Immigration cuts will hurt N.L., St. John's business owner says

With federal cuts about to impact immigration numbers in Canada, one St. John's business owner and immigrant is hoping Newfoundland and Labrador will be excluded from the equation. 

Constanza Safatle, originally from Chile, says there is tension when it comes to immigration and it goes beyond the mountains of paperwork and fees.

Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced last week that Canada would cut the projected number of new permanent residents the country takes in from 485,000 this year to 395,000 in 2025. More cuts will follow in 2026 with 380,000 and 365,000 in 2027.

Miller told reporters the new immigration plan would stabilize population growth and relieve pressure on the housing market.

But Canada's problems shouldn't be blamed on immigrants, Safatle said.

"Many are relating all this to immigrants. Immigrants create all these problems that Canada has today, and that is not true," she said.

'Canada is my home'

Safatle said the country lacked the proper infrastructure to accommodate newcomers with its pre-existing populations.

"I understand how Canadians can feel. It's disappointing. I feel it is an initiative without a plan, without infrastructure," she said.

At the same time, Safatle is conflicted.

"I feel that Canada is my home," she said. "I feel angry too because, well, where is the plan? Where was the implementation."

However, immigration in Newfoundland and Labrador is in a different situation. 

The province's aging population depends on immigration for long-term economic viability. 

Provincial Immigration Minister Sarah Stoodley said the province can't afford federal cuts to immigration. 

Safatle agrees. She said it would be unfair.

"The economic stream has been focusing on welcoming doctors, nurses, child-care workers and people that work in construction," she said. "We have a totally different situation in comparison to the rest of the country."

Support for employers needed

Newfoundland and Labrador is allocated more than 3,000 economic immigration spaces annually. 

This is reflected in the population, which has seen growth in the last 14 consecutive quarters.

Safatle said it took her six years to get her permanent residency. Her husband was in school, and she job-hopped while starting her company, Newbornlander.

It takes one year of full-time work to receive permanent residency.

Safatle said the system is complex and many employers don't know how to navigate it.

She said employers need to be better supported when navigating immigration and status.

"The system provides them this big key, let's say, to open the doors and provide the permanent resident, but they don't know how to use the key," Safatle said. "If the Canadian employer in 15 or 20 minutes cannot figure it out, it's wrong."

Four of Safatle's employees at Newbornlander received their permanent residency last year. 

Safatle said it was free for the company, but she only knew how to navigate the system because she had been through it herself.

"Newbornlander is a small company, so they don't have human resources or a lawyer inside the company to figure it out," she said.

'Promote our province'

Safatle said she would like to see Newfoundland and Labrador excluded from the federal cuts to immigration and that employers would also have access to lawyers or immigration officials to help guide them through the process. 

She would also like to see the province market itself to young people and families because population growth isn't just about offering immigrants jobs and putting them to work.

"We can highlight the benefits of living here, like safety, quality of time, and not much traffic," she said. "So I believe that we can better promote our province as well."

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