Mr. Chair, honourable members of the committee, thank you for inviting us to share with you the experience of the Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick, or CCNB, regarding immigration and increased francophone immigration to Canada in particular. As a francophone training institution located outside Quebec, we are in a good position to enlighten the committee on this issue.
I am speaking today following our November 2022 appearance before the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages on the issue of francophone minority immigration. We also had the honour of testifying before Christiane Fox, deputy minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, or IRCC, in connection with the initiative to attract and integrate more francophone immigrants to the country.
Like other institutions of higher learning, the Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick is a major pillar in attracting and retaining immigrants in francophone minority communities. As a professional and technical training institution, the CCNB works closely with local economic stakeholders to ensure that its training is aligned with labour market needs and requirements.
Our graduates, after having been with us for a few years, are not only ready to enter the labour market, but have also developed deep ties within our communities. However, while our international students bring real added value, their temporary resident status excludes them from some federally funded settlement services that are reserved for permanent residents. Therefore, a change is essential in that regard to maximize our contribution to their integration and retention.
On the other hand, we believe that introducing a program with simplified access to permanent residence for international graduates outside Quebec would greatly facilitate the achievement of our francophone immigration objectives. Despite the diversity of existing programs, many of these graduates unfortunately face administrative mazes and extensive delays in their efforts to become permanent residents.
In addition, a closer relationship with IRCC is required to manage the increase in immigration with efficiency and integrity. Such cooperation would allow for the exchange of information on study permit approval rates, the monitoring of fraud and the monitoring of our students' permit applications.
We are constantly looking for ways to improve the welcoming and integration of international students. However, we are concerned about the lack of predictability around study permits, given that only 36% of students who apply for them in New Brunswick obtain them. This creates problems such as course overload and increased challenges in terms of access to housing or language preparation. Other options being considered include extending post-graduation work permits for university students to four years and systematically linking work permits to study permits.
The CCNB has seen a significant increase in international enrolment in recent years. To put this in perspective, from 200 in 2016, enrolments surpassed 1,100 this fall, or nearly 48% of our total number of students. This is a positive development, especially when we know that, in 2022, more than 90% of these students applied for a post-graduation work permit and that 90% of them were hired. Many of the students we welcome are from west Africa or central Africa.
To illustrate a concrete situation that we are facing, let's look at the building trades. The country as a whole is facing a housing crisis, and New Brunswick is no exception. However, our growth potential is limited by two factors. First, in many countries, the building trades are passed down from generation to generation or mentor to apprentice without the need for post-secondary education. Second, in a number of regions, these trades are often poorly paid, leading families to perceive a limited future for young people who would like to enter these professions.
Through our successful collaborations with our provincial government partners, local organizations and embassies, our understanding of these issues has grown. As a result, we have seen an increase in enrolment in these programs in particular, but much remains to be done to meet the actual demand.