When John Eckland came to B.C. from the U.S as a business immigrant under the B.C. Provincial Nominee Program in 2006, he decided to settle in Kaslo.

With a $2.8-million investment, Eckland completely renovated the Kaslo Hotel, creating 24 new jobs and providing thousands of dollars in spinoff benefits to local businesses. In 2010, he was named one of the top ten Kootenay businesspersons of the year.

Under the same program, Dr. Shyr Chui emigrated from the U.K. to B.C. in 2010 and today helps meet the health-care needs of patients as a radiologist at the Prince George Regional Hospital.

As shown by a new, independent evaluation report, these are just two examples of the many success stories resulting from the B.C. Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP), which provides accelerated permanent resident status to qualified workers and entrepreneurs based on labour market and development priorities.

According to the report, the positive economic and social impacts of the BC PNP have been substantial, benefiting families and communities throughout British Columbia.

The report notes that from 2005 to mid-2010, a total of 203 entrepreneurs who received permanent resident status through the program invested over $423 million in British Columbia, creating more than 1,100 jobs. More than half of the total investments made and jobs created were outside Metro Vancouver.

During the same time period, nearly 10,000 workers nominated for permanent resident status were employed by over 4,600 employers throughout the province, helping to meet a growing demand for skilled workers in a range of sectors, including health care, construction and manufacturing. The report shows the vast majority continue to live and work in the communities where they first settled.

The largest numbers of immigrants are from the United Kingdom, China and the Philippines.

The evaluation report was commissioned by the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation and prepared by Grant Thornton LLP.

Quick Facts:

• British Columbia's Skills for Growth Strategy projects 1.1 million job openings through economic growth and retirements by 2019.
• New immigrants will be needed to fill an estimated one-third of all job openings.
• In 2010, one in every nine immigrants to the province arrived through the BC PNP.

Learn More:

BC Provincial Nominee Evaluation Report: www.welcomebc.ca/local/wbc/docs/immigration/come/BCPNPEvaluation_MainReport_2011.pdf

and Technical Compendium www.welcomebc.ca/local/wbc/docs/immigration/come/BCPNPEvaluation_TechnicalCompendium_2011.pdf

BC Provincial Nominee Program: (www.welcomebc.ca/pnp)

Skills for Growth Strategy: www.workbc.ca/labour_market_statistics/skills_for_growth.htm

A backgrounder follows.

Contact:

Gordon Keast
Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation
250 356-7104

BACKGROUNDER

Key Findings

Strategic Occupations Category

• 94 percent of the nominees continue to live in B.C. and 86 per cent remain in the community they lived or planned to live at the time of nomination.
• Approximately 25 per cent of nominees settled in areas outside Metro Vancouver benefiting regions throughout B.C.
• 78 per cent of employers surveyed used the BC PNP to secure workers for hard-to-fill vacancies.
• 94 per cent of nominees surveyed are employed full-time including those who are self-employed. 87 per cent of the nominees were still working in the same occupations and 77 per cent are employed by their original employer.

Top BC PNP Countries of Origin for worker nominees:

• United Kingdom - 17 per cent
• China - 11 per cent
• Philippines - 11 per cent
• United States - 8 per cent
• Korea - 7 per cent

Business Category

• From 2005 to mid-2010, the 203 business nominees who immigrated to B.C. have invested over $423 million into the provincial economy and created over 1,100 jobs.
• 70 per cent of the business nominees were attracted to B.C. under the Regional Business component.
• 93 per cent of entrepreneurs surveyed are still living in B.C. and 75 per cent have purchased homes here.
• Each of the business nominees surveyed had on average invested an additional $498,000 into their business following the year of nomination.

Top BC PNP Countries of Origin for entrepreneur nominees:

• China - 38 per cent
• United Kingdom - 20 per cent
• Korea - 15 per cent
• United States - 6 per cent
• Taiwan - 3 per cent

Contact:

Gordon Keast
Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation
250 356-7104