On November 7, 2022, Nova Scotia announced a new action plan to expand the province’s French-speaking population. This plan, called ‘Growing Nova Scotia’s Francophone Population – An Action Plan for Success (2022-25)’ outlines the province’s strategy to attract francophones from other countries and provinces, including the following efforts:

•growing community and partner engagement;
•promoting and attracting francophone newcomers;
•commencing population growth programs;
•enhancing retention and inclusion, and
•implementing research and evaluation programs.

 

The report also emphasizes creating awareness about the existing immigration streams for Francophones through the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP), where it will hold targeted draws for French speakers and through the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIP). The report further highlights the support and resources accessible to francophone newcomers in the province.

 

 

Francophone Immigration Goals

By initiating this program, the government of Nova Scotia aims to meet or exceed Canada’s target of 4.4% francophone immigration outside Quebec by 2023. As part of reaching this goal, on November 7, 2022, Nova Scotia invited 150 Francophone candidates from the federal Express Entry system who had a score of 10 in Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) in all four language abilities to apply to Nova Scotia’s Labour Market Priorities stream of the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).

Message from the Ministry

The Ministry of Nova Scotia Labour, Skills and Immigration’s message within the report is a fitting reflection of the province’s position on this topic, including the following: “We recognize francophone newcomers’ value to Nova Scotia. Francophone immigration plays a vital role in supporting Acadian and francophone communities and increasing the number of overall newcomers to Nova Scotia to address provincial labour needs.”

Conclusion

Given that immigration and the retention of newcomers is crucial to the future of Nova Scotia and its economy and in light of the various immigration incentives currently being aimed at French speakers, the present is the ideal time for French speakers to consider moving to Canada and especially, Nova Scotia!

Please refer to our LinkedIn page to get access to online webinars or articles posted on the most recent Canadian immigration updates. To discuss the details of your situation, please reach out to our office and we will gladly assist.