Canadian Immigration News

British Columbia Needs Increasing Immigration Levels

A recent government report indicates that British Columbia (B.C.) needs an immediate rise in immigration levels and efficient immigration procedures, due to a retirement wave expected in the coming years.

After conducting eight regional consultations in the province, including one in Nanaimo in January, and online feedback, the report, which was carried out by the B.C. Immigration Task Force, pointed out the need for Canadian immigrants to fill labour and skills gaps.

The executive director of the Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society, Hilde Schlosar was pleased with the results from the Task Force. "With the retirement wave that is coming quite rapidly because of the baby boomers . . . we have zero population growth or minus and we are just not having enough children to be able to sustain our economy," said Ms. Schlosar.

According to the Task Force, Canadian employers complained about the shortage of skilled immigrants. Businesses worried about their closure or relocation if B.C. did not attract more Canadian skilled immigrants.

The report gave out some recommendations including increasing B.C. provincial nominee program levels; and obtaining the government's commitment to match immigration reform to B.C. economic needs.

Some key immigration figures were given in the report:

• 12.2% Unemployment rate for very new Canadian immigrants;
• 6% Unemployment rate for Canadian-born workers;
• 36% Proportion of immigrants employed at a lower level compared with country of origin;
• 2nd B.C.'s place in ranking of provinces where recent