New Brunswick has announced the launch of a new immigration pilot specifically for international graduates.
International students who complete their graduation from four private colleges in New Brunswick will be eligible for the pilot.
The new immigration program will start on April 1, 2022. And foreign students who have graduated in one of the 19 listed occupations from the Oulton College, Atlantic Business College, McKenzie College, or Eastern College can apply for the new pilot.
The province has limited the participation of educational institutions in this pilot in a manner that only those institutions are appropriate that offer eligible programs and are running these programs for at least five years.
Following are the eligible study programs:
- Health-care aides;
- Licensed nurses;
- Educational assistants;
- Web designers and developers;
- Medical laboratory technicians and pathologists’ assistants;
- Interactive media developers;
- Computer programmers;
- Paramedics;
- User support technicians;
- Home support workers;
- Medical administrative assistants;
- Shippers and receivers;
- Supply chain and logistics supervisors;
- Social and community service workers;
- Payroll clerks;
- Production logistics co-ordinators;
- Early childhood educators and assistants;
- Computer network technicians;
- Accounting technicians and bookkeepers.
The pilot project is for those graduates who can occupy the above professions. Also, they must be recent graduates from DLIs (Designated Learning Institutions). This program will help those graduates who are ineligible for the Post-Graduation Work Permit. The provincial government will release more details about the pilot program later.
The new program will be functioned by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada and Opportunities New Brunswick. Both IRCC and ONB will govern the program jointly. ONB is the province’s foremost business development corporation.
Through this new pilot, the province trusts it can retain international students, as they can pick up more opportunities.
Immigrants play a crucial role in economic development
Before the pandemic hit the entire world, immigrants had a major contribution to the economic growth of New Brunswick. The province welcomed nearly 6,000 newcomers in 2019. However, in 2020, the immigration levels reduced to 2,740. This significant drop in numbers is because of the COVID-19 travel restrictions.
Now, there is a great requirement for new immigrants to fill labor market gaps in New Brunswick. Immigration will address these major challenges and will propel economic recovery. As a result, the province is putting efforts to attract new immigrants. The announcement of a new immigration pilot for international students is a testament to this thing.
