New Dawn Newcomer Centre to present Cape Breton Case Study at National Immigration Conference

More international students are interested in staying in Cape Breton after they graduate, and more university graduates are finding employment related to their fields in Cape Breton according to an annual survey by the New Dawn Newcomer Centre.

Since 2019, the survey has collected data about the experiences of international students and recent graduates living in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM). The data collected enables the Newcomer Centre to develop responsive programming and advocate effectively for international students and graduates in the area, covering the topics of retention, entrepreneurship, housing, and employment — issues that remain top of mind for international students and newcomers.

Navy Nguyen, Retention Coordinator for the New Dawn Newcomer Centre, will present the 2025 survey results on international students’ and graduates’ experiences in Cape Breton as part of the 28th Metropolis Canada Conference in Halifax this Friday.

Among the data findings is a growing interest in staying on the island after graduation over the past three years, with more than 30 percent of survey respondents identifying “opportunities for growth” as a reason to stay in 2025. As in past years, other reasons to stay include the natural beauty of the island, the welcoming people, and a lower cost of living.

While studying, more international students reported being employed than in previous years, from 53 percent in 2023 to 62 percent in 2025, but the length of time to find employment has increased from 2.5 months in 2023 to 4.5 months in 2025. Almost a quarter of students said they are working multiple jobs, and there was a significant increase in the number of respondents working part time jobs, from 54 percent in 2024 to 81 percent in 2025. This is consistent with the reintroduction in April 2024 of an IRCC policy restricting maximum weekly work hours for international students. 

After graduation, more university graduates are finding employment related to their education and experience than in other years. 87 percent of survey respondents indicated they were employed and, of those employed, 71 percent had full-time work, while 22 percent had part-time work (the rest had casual or seasonal employment). Almost 60 percent of graduates said they were working in jobs related to their field.

While these are positive trends, graduates identified a lack of job opportunities as the biggest barrier to staying in Cape Breton, followed by housing and cost of living. As a result of recent restrictive federal immigration policies, the CBRM has gone from the fast-growing region in the province in 2023 to experiencing the largest net intra-provincial outmigration with the largest number of non-permanent residents moving to other parts of the province from July 2023 to July 2024. Several major policy changes have created new and growing barriers for international students and graduates seeking admission to, and long-term settlement, in Cape Breton and Nova Scotia. These changes have had a direct and unprecedented impact on the retention of international students and graduates in CBRM and across Nova Scotia.

The theme of this year’s Metropolis conference is “Changing course? Establishing consensus on Canada’s immigration future” and will address the impact of Canada’s new Immigration Multi-Year Levels Plan and the future of immigration across the country.

The Newcomer Centre’s Navy Nguyen will be joined by Kailea Pedley from the Cape Breton Local Immigration Partnership and Cape Breton University’s Director of Recruitment and Global Partnerships, Victor Tomiczek to present Cape Breton as a case study on the socioeconomic contributions and challenges of international students and the impact of ongoing IRCC policy changes on newcomer settlement and the economic outcomes in rural Atlantic Canada.