CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Newcomers settling in P.E.I. will soon be able to avoid travelling off-Island in order to access immigration services.
In an announcement on Wednesday at the office of the P.E.I. Association for Newcomers, federal Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen announced that an office of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will be reopening in Charlottetown.
The new office will have a staff of up to four immigration officers and will offer settlement services, citizenship testing and permanent residency services to newcomers on P.E.I.
“The reopening of our office in Charlottetown means that P.E.I. residents will have services at home and will no longer need to travel outside of the province to access these services,” Hussen said.
“It also helps us develop a closer relationship with the educational institutions who are looking to attract top talent and new skills to Canada.”
The new office will also provide support to the regional Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program, which currently provides support to employers who hire foreign skilled workers and graduating international students.
P.E.I. Association for Newcomers executive director Craig Mackie said dozens of new immigrants often have to travel to Halifax each year to meet with immigration officers.
“To have it on the Island is going to be a real bonus for our clients,” Mackie said.
The previous Citizenship and Immigration Canada office was closed in 2012 under the tenure of former Conservative Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.
Since then, the constituency office of Charlottetown MP Sean Casey has seen an increase in new immigrants looking for assistance with immigration paperwork and visas.
“We’ve seen such an explosion in P.E.I. in immigration and in population. And we see that traffic coming through our office because in the absence of any federal government presence, we’re it,” Casey said.
“This will augment and improve that service without a doubt.”
However, Hussen acknowledged the new office would not provide direct support services to incoming international students at Holland College and UPEI. Both institutions have seen a dramatic increase in international enrolment in recent years.
International students often seek to become permanent residents after graduation.
“Traditionally, IRCC does not offer settlement services to international students. We offer settlement services to permanent residents,” Hussen said.
“If I were to consider doing that, we would have to double the amount of money we use for settlement services because the number of international students coming to Canada is now more than the number of permanent residents that we invite to land in Canada every year.”
Hussen said the new Charlottetown office would provide assistance to students who apply for the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Project. International students contribute over $15 billion to the Canadian economy, he said.
Despite studies showing that most international students want to become permanent residents, the majority leave Canada after graduation.
Mackie said newcomers, such as international students and temporary foreign workers, are designated as temporary by the federal government.
“Until they get permanent residency, they are not eligible for the full slate of services that we offer,” Mackie said.
However, Mackie acknowledged that the P.E.I. Association for Newcomers, due to the funding it receives from the provincial government, does provide assistance and settlement services to international students and temporary foreign workers.
Mackie said the association provided assistance to 202 international students and 191 temporary foreign workers in 2018.
Hussen’s announcement came in the midst of the continuing SNC-Lavalin controversy in Ottawa. He declined to comment directly about the scandal and said the House of Commons justice committee was currently examining the issue.
“I am very focused on the work that the prime minister has asked me to do, which is to improve the immigration system,” he said.
“I’m very, very proud of serving with the Liberal government.”
