In March 2017, the federal government in Canada launched a pilot project to address labour shortages in certain industries in Nova Scotia.

With an unemployment rate of 8%, there is paradoxically an acute labour shortage in certain industries in the region, including Nova Scotia fish plants.

This innovative program, called the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program, will be a three-year pilot, which will allow employers to offer a job and a direct path to permanent resident status to skilled, semi-skilled and international graduates. There must be no qualified Canadian candidates available and a mandatory settlement plan for each applicant in place. In 2017, a total of 2,000 applications — which include the worker and any accompanying family members — will be accepted.