The Honourable Lena Metlege Diab
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Government of Canada
Ottawa, ON
 
Dear Minister Diab,

We write to you today to urge the implementation of a region-specific immigration carve-out for Atlantic Canada. This builds on our February 2025 submission to your predecessor and reflects our continued commitment to sustainable workforce and population growth in Atlantic Canada and Canada.
We recognize that the most recent adjustments to federal immigration targets are designed to stabilize urgent pressures in housing, health care, and public service delivery. We share a commitment to improving these systems as partners in economic development and community well-being. However, we emphasize that these challenges are not separate from immigration—they are inseparable from the need for population and labour force growth. Atlantic Canada’s ability to provide core services and contribute to Canada's economy and national security depends on maintaining sustainable workforce pipelines supported by a regionally tailored immigration strategy.

As stated in our letter of February 27, 2025, we requested a policy carve-out for Atlantic Canada, ensuring tailored immigration targets that reflect the region’s realities and long-term workforce needs. We presented the creation of the Atlantic Immigration Program as evidence in support of federal policy allowing for tailored regional programs recognizing local needs.
As was stated:
“The AIP was created to address the region’s lower immigration rates and retention challenges compared to the national average. Recognizing these differences, the federal government, in partnership with provincial governments, designed a program that successfully attracted skilled workers while supporting employers and communities. The program's success demonstrates the effectiveness of a region-specific approach.”

 Any reduction in immigration targets presents significant challenges for Atlantic Canada’s economic resilience, labour market continuity, and population sustainability. A tailored approach remains essential.

Aligning Regional Needs with Federal Priorities: Why Atlantic Canada Requires a Tailored Approach

• Atlantic Canada continues to face demographic decline and an aging workforce, with deaths outpacing births since 2014.
• The Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) and Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) have been instrumental in addressing these challenges, yet federal reductions—up to 25% nationally and as much as 50% in key economic streams—are undermining their effectiveness.
• Despite growth in immigrant attraction and improved economic integration, retention rates remain stagnant, and rural areas are particularly vulnerable to depopulation and labour shortages.

We recognize and appreciate your focus on strengthening permanent residency pathways and oversight of international student programs—areas that closely align with Atlantic Canada’s long-term goals. These mechanisms provide critical opportunities to develop sustainable workforce pipelines that not only drive prosperity in our region but also bolster Canada’s national economy and long-term security.

Recent work by the Atlantic Economic Council, particularly the Atlantic Immigration Tracker published on March 12, 2025, provides clear evidence of the challenges we face. The report notes that immigration reductions could result in up to 25% fewer newcomers in 2025, with cuts disproportionately affecting the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)—the very streams Atlantic employers rely on to meet rising labour demands. It further highlights that despite improved attraction and integration, retention rates remain between 50–60%, and rural regions face a growing risk of depopulation and service erosion.

The same report emphasizes the vital role of international students, with numbers growing from just 360 in 2015 to 3,200 in 2024 becoming permanent residents. Atlantic Canada’s world-class post-secondary institutions continue to attract both domestic and international students with exceptional programs and welcoming communities. Yet without strategic support, we risk losing this pipeline of skilled young talent.
  
Post-Secondary Education as a Pillar of Attraction and Retention

We believe that enhanced transition pathways to permanent residency, targeted retention incentives, and expanded post-graduation employment options are essential. A concept such as Atlantic Canada as an education destination could serve as a strategic pilot initiative, combining educational excellence and immigration innovation to ensure that highly skilled graduates remain and thrive in the communities they’ve come to call home.

A recent Statistics Canada report (June 17, 2025) on the geographic mobility of Canadian bachelor’s graduates underscores both a challenge and an opportunity for Atlantic Canada. The data show that our region consistently attracts a high number of out-of-province students, particularly in Nova Scotia, which leads the country in this trend. However, many of these students leave after graduation, diminishing the long-term economic and social benefits they could bring to our communities. This is not only a demographic concern but a strategic priority: graduates represent a mobile, skilled, and innovation-ready workforce essential to the vitality of Atlantic communities.

This reinforces the value of exploring an Atlantic Canadian education destination—a policy concept that positions education as a driver of economic development by fostering stronger links between academic institutions, settlement strategies, and immigration pathways. The attraction of students to Atlantic Canada is only the beginning; the opportunity lies in turning that attraction into long-term engagement, careers, and contributions to regional growth.

