May 8, 2008

British Columbia attracts over 1,800 skilled and business immigrants in 2007

RICHARD GILBERT

staff writer

The British Columbia government exceeded its target for attracting skilled workers and entrepreneurs to the province last year.

Economic development minister Colin Hansen announced that the British Columbia government has exceeded its 2007-2008 target of attracting 1,730 skilled workers and entrepreneurs to the province under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).

A news release states that 1,881 skilled and business immigrants have moved to B.C. in the last year.

This total exceeds the target by 151 people, or almost nine per cent.

It is also 41 per cent more than the number of nominees in fiscal 2006/07.

“These numbers reflect the fact that the PNP continues to do its job of making it easier and quicker for people who have the skills or who want to start businesses to come to B.C.,” Hansen said. “Since it was created in 2001, the PNP has consistently exceeded its targets and been very successful in helping to address the current skills and labour shortage in the province.”

The PNP is an immigration program designed to allow B.C. to select skilled workers and entrepreneurs based on their ability to contribute to the local economy.

Nominees receive expedited processing of their applications for work permits and permanent residence. Since it was introduced in March 2001, more than 4,770 immigrants have been approved through the program.

“Even with the success of exceeding the target for last year, we are not satisfied, and have now set the target of helping at least 3,000 skilled and business immigrants call B.C. home via the PNP in 2008/09,” Hansen said.

“With B.C. needing to attract an estimated 30,000 skilled workers from outside the province each year, I’m confident the PNP will continue to play a large part in helping to achieve that goal.”

The program was expanded to allow business immigrants seeking to invest and start businesses in British Columbia to begin to apply in 2002.

Since that time, more than 350 nominee candidates have been approved and they have committed more than $500 million in new investment to the province and helped create more than 1,750 new jobs.

The top employment sectors for the provincial nominees are: health care (893); skilled trades (783); high-tech and information technology (603); and post-secondary education (455).

The top five countries where these skilled workers are coming from are: the United Kingdom (897); the United States (580); China (434); Germany (291); and Korea (267).

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