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Province puts immigration programs on hold

High unemployment rates are prompting the Alberta government to temporarily suspend two of its immigration programs.

High unemployment rates are prompting the Alberta government to temporarily suspend two of its immigration programs.

As of Monday this week, the province is no longer accepting new applications to two categories of applicants that fall under the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP). The suspension will temporarily close the door to applications in the family stream and the U.S. visa holder category.

The change was necessary because there are many Albertans who are struggling to find work, said employment and immigration minister Thomas Lukaszuk.

“There are actually Albertans who are ready and willing and desperate to work that can’t find a job,” he said. “It would be unconscionable for me as a minister in charge of employment to be letting in unemployed foreigners competing for those jobs.”

The AINP is for permanent residency and is unrelated to the sometimes-controversial temporary foreign worker program. The family stream allowed Alberta residents to nominate certain relatives — parents, children, siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews — for immigration to the province. The U.S. stream allowed people employed in the United States to accept work in their field in Alberta.

The government added both categories in 2008. Last year the province nominated 10,744 people through the program. Of those, 450 were in the family program and 943 were U.S. visa holders.

The federal government limits the number of people Alberta can nominate for permanent residence. In 2010 Alberta is allowed to nominate 5,000 people.

Alberta’s unemployment rate, now at 6.3 per cent, has been hovering in the six to seven per cent range since early 2009. Twice in the last year (March and October) it’s peaked at 7.5 per cent, the highest level since 1996.

A figure that’s between four and five per cent indicates a balanced employment market, said Lukaszuk. He’ll be looking to reinstate the programs once the rate falls down to about five per cent, he said.

The suspension is temporary until further notice and won’t affect applications already in the system.

Hans Brinkhoff of St. Albert-based Advantage Immigration Services doesn’t like the move.

“I think it’s not necessary,” he said. “If there’s a family apart, they should be together.”

People can still apply to bring relatives to Canada under federal immigration laws, Lukaszuk said.

Alberta will continue to accept immigration applications in the following areas:

• skilled workers

• semi-skilled workers in certain occupations

• international students

• compulsory trades

• engineering occupations

• self-employed farmers

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