Nova Scotia wants to double the number of immigrants arriving each year by 2020 in an effort to boost its workforce as the population ages.

Premier Darrell Dexter says the province will spend an additional $790,000 to target skilled labour under its new immigration strategy announced today.

The province plans to attract 7,200 immigrants a year by 2020, up from the current goal of 3,600.

Dexter says to meet that target, the province will need to issue 1,500 certificates under its nominee program for skilled workers by 2020.

Dexter says the province will have to work with Ottawa to remove the cap on the nominee program, which stands at 500.

The province has had a controversial history on immigration as a previous version of its nominee program failed to give immigrants the middle-management work experience and training they paid for when they came to Canada.

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Nova Scotia has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country.

Gotta love the NDP.