Immigration Mythbusting
Guest post by Tania Heath, TeamGrow NL
Thanks to Tania Heath for her third guest post on Immigration!
Immigration Myth Busting; Part Two
Society holds many untrue myths around immigration and immigrants in general. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has put together some information that challenges these myths. Here is part two outlining the facts.
For more information on immigration and related programs visit https://www.gov.nl.ca/immigration/.
MYTH: Immigrants rely heavily on social services.
FACTS: Recent studies have shown that immigrants use social safety nets less frequently than Canadian born residents.
MYTH: Immigrants take away jobs from locals.
FACT: Immigrant-owned businesses provide meaningful employment for local residents and quality goods and services in technology, food and accommodations, health care, education, and other areas.
MYTH: Internationally-trained professionals don’t meet Canadian standards.
FACT: Internationally-trained professionals are well-trained and educated, and in regulated professions, are first accredited by Canadian assessment bodies before they can work in their professions.
MYTH: Immigrants are a drain on the system.
FACT: Immigrants contribute to tax revenues required to support social and economic programs, which helps keep the cost of public services from rising.
MYTH: International hiring programs are complicated.
FACT: Assistance is provided for registered employers to recruit and hire internationally-trained workers in all sectors.
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Society holds many untrue myths around immigration and immigrants in general. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has put together some information that challenges these myths. Here are some facts!
MYTH: Immigrants do not want to work.
FACT: Most immigrants come to Canada to work. Immigration policies are designed to attract newcomers of all backgrounds but are also focused on addressing workforce gaps.
MYTH: Immigration programs are only suited to large employers.
FACT: Many small and medium-sized employers successfully use provincial immigration programs to address labour shortages.
MYTH: Immigrants are a burden on the economy.
FACT: Immigrants are innovative and entrepreneurial, giving us a competitive edge in global markets and contributing to the economy through taxes, job creation, and increasing export trade.
MYTH: Hiring international workers is time-consuming.
FACT: With assistance from the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, employers can more easily navigate the application and recruitment process.
MYTH: Immigration is new to Newfoundland and Labrador.
FACT: Immigration has been a significant part of our province’s history since the settlement of European immigrants.
MYTH: Jobs and opportunities for immigrants are limited.
FACT: There continues to be a significant demand for technical, specialized, and other skilled workers in Newfoundland and Labrador.
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By 2025, there will be a 10% decline in the working-age population in Newfoundland and Labrador, which will result in 35,000 fewer people in the labour market. This reduces the number of workers available to support growing industries and also the tax revenues required to support government social and economic programs.
As part of the Atlantic Growth Strategy, the Newfoundland and Labrador Immigration Plan was created, which plans to run for five years (2017-2022). Ultimately, the goal of this plan is to increase immigration in the province and welcome at least 1700 immigrants annually.
There are MANY benefits for employers in hiring immigrants. By hiring international talent, they can:
● Attract and retain top talent to alleviate skill and labour shortages.
● Better understand and respond to the increasingly diverse local customer base.
● Expand local markets, and develop new global markets, by leveraging immigrants’ international experience and cultural awareness.
● Enhance productivity, creativity, employee relations, and decision-making through diverse approaches.
● Save on employee training costs by utilizing transferable foreign work experience.
● Reduce turnover.
● Improve customer service when dealing with international customers.
● Improve workplace culture resulting from increased diversity.
● Working immigrants positively contribute to the provincial tax revenue required to support government social and economic programs, which helps keep costs of public
services from rising.
For more information on immigration and related programs visit https://www.gov.nl.ca/immigration/.