Ottawa is slashing the number of people P.E.I. can nominate for permanent residency in 2025 by half — a move that’s left foreign workers and business on the Island uncertain about the future.
Provincial officials say the federal government has dropped P.E.I.’s allotment of nominees through the Provincial Nominee Program and the Atlantic Immigration Program to 1,025 this year.
The news comes after P.E.I. voluntarily reduced its provincial nominations last year, issuing just 1,590 nominations out of its allocation of 2,050 in an effort to ease population growth and the strain it’s put on housing and the health-care system. That move sparked protests from some foreign workers who hoped to have their work permits extended.
Immigration director Jeff Young says the province had hoped there wouldn’t be further reductions this year.
“We felt that [1,590] was a good number to be able to support companies through immigration to fill vacancies, while still being mindful of that population growth and ensuring services and resources are available to Islanders,” he said.
“It’s fair to say that when you have a reduction of 500 to 600 spaces, there has to be reductions across the board. We’re going through that exercise right now.”
Newfoundland and Labrador’s immigration minister told CBC News this week she was “gobsmacked” to receive a letter from her federal counterpart announcing her province would receive a similar cut in allocation.
‘We need these immigrants’
Homes Construction owner Alex Davidson has four foreign workers he relies on now, but he still needs more staff.
“We need to bring more people in if we’re going to meet the demand of our housing industry, of our construction industry in general,” he said.
“There’s just not enough able-bodied people in Canada of the age and skill-set to be able to fill these positions. We need these immigrants.”
Davidson says the news has left his workers fearful of what the future holds.
“They’re feeling a little scared … They’re dealing with a lot of uncertainty,” he said. “They want to be here. They want to be Canadians. They want to be citizens. They want to have a family here. They want to have a life here.”
Felipe Carvajal moved to Souris from Columbia a year ago to work at a potato packing plant. He hopes to earn a permanent residency nomination before his work permit expires in a year.
