Government of British Columbia : New Skilled Immigration System helps meet B.C.’s economic needs

VICTORIA - The Province has launched a new intake system for the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) so it aligns with British Columbia's labour market and economic development priorities.

British Columbia is expected to lead the country in economic growth in 2016. Although British Columbians are front of the line for those job opportunities, we know that economic immigration will play a role in meeting the labour demands of our diverse, strong and growing economy. The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is the Province's only direct economic immigration tool for bringing in new British Columbians to assist in filling the nearly one million job openings due to retirements and economic growth.

The PNP's new Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS) is a points-based system that gives candidates a registration score that determines whether they are invited to apply. Their score is based on a number of factors that reflect an individual's ability to succeed in the labour market and contribute to the provincial economy such as level of education, years of direct work experience and a B.C. employment offer. The new system more closely aligns with the federal government's immigration process for skilled labour.

For example, B.C.'s tech sector is consistently growing faster than the overall economy. For many employers their need for talent is urgent, especially in highly specialized areas. The new registration system allows employers to access skilled labour quickly to bring highly skilled newcomers into the province to support continued growth in the industry.

Quotes:

Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour -

'We want to make sure that when immigrants come to British Columbia they will be successful and support the labour market needs in our diverse, strong and growing economy. That is why we redesigned our system to ensure that the process is timely, transparent and focused on meeting our economic labour demands.'

A Soundcloud audio clip of Bond's quotes can be downloaded at: http://ow.ly/XBbQe

Quick Facts:

• The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is the Province's only direct economic immigration tool for bringing in new British Columbians.
• B.C.'s quota of PNP nominations is set by the federal government.
• For 2015, that allocation was 5,500 and the province negotiated an additional 300 to achieve 5,800 - more than any other province.
• The 2016 PNP allocation from the federal government has yet to be confirmed.
• B.C. continues to work with the federal government to increase economic immigration and receive more PNP allocations.
• Since the 2001 inception of the program, more than 34,000 workers and entrepreneurs have been attracted to the province through the PNP.
• In 2014, 80% of B.C.'s total immigrants came to British Columbia through federal immigration streams.
• For more information on the B.C. PNP: www.welcomebc.ca/pnp
• For those businesses looking for assistance with the BC PNP registration process, please contact at 604 775-2227.