Through the program, graduates will be provided with “detailed information” on current immigration pathway programs – delivered through a new app engineered by iCent. 

“This program will help Nova Scotia international graduates navigate the Canadian immigration system and identify their best options and pathway to stay in Nova Scotia,” said president and VC of Acadia University and chair of the EduNova board Peter Ricketts. 

“Through our discussions with international graduates in the province over the past few years, we identified a need to support those getting ready to submit their permanent residency applications. This program aims to do just that,” added Mia Samardzic, EduNova’s communications co-ordinator, speaking to The PIE News.

The program will also offer personalised immigration coaching to graduates, giving them access to a session with a Canadian immigration consultant “free of charge”. 

It will be funded by the province itself, and will be the first initiative to be awarded such funding of its kind.

The move comes as Canada continues to lead the way in post-graduation immigration pathways, with the IRCC recently extending post-graduate work permits for a second time. 

Currently, the program is slated to begin in mid-to-late September, at which point graduates will have the opportunity to sign up.

EduNova’s consultants will answer any questions the graduates may have, as well as helping them identify “suitable pathways for permanent residency”. It also claims that consultants will “build confidence in those” who are filing their own independent applications.  

“Each graduate will have access to one session with a regulated Canadian immigration consultant – and graduates will also be able to review additional information about immigration pathway programs through the app, helping them remain supported throughout their permanent residency application processes,” Samardzic explained.

“This funding is key for making immigration support more accessible”

“Our goal is to help more interested international graduates obtain permanent residency and make Nova Scotia their home long term,” said president and CEO of EduNova Shawna Garrett.

“This funding is key for making immigration support more accessible for all international students in Nova Scotia after graduation,” she continued.

Those in charge of the programs say they hope the program will “further differentiate Nova Scotia” as a community that is “welcoming and supportive” for international graduates, and by extension, international students.

The program will be open to all international graduates in Nova Scotia’s universities, colleges, and further education institutions – which currently host over 12,000 international students across the board.