SETTING THE CONTEXT SEPTEMBER 2014

Residents of Canada Permanent Immigrants / landed 1.Refugee Class 2.Economic Class 3.Family Class Intend to stay Eligible for all settlement services Have almost all the rights of citizens Temporary 1.Temporary foreign workers 2.International students/graduates May apply to stay Eligible for some settlement services (funded by Provincial Government )

Permanent Residents to Canada 2013

Permanent Residents to Nova Scotia

Permanent Residents to NS by Category Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada / ISIS

Permanent Residents to NS by Source Area 2012 Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada / ISIS

Permanent & Temporary Resident Entries to Nova Scotia 2013

94% of Nova Scotians were born in Canada Source: Statistics Canada / ISIS

Refugee Class A Refugee is a person… \“… who is outside his or her home country and who has a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.” - Geneva Convention

GOVERNMENT – ASSISTED (GAR) PRIVATELY SPONSORED REFUGEE CLAIMANT (Asylum seekers) Recognized overseas by UNHCR as refugee Gets here and requests refugee status - has to prove that s/he has a valid refugee claim Permanent resident Temporary resident Eligible for all settlement services Eligible for some settlement services if s/he has a work permit Supported by CIC for one year after arrival Supported by sponsors for one year after arrival

Context and Changes – Refugee Class Significant decrease in #s for Government assisted refugees (GARs) Significant decrease in allocations for Privately sponsored refugees (PSRs) Processing wait times have increased Implications Lack of response to critical situations eg. Syria Long waits for family reunification

Family Class Spouse or partner Parent or grandparent Child As a sponsor, you must make sure your spouse or relative does not need to seek financial assistance from the government

Context and Changes – Family Class Currently closed to applications for parents, grandparents Beg. Aug. 1, 2014 ‘child’=18 years, no student exemption Provisional visa for spouses in relationship < 2yrs Overall decrease in parents,grandparents ‘super visa’ Sponsors need a higher income over longer period Implications Decrease in #s of international students’ families? Frustrated local families

Economic Class Includes: a) Skilled Workers b) Business Categories c) Canadian Experience d) Skilled Trades e) Provincial Nominee Programs New route for all Economic Class, 2015 = Express Entry Largest stream

a) Skilled Workers i) minimum one year experience in one of 50 designated occupations OR ii) qualifying offer of arranged employment OR iii) eligibility for the PhD stream PLUS Language, credential assessment, age, Canadian work experience

b) Business Start-up Visa New federal program Began April 1, 2013 For entrepreneurs with ideas for new business ventures and financial backing from Canadian investors

c) Canadian Experience Class have at least 12 months of full-time (or an equal amount in part-time) skilled work experience in Canada in the three years before you apply have gained your experience in Canada with the proper authorization meet the required language levels needed for your job for each language skill (speaking, reading, writing and listening) ).

d) Skilled Trades meet criteria for language levels in all four skills have at least two years FT work experience in a skilled trade within five years before you apply meet all job requirements for that skilled trade as set out in NOC and have either - an offer of FT employment for at least one year or - a certificate of qualification in trade issued by provincial body

e) Provincial Nominees – Nova Scotia Nominated by province if they meet program criteria i) Skilled Worker FT job offer from NS employer ii) Regional Labour Market Demand (closed til Jan 2015) No job offer needed Intention to join labour market with F/T perm. pos. Wish to live in NS permanently. Must declare intended occupation (on list, qualif., exp.) iii) Family Business Worker FT job offer from relative’s business in NS

Context and Changes – Economic Class Beg. Aug., 2014 ‘child’ = 18 yrs-no student exemption Last applications before Express Entry in Jan 2015 Caps - Skilled worker - Sub-caps of 1,000 for each 50 occupations. No caps for valid job offer - Skilled Trades – 3,000 - Provincial Nominees – NS – 700 Implications More difficult to immigrate to NS NS employers unprepared for Express Entry #s = settlement funding levels

Potential Game Changers 1.Temporary Foreign Workers – new and impending policies 2.Federal response to critical refugee situation in Syria/Iraq 3.Settlement Program Evaluation – tied to $ 4.Premier’s Advisory Cttee and One NS Cttee – Immigration 5.Municipality – increased interest and involvement 6.PRs transitioning from temporary – program change? 7.Continued uncertainty around Job Fund Agreement (LMA) 8.Federal focus on pre-arrival 9.Express Entry

Express Entry New process to give employers a direct role in recruiting economic immigrants, starting Jan.1, 2015 Linked to federal streams for Economic class PNP will keep base # spaces to use as before, “top- up” # to allow province “to fish in pool”. No details. No route for lower skilled individuals except on case by case basis through PNP

Express Entry Step One – Application submission Must meet basic criteria for language, education, work experience and age into pool While in pool Must create job seeker profile on Job Bank for employers Must promote self through other sites: Linkedin, etc. Step Two – Invitation to Apply through either:  Job offer  PN certificate  Selection by CIC for high human capital Step Three – Submit full application

Express Entry Once application is complete and submitted, processing within 6 months If no Invitation to Apply is received submission will expire after 1 year in pool. Can apply again Employers will be offered matches through Job Bank – first local, then regional, then Canada-wide, THEN international Employers will still want faster process, so likely will continue to use TFWs, (if still available) who will then apply for PR

Discussion Do the potential game-changers impact the ISIS mission? Do the potential game-changers impact the ISIS strategic plan? The Ivany Report and spotlight on immigration creates opportunities for ISIS. How can we take advantage of these opportunities? Consider the following: a. Offer of assistance from Don Mills b. Role of the Board c. Potential engagement of community leaders outside the Board to work in partnership with ISIS To date, the organization’s efforts related to public policy have been primarily in the background, using the credibility and trust placed in ISIS by key policymakers and stakeholders to influence decision- making. The volatility of the current environment and the profile of immigration created by the Ivany Report have raised the question of whether ISIS should consider a more public advocacy role. What are the pros and cons of moving in this direction?