Office of the Premier
VICTORIA - Premier Christy Clark announced the creation of the B.C. Immigration Task Force to review key government programs in order to increase the number of skilled immigrants and investors in British Columbia.
Audio of Premier Christy Clark on the new Immigration Task Force (snd.sc)
"We've laid out an ambitious plan to create jobs in the BC Jobs Plan and we will need skilled immigrants to help fill more than one million job openings expected over the next decade," said Premier Christy Clark. "The goal of this task force is to assess all of the immigration programs currently available to B.C., address their effectiveness and recommend ways to improve the current system so that British Columbia can successfully attract more skilled workers every year."
Visit the BC Jobs Plan website (bcjobsplan.ca)
The task force will be chaired by Richmond-Steveston MLA John Yap and will be made up of business and community leaders. The task force will examine the current system of economic immigration to Canada and B.C., including a review of: the Provincial Nominee Program, the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Canadian Experience Class and the Federal Immigrant Investor Program. The task force will assess the outcomes and results of all the programs and explore opportunities through the New West Partnership to increase the federal government's responsiveness to immigration needs in Western Canada.
Task force members will engage with employers, industry and sector associations, settlement service providers, community associations and other relevant groups.
"The immigration task force is the first step in realizing our goal of a more efficient and effective immigration system," said Yap. "We know that people from all over the world with diverse skill sets and talents want to come to our province, and we want to do everything we can to bring them here so they can make British Columbia their new home."
Work will start immediately and a final report to be made public will be submitted to the Premier by March 31, 2012.
Two backgrounders follow.
Contacts:
Chris Olsen
Press Secretary
Office of the Premier
604 220-1640
Caroline McAndrews
Communications Manager
Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation
250 356-0613
BACKGROUNDER 1
B.C. Immigration Task Force members
The Task Force members are business and community leaders who understand the social and economic challenges of attracting, settling, integrating and retaining immigrants to the province.
Members confirmed to date are as follows:
- John Yap, chair Richmond-Steveston MLA
- Tung Chan (Richmond) Former CEO SUCCESS/Chinese community leader
- Stockwell Day (Penticton) Government Relations Consultant/former Minister/MP
- Yuen Pau Woo (North Vancouver) CEO Asia Pacific Foundation
- Grace Wong (Vancouver) Assistant Dean, UBC/Vice Chair SUCCESS
- Tim McEwan (Prince George) CEO, Initiatives Prince George
- Suki Badh (Richmond) College instructor/South Asian community leader
- Michael Hwang (New Westminster) Principal lawyer of Hwang & Company/Founder and Partner of Amicus Lawyers
- Narindarpal Singh Kang (Vancouver) Founder, Kang and Company Law Firm, specializing in Immigration Law
Contact:
Chris Olsen
Press Secretary
Office of the Premier
604 220-1640
Caroline McAndrews
Communications Manager
Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation
250 356-0613
BACKGROUNDER 2
B.C. Immigration Task Force mandate
The Task Force will examine the current system of economic immigration to Canada and B.C., including programs such as:
B.C. Provincial Nominee Program (PNP): Helps BC employers recruit or retain qualified foreign workers to help meet current and future labour needs. Nominees must either have a job offer of indeterminate length from a B.C. employer or a masters or doctorate degree at a B.C. post-secondary institution in either the natural, applied or health sciences, or be experienced entrepreneurs who are willing to establish a new, or invest in the expansion of an existing business in B.C. and actively manage it. Since the program began in 2001, more than 14,000 workers and entrepreneurs have been nominated by the PNP. Between 2005 and 2010, over $423 million has been invested into the provincial economy by PNP entrepreneurs, creating over 1,100 jobs.
Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP): Applicants are assessed based on their education, work experience, age, English and/or French abilities, adaptability and other criteria that have been shown to help them become economically established in Canada. The FSWP seeks to select immigrants with the ability to adapt in a fast-changing labour market.
Canadian Experience Class (CEC): Allows those with Canadian work experience or who have graduated from eligible Canadian post-secondary programs and recently worked in Canada, with sufficient knowledge of English and/or French, to apply for permanent residence status from within Canada.
Federal Immigrant Investor Program (FIIP): Seeks to attract experienced business people to invest in Canada's economy. Investors must have sufficient business experience and a minimum net worth of $1.6 million that was obtained legally and are required to make a minimum investment of $800,000.
For more information about these and other programs, visit Welcome BC: http://www.welcomebc.ca/wbc/immigration/come/work/index.page?WT.svl=LeftNav
Contact:
Chris Olsen
Press Secretary
Office of the Premier
604 220-1640
Caroline McAndrews
Communications Manager
Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation
250 356-0613
