The needs are pretty significant across those and other sectors as well,” he said.
The premier was asked what his message would be to those immigrants seeking to be part of the nominee program but can’t be so they can’t work in the food sector industry or continue where they’re working.
“What my message would be is to reach out to the province, stay in touch with them as we work through the process,” said Houston. “We’re working through applications.
“We know that this is a place where we want people to want to live and work.”
There is no scheduled timeline for when the pause on food and accommodation sector applications will be lifted, the province said.
