If Newfoundland and Labrador is to prosper in the coming decades, increasing the population is paramount.

Birth rates are declining and job vacancies are rising — trends that cause concern to government, businesses and residents alike.

Immigrant settlement agencies such as the Association for New Canadians have a vital role to play in helping the province respond to these challenges while providing local businesses with the tools they need to secure a motivated and talented workforce.

One such tool is the Atlantic Immigration Pilot (AIP). Launched in 2017 and supported by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and the Atlantic provinces — and delivered in partnership with service provider organizations and employers — the AIP is designed to assist businesses secure qualified skilled foreign workers and international graduates for positions that have been unable to be filled locally.

Through this collaborative effort, the AIP also provides an accelerated pathway to permanent residency for those skilled foreign workers and international graduates who want to work and live in Atlantic Canada.

As a key partner in the AIP, the Association for New Canadians (ANC) assists, at no charge, employers who are seeking designation and employees who are seeking endorsement.

While based in St. John’s, the ANC also has satellite offices in Corner Brook (serving West Coast), Grand Falls-Windsor (serving Central), Labrador City-Wabush (serving Labrador West), Happy Valley-Goose Bay (serving Labrador East), and Forteau (serving the Labrador Straits) to support employers and employees in those areas.

With four decades’ experience in delivering settlement, language, and career services, the ANC is an invaluable resource for employers as well as for temporary residents and their families.

For employees seeking to be endorsed, the ANC will complete a settlement plan, which may include vital information on housing, schools, community involvement, and language training.

For employers seeking to be designated, the ANC delivers business diversity training, which is a mandatory requirement under the AIP. Delivered by the Business Diversity Team throughout the province, this training strives to create successful and thriving multicultural work environments.

Through tailored workshops, employers become more aware of cross-cultural differences, global approaches to conducting business, and the importance of diversity and inclusion, with a particular focus on accommodation, discrimination, and unconscious bias in the workplace.

In addition, the AIP offers an exciting immigration option for International Students who wish to remain in the province after completing their studies at Memorial University or the College of the North Atlantic. Many of them enjoy life in Newfoundland and Labrador, and the skills and knowledge they have acquired here are often exactly the ones local employers are seeking.

Indeed, ANC representatives are happy to explain the process and provide other assistance.

“From technology-based businesses and health providers to restaurants, boat-builders and jewelers, we’ve seen many employers in the province who are looking for the skills and experience not currently available in the local job market,” says Lucy Warren, the ANC’s Satellite Office/AIP Manager.

In addition to supporting potential AIP applicants in the satellite offices, two employees in St. John’s are dedicated to the program. Zach Noel works with employers, offering everything from information about the program and designation process to endorsement planning. He also develops the initial settlement plan for the employees and their families. (For more information, email aip@ancnl.ca.)