Ministers of Immigration in the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador in eastern Canada have committed to receiving asylum seekers who entered Canada outside official entry points, especially via the Roxham Road in the province of Quebec.

After a meeting with immigration ministers in the provinces and territories in Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, Federal Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said on Friday that he was unable to specify the number of asylum seekers the Atlantic provinces can accommodate.

Fraser told reporters that there was no talk of a numerical ceiling because the Atlantic provinces regularly exceed their expectations in welcoming newcomers. Fraser represents one of Nova Scotia’s constituencies in the House of Commons, the largest of the four Atlantic provinces.

Nova Scotia's Immigration Minister, Jill Balser, said the province has so far received 134 asylum seekers who entered Canada via Quebec.

For her part, New Brunswick's Immigration Minister, Arlene Dunn, said her province has received 57 asylum seekers.

Newfoundland and Labrador’s Immigration Minister, Gerry Byrne, did not specify whether his province has accepted any of the asylum seekers arriving via Roxham Road so far, but confirmed it is ready to receive some of them in the coming days.

Fraser also said the federal government is working with the provinces to have newcomers complete surveys about their professional skills upon arrival, "so they can list the talents they have to contribute to the local economy."

The federal immigration minister added that the 57 asylum seekers sent to New Brunswick have already completed those surveys.

Prince Edward Island, which is concluding the first week of its general election campaign, was not represented at the Halifax meeting. The island is the smallest of Canada’s ten provinces in terms of population and area.

The transfer of asylum seekers to the Atlantic provinces comes at a time when the Quebec government says it has been unable for months to manage the flow of asylum seekers entering Canada via Roxham Road.

This route is an irregular border crossing located in southern Quebec at the border with the American state of New York, and it is used by most asylum seekers arriving from the United States.

The federal government also said that more than 39,000 people sought asylum in Quebec in 2022 after entering Canada from outside official crossing points, especially via Roxham Road.