AIP Makes Blue Ocean Contact Centre a Choice Employer

Did you know: THERE IS A NEW PERMANENT ATLANTIC IMMIGRATION PROGRAM! Click here to learn more.

For companies like Blue Ocean - a contact centre headquartered in Halifax - the Atlantic Immigration Pilot (AIP) has become a major plank in their employee recruitment strategy.

The company, which has 800 employees (Halifax and Bathurst) needs a pool of quality talent that speak multiple languages to provide personalized service and high-quality customer support to companies around the world.

For this reason, it’s important to have a strong talent pipeline and programs like AIP make it easier to attract international talent. Blue Ocean became designated for the AIP program in 2019.

“We have a variety of positions with different skills and requirements,” said Dawn Bailey, Blue Ocean Manager, Corporate Services. “We have an increased candidate pool through the AIP designated employer status, and with our recruiting efforts we match the right candidate to the right position. It is rewarding to see people work and grow within Blue Ocean and to support them in their application for permanent residency.”

In total, Blue Ocean has 67 people who either want to be considered for AIP endorsement or who are now working through the application process.

To date, 63 employees have received endorsements and are waiting to receive their permanent residency and 16 have already become permanent residents.

Dawn said that the company decided to try AIP because being an AIP designated employer makes Blue Ocean more attractive to potential recruits as employees can get their permanent residency quicker.

MARCELA SÁNCHEZ GREENE

Blue Ocean employee Marcela Sanchez Greene arrived in Halifax from Mexico in 2018. She was looking for a safer place for her son to grow up and a better quality of life and opportunities for both of them.

“I fell in love with the city. The weather and the people were very friendly,” she said.

Sanchez Greene has three post-secondary degrees including a doctorate and a certification in project management. Before coming to Halifax, she’d worked in academia, journalism, advertising, and administration.

She landed a job at Blue Ocean and the company supported her in receiving AIP endorsement and applying for permanent residency. She is now working as an asset recovery analytics specialist.

"The program is very easy to follow,” she said. “In my case, the employer made all the paperwork very fast, and they were great support during the process.

She hopes that more companies take advantage of the AIP program and more highly skilled foreign workers are able to find good jobs in Nova Scotia.

AKHIL GULATI

Akhil Gulati, a native of New Delhi, India, came to Nova Scotia after spending two years in Toronto.

He decided he wanted to live in a smaller city with a better quality of life.

“Halifax offers something different,” he said. “The city is smaller, and it shows in how everyone here treats others. People are very warm. I like that.”

In Toronto, Gulati studied IT which set him up nicely for a position at Blue Ocean. It was a bonus that Blue Ocean was an AIP designated employer.

In March of 2021, he received his endorsement letter from the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration and Population Growth. He anticipates he will get his permanent residency before the end of 2021.

Gulati is grateful for the AIP program and the support he received from his employer.

“I think AIP has simplified the immigration process a lot, and the team at Blue Ocean were kind enough to extend all possible help to me. “

PURV KATWALA

Purv Katwala is also from India. He came to Nova Scotia to study at Cape Breton University where he completed a diploma in public administration.

While in Canada he traveled and visited other provinces, but he liked Nova Scotia best.

“Nova Scotia is a peaceful province which attracted me to stay here,” he said.

Not long after finishing his post-secondary education, he was offered a position at Blue Ocean as a customer service representative.

“The AIP program is really helpful for international students as it gives them a different approach towards permanent residency than the normal express entry program. Blue Ocean has helped me file the endorsement, and I’ll be forever grateful to them for helping me out.”

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program is supported by the Province of Nova Scotia and the Government of Canada.

This story is part of a five-part series highlighting how the AIP program has helped businesses and talent succeed in Halifax.

Learn more about the new AIP

Our team can assist your business with the AIP employer designation process and support you through your endorsement and beyond.

• Contact Robyn