Strengthening Strategic Sectors through Workforce Development

In addition to education and public services, Atlantic Canada’s long-term growth hinges on workforce sustainability across several key sectors with strong national relevance. Industries such as hospitality and tourism, fisheries, cybersecurity and research, and natural resource development all require consistent access to skilled labour and workforce renewal to meet rising demand and remain globally competitive.

These sectors showcase Atlantic Canada’s local strengths and cultural assets—from coastal heritage and environmental leadership to emerging industry clusters and specialized research hubs. Without immigration-fueled workforce pipelines, many of these industries risk stagnation due to retirement trends, skill shortages, and uneven population distribution.

Immigration policy must reflect the full range of its economic contribution—not only to serve regional prosperity but to support Canada’s economic security, innovation potential, and international reputation. A tailored approach for Atlantic Canada, that recognizes the individual labour market needs and conditions of the four provinces, offers a clear pathway to strengthen and scale these contributions.
 
Key Recommendations

We respectfully ask Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to:

1. Initiate a federal-provincial dialogue to examine the implementation of an Atlantic immigration carve-out.
2. Expand rural retention strategies and support employer-driven solutions across key sectors.
3. Explore pilot initiatives focused on international student allocation and retention, specific to Atlantic Canadian provinces.

Strengthening Regional Capacity for the Future Workforce

As your government collaboratively plans for a new immigration focus to adequately meet the current and future needs of Canada, the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce remains committed to doing their part in fostering talent retention and workforce development. We continue to support initiatives that encourage pathways, promote entrepreneurship, and align post-secondary education with evolving labour market demands.

We are invested in fostering the education, training, and long-term development of our domestic population. Our members are helping to build retention-focused ecosystems that prepare individuals, whether locally born or newly arrived, for meaningful careers across the region. This
dual strategy of welcoming newcomers while empowering existing talent is key to ensuring Atlantic Canada’s long-term economic resilience and national contribution.

Our chambers stand ready to support this effort through stakeholder engagement, data-gathering partnerships and elevation of important work, such as the long history of research conducted by the Atlantic Economic Council. We would welcome the opportunity to meet with your office to explore these proposals and identify actionable solutions together.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to working together in support of a robust and responsive immigration strategy for Atlantic Canada.

Sincerely,
Atlantic Chamber of Commerce
 
Co-signatories,
Albert County Chamber of Commerce
Annapolis Valley Chamber of Commerce
Antigonish Chamber of Commerce
Arnold’s Cove Chamber of Commerce
Baie Verte Chamber of Commerce
 Bay St. George Chamber of Commerce
Bonavista‑Trinity Chamber of Commerce
Bridgewater & Area Chamber of Commerce
Cape Alliance Chamber of Commerce
Cape Breton Regional Chamber of Commerce
Chaleur Chamber of Commerce
Central and Northern Carleton Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton
Clarenville & Area Chamber of Commerce
Conception Bay Area Chamber of Commerce
Cumberland Chamber of Commerce
East Hants Chamber of Commerce
Eastern Prince Edward Island Chamber of Commerce
Exploits Regional Chamber of Commerce
Fredericton Chamber of Commerce
Gander & Area Chamber of Commerce
Great Northern Chamber of Commerce
Greater Charlottetown Chamber of Commerce
Greater Corner Brook Board of Trade
Greater Miramichi Chamber of Commerce
Greater Shediac Chamber of Commerce
Greater Summerside Chamber of Commerce
Greater Woodstock Chamber of Commerce
Halifax Chamber of Commerce
Hampton Area Chamber of Commerce
Kensington & Area Chamber of Commerce
Kent South Chamber of Commerce
Killick Coast Chamber of Commerce
Labrador North Chamber of Commerce
Labrador West Chamber of Commerce
Lewisporte and Area Chamber of Commerce
Lunenburg Board of Trade
Mount Pearl‑Paradise Chamber of Commerce
Pictou County Chamber of Commerce
Placentia Chamber of Commerce
Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce
South Shore Regional Chamber of Commerce
St. Stephen Chamber of Commerce
Strait Area Chamber of Commerce
Truro & Colchester Chamber of Commerce
Valley Chamber of Commerce
Yarmouth & Area Chamber of Commerce