I will endeavour to be quick. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Across the country, communities in rural and northern Canada have told us that immigration is key to their economic and social well-being. It's one of the most important tools to fill labour market skills and shortages. Immigration is also vital to growing Canada's many rural communities.
While the pandemic has slowed immigration, we have continued to welcome newcomers and support Canada’s regions through immigration. At the same time, different regions and communities across Canada have unique needs when it comes to immigration, and each community faces its own unique challenges.
To better address these different needs, we continue to design and implement pilots and programs that are tailored to regional economic development and labour market needs.
As this committee is aware, IRCC launched the rural and northern immigration pilot in 2019. This pilot supports smaller and more remote communities in accessing the economic benefits of immigration. We're currently working closely with the 11 communities in western Canada and Ontario, selected as part of the rural and northern immigration pilot, to customize best practices in place-based immigration for each local environment. All partners have now launched the pilot locally. To date, approximately 41 individuals have been selected, and we anticipate more selections in the coming months.
While we continue to monitor the impacts of COVID-19 on the pilot, many communities are recommending applicants who are already working and residing there.
Flexibility is a key aspect of this pilot. A community-based approach allows partners to adjust to evolving economic realities, including those resulting from COVID-19, to ensure that immigration supports their economic development plans and complements their changing workforce needs. For example, communities may prioritize candidates in occupations that face shortages even in the context of rising unemployment. This includes the health care sector, such as personal support workers and licensed practical nurses.
Having local partners also allows the department to ensure that employment opportunities continue to be available. Our community partners include economic development corporations, chambers of commerce and community futures organizations. Our partners have indicated to us that their long-term labour market needs will continue, in spite of the pandemic.
The Atlantic immigration pilot has been a great example of how regional economic programming can be successfully implemented to attract and retain newcomers to areas outside of Canada's metropolitan centres. Following a successful evaluation, the AIP is transitioning into a permanent program that will share the benefits of economic immigration with this region, which hastraditionally received a lesser share of economic immigrants.
Since the launch of the Atlantic Immigration Pilot, participating employers have made over 9,500 job offers in key sectors, including accommodations and food services, manufacturing and health care. As a result of these offers, more than 8,000 permanent residents have been admitted to the Atlantic region.
Even amid the economic uncertainty brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the reality is that Canada still faces demographic challenges. This situation is especially pronounced in our country's many smaller communities.
In addition to the rural and northern immigration pilot and the Atlantic immigration pilot, IRCC looks forward to continuing to work with provinces and territories, as we design a new municipal nominee program.
Provincial and territorial experience in regional immigration will provide valuable insights toward the implementation of a program that meets the needs of underserved areas. This will also help us to support the recovery of the economy, which has been affected by the pandemic.
Of course, as Canada's core regional immigration program, the provincial nominee program will continue to be essential in responding to local immigrant needs.