the CanadaVisa Team - 21 July, 2015
This past year, the British Columbia (BC) Provincial Nominee Program ushered 1,881 skilled and business immigrants into the province, exceeding its target by 9 per cent and increasing the number of nominees over last year by 41 per cent.
"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.," stated Economic Development Minister for BC, Colin Hansen. "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."
Since it was introduced in March 2001, the BC PNP program has nominated over 4,770 skilled and business immigrants for expedited processing of their applications for work permits and permanent residency.
Hansen has set targets even higher for next year, planning to welcome 3,000 skilled and business immigrants through the PNP program.
Top employment sectors for BC provincial nominees in 2007/08 were health care, skilled trades, high-tech and information technology, and post-secondary education. The top five source countries for BC nominees were the United Kingdom, the United States, China, Germany, and Korea.
