A latest report indicates a rise in immigrant retention rates in Atlantic Canada. Atlantic Canada comprises of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. While the report shows a rise in immigrant retention rate in Canada’s Atlantic provinces, it shows a decline in Canada’s prairie provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The analysis considered both one-year and five-year retention rates, utilizing tax filing data from specific periods.
Source: Statistics Canada
The implementation of the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIP) in 2019 has contributed to the increased retention of skilled workers in the Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia, for instance, experienced a significant rise of 42.4 percentage points in skilled worker retention rates, jumping from 21.05% in 2016 to 63.09% in 2020. Similarly, New Brunswick reported skilled worker retention rates of 65.8% in 2020, while Newfoundland and Labrador saw an increase of 18.7 percentage points from 2016 to 2020, rising from 31.3% to 50%.
The Atlantic Immigration Program, designed as a regional economic immigration initiative, aims to facilitate the employment of foreign nationals in Canada's Atlantic provinces. Participants in the program receive a job offer from a designated employer and a personalized settlement plan for their families, aiding in their economic integration and community engagement.
These community ties are pivotal in influencing newcomers' decisions on long-term settlement in Canada. According to the report, retention rates were notably higher among permanent residents who immigrated through family-class sponsorship programs. Specifically, among newcomers admitted in 2016, 91.7% of immigrants sponsored by family chose to remain in the province where they initially landed.
Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta exhibited the highest five-year retention rates for newcomers who arrived in 2016, all-surpassing 84%, with Ontario leading at 93.1%. Conversely, Saskatchewan and Manitoba witnessed significant declines in retention rates for newcomers arriving between 2012 and 2016.Saskatchewan experienced a 14% decrease, dropping from 72.2% to 57.9%, while Manitoba's rate declined by 11% from 75.1% to 64.1%.
Similar trends were observed in the one-year retention rates for these provinces. Manitoba saw a decrease from 78.4% to 74.9% for newcomers admitted in 2016 and 2020, respectively. Saskatchewan experienced a sharper decline, dropping from 75.7% to 64.6%. On the East Coast, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island reported increased retention rates for immigrants admitted in 2016. New Brunswick achieved its highest five-year retention rate at 56%, while PEI, despite having the lowest retention rate in Canada at 30.9%, still saw an improvement of nearly 6% compared to those admitted in 2012.
The study underscores the pivotal role of retaining economic immigrants in addressing regional labor shortages. While many newcomers tend to settle in major cities like Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta, drawn by well-established immigrant communities, this concentration poses challenges for other provinces and rural areas in maintaining a robust workforce. To mitigate this disparity, most provinces, and territories (excluding Quebec and Nunavut) have implemented Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) aimed at attracting economic immigrants tailored to local workforce demands. Through PNPs, provincial governments nominate candidates to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent resident status.
Despite these efforts, the study reveals that skilled immigrants, including those admitted through PNPs, exhibited a lower five-year retention rate, declining from 79.6% for 2012 admissions to 71.5% for 2016 admissions. However, economic immigrants who entered Canada through the Express Entry Canadian Experience Class (CEC) or the caregiver pilot program demonstrated notably high retention rates. For instance, caregivers admitted in 2016 displayed a remarkable 94.9% retention rate, while CEC candidates boasted an 88.1% retention rate.
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