CANADA AND NEW BRUNSWICK RENEW PROVINCIAL NOMINEE AGREEMENT

OTTAWA, March 29, 2005 — The Honourable Joe Volpe, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, and the Honourable Peter Mesheau, Minister of Business New Brunswick, today announced the renewal of the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Agreement.

“I am pleased that Canada and New Brunswick enjoy such a positive and cooperative relationship on immigration matters,” said Minister Volpe. “This renewed agreement reinforces the ongoing commitment of the Government of Canada to continue to collaborate with the provinces on our immigration programs,” he added.

“This agreement will help us attract the skilled workers and entrepreneurs we need to strengthen the New Brunswick economy,” said Minister Mesheau. “The Government of Canada’s willingness to negotiate agreements specifically tailored to the needs of our labour market illustrates how we can put the benefits of immigration to work for New Brunswick,” he said.

The renewal of the Provincial Nominee Program allows New Brunswick to select immigrants to fulfill specific economic needs, or create and expand employment and business opportunities. Canada retains the responsibility for issuing immigrant visas to provincial nominees and their accompanying dependants after they have met all federal legislative requirements, including those related to health, criminality and security.

The Government of Canada also has provincial nominee agreements in place with Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Yukon.

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For more information (media only):

Stephen Heckbert
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister
(613) 954-1064

Maria Iadinardi
Media Relations
Communications Branch
(613) 952-0740

Sarah Ketcheson
Communications Officer
Business New Brunswick
(506) 444-4983

BACKGROUNDER
CANADA-NEW BRUNSWICK PROVINCIAL
NOMINEE AGREEMENT

The Provincial Nominee Program allows provinces to play a more direct role in selecting immigrants with specific skills that will contribute to the local economy.

Regulations under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act establish a provincial nominee class, allowing provinces and territories that have agreements with Citizenship and Immigration Canada to nominate individuals for immigration based on their ability to become economically established in Canada. Nominees must meet federal admissibility requirements, such as those related to health, criminality and security. The Government of Canada retains the right to make the final selection decision.

The first five-year Canada-New Brunswick Agreement on Provincial Nominees was signed in February 1999. It was extended for one year while the terms of the new agreement were finalized. The new agreement does not have an expiry date, but will remain in effect indefinitely. The new agreement provides New Brunswick with a mechanism to increase the economic benefits of immigration to the province, based on its industrial and economic priorities and labour market conditions.

The agreement allows New Brunswick to nominate immigration candidates whose presence in New Brunswick will contribute to the province’s growth and vitality. The dependants of provincial nominees are also admitted to Canada under the agreement.

The new agreement will require New Brunswick to provide a nomination strategy to Canada to identify target markets and potential source countries and regions, and will include a joint evaluation framework. The evaluation will assess New Brunswick’s recruitment strategies, analyse the extent to which the nominees have benefited New Brunswick’s industrial and economic development, and evaluate how successfully the nominees have established themselves in New Brunswick.

The Government of Canada also has provincial nominee agreements in place with Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Yukon.