Federal immigration cuts worry some National Bank newcomers, advocates

A man who helps new arrivals settle in Moncton says he was shocked by the scale of Canada’s planned reduction in the number of new permanent residents.

The Trudeau government recently announced that this number will gradually decline, from 485,000 this year to 365,000 by 2027.

This is a step in the opposite direction that the same government has been talking about for the last three years, said Ketan Rawal, founder of Moncton Cares.

Raval said the cuts are devastating news for people who moved all their belongings to Canada, borrowed money and planned to bring family members here.

They now realize they may have to leave after seven years here, he said.

“I feel bad.”

“It’s hard to take root”

Raval is also concerned that lower limits will make data integration and preservation more difficult.

“When there is no certainty that you will become a Canadian citizen or will not become a permanent resident within a certain period of time, it will be difficult to establish roots,” he said.

“When you know there’s a possibility that you’ll have to leave, you probably won’t be able to integrate with that mindset.”

Meanwhile, the CEO of another newcomer settlement organization in Moncton had a more muted response to the cuts.

Ron Gaudet of the Multicultural Agency of Greater Moncton said he’s not criticizing the Trudeau government’s decision — he believes there was political pressure — but he’s also confident Canada is capable of accepting many more immigrants.

“I think what’s important as a nation is that we understand that we are the second largest geographic country in the world. Our population is just under 40 million. We have the opportunity… to increase our numbers, and we are doing it. this is due to immigration and internal migration,” he said.

With any growth there will be challenges, such as increased demands on health care, housing and schools, Gaudet said.

The way to address these issues is through joint discussions with regions and provinces – ideally before any major policy changes are made, he said.

“Atlantic Canada, after years of lagging behind the rest of Canada, is somewhat in growth mode. We have an opportunity to build a nation here and make Atlantic Canada an important component of our country. So let’s do this. discussion, and let’s build on that.”

Gaudet said the multicultural agency has a good relationship with the recently defeated provincial government of Blaine Higgs and is very interested in working with the new government of Susan Holt.

Holt promised to focus immigration on needed skills, speed up the recognition of foreign credentials and step up efforts to help new arrivals integrate and stay in the country.

Raval is also interested in faster certification for people who have completed training or education outside of Canada.

Many highly educated people in the immigrant community are unable to work in their professions, he said.

Coming from India, the most populous country on the planet, Rawal wholeheartedly agrees that there is room for more immigration to Canada.

According to Raval, one of the main ways to solve the problems of growth is to immigrate people with the required set of specific skills, such as teachers, health workers, home builders, engineers, software developers and scientists.

Raval believes the impact of the decline in permanent residents will be most severe in smaller provinces such as New Brunswick.

“It will be very difficult to bring more newcomers or highly skilled immigrants here,” he said.

“Not only that, but there are a lot of temporary work permit holders and a lot of international students here. We may not be able to continue to be permanent residents. … We may have to go back or we may have to stay to extend these visas.”