SYDNEY, N.S. — Nova Scotia welcomed a record number of immigrants in 2019.
As of Dec. 27, the Office of Immigration had approved 2,780 applications from workers in key sectors, including health care. That’s up 21 per cent compared to 2018 and a more than 300 per cent increase from 2013.
As a result, the province's population is at an all-time high and getting younger, while filling persistent labour needs, according to Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab.
"We are being innovative in our recruiting and processing more applications than ever," she said in a media release. "It is making a difference in industries and communities across the province."
The Office of Immigration works closely across government and with employers to identify labour needs, develop programs to target those professions and streamline the immigration process.
Health care continues to be a focus and since 2018, 52 physicians — 33 family doctors and 19 specialists — and 184 continuing-care assistants have been approved to come to the province through various immigration programs.
As of Oct. 31, 6,630 permanent residents arrived in Nova Scotia — a 26.9 per cent increase over the same period last year. Nearly 70 per cent of those arrived under provincial programs — 3,165 through the Provincial Nominee Program and 1,320 through the Atlantic Immigration Pilot.
"We are encouraged by the success we are seeing by working with immigration to support the recruitment of health professionals," Health and Wellness Minister Randy Delorey said in the same media release. "Building on this success and with input from foreign-trained doctors, we created a second pathway this year to accelerate permanent residency for doctors."
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