the CanadaVisa Team - 08 August, 2019
The immigration services office in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, is celebrating its reopening with a citizenship ceremony today. Federal Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen was on site to mark the occasion.
The Charlottetown office is seeing 30 permanent residents from 11 different countries become Canadian citizens, a Government of Canada media release says.
PEI’s only immigration office closed in 2012, meaning newcomers would have to go off the island to get immigration services.
The number of new immigrants to PEI has doubled over the last three years. The Atlantic Growth Strategy and the Atlantic Immigration Pilot have helped PEI to attract more newcomers to the country. Nearly 400 PEI residents have become Canadian citizens in the past two years.
Some of the services the new office will provide include: citizenship tests, interviews and ceremonies, immigration interviews, permanent resident landings, and permanent resident card distribution. It is also working with local settlement service provider organizations and managing refugee claims.
“New Canadians are an essential part of our community, bringing with them both economic and social benefits,” said Sean Casey, the Member of Parliament for Charlottetown, “The reopening of the office in Charlottetown means that residents of PEI now have access to crucial support and services they need to become citizens closer to home.”
