Federal immigration cuts worry some N.B. newcomers, advocates

A man who helps newcomers settle in Moncton says he was shocked by the size of Canada's planned reduction in new permanent resident numbers.

The Trudeau government recently announced the numbers will be cut incrementally, from 485,000 this year to 365,000 by 2027.

That's a move in the opposite direction the same government has been talking about for the past three years, said Ketan Raval, a founder of Moncton Cares.

The cuts are devastating news for people who moved all their belongings to Canada, borrowed money and were planning to bring over family members, Raval said.

They're now realizing they may have to leave, after being here as long as seven years, he said.

"I feel bad about it."

'Hard to establish roots'

Raval also worries the lower limits will make integration and retention more difficult.

"When there is no certainty that you will become a Canadian citizen or you will not become a permanent resident in certain period of years, it would be hard to establish the roots," he said.

"When you know that there may be a chance that you will have to leave, you probably will not integrate with that mindset."

Meanwhile, the CEO of another newcomer settlement organization in Moncton had a more tempered reaction to the cuts.

Ron Gaudet of the Multicultural Agency of the Greater Moncton Area said he's not critical of the Trudeau government's decision — he thinks there's been political pressure to do it — but he's also confident Canada has the capacity to welcome many more immigrants.

"I think what's important is, as a nation, that we understand that we are the second-largest geographic country in the world. We have a population just under 40-million people. We have the capability of … growing our numbers and we do that by immigration and in-migration," he said.

With any growth there will be challenges, such as increased demands on health care, housing and schools, said Gaudet.

The way to address those challenges is through collaborative discussions with regions and provinces — ideally before any major policy changes, he said.

"Atlantic Canada, after many years of lagging behind the rest of Canada, is on a bit of a growth mode. We have an opportunity to nation-build here and for Atlantic Canada to be a significant component of our country. So let's have that discussion, and let's lean into this."

The multicultural agency had a good relationship with the recently defeated provincial government of Blaine Higgs, said Gaudet, and is very interested in working with the new government of Susan Holt.

Holt has pledged to focus immigration on needed skill sets, to speed up recognition of foreign credentials and beef up efforts to help newcomers integrate and stick around.

Raval is also keen to see quicker certification of people who trained or studied outside Canada.

Many highly educated people in the immigrant community are unable to work in their field, he said.

Coming from India, the most populous country on the planet, Raval wholeheartedly agrees there is room for more immigration to Canada.

One of the main ways to address the challenges of growth is through the immigration of people who have whatever specific skills sets are required, said Raval, such as teachers, health-care workers, house builders, engineers, software engineers and scientists.

Raval thinks the impact of the permanent resident cuts will be hardest in smaller provinces like New Brunswick.

"It is going to be very difficult to bring more newcomers or more high-skilled immigrants here," he said.

"And not only that, there are a lot of temporary work-permit holders and a lot of international students are here. We may not be able to continue becoming a permanent resident. … We might have to go back or we may have to keep extending these visas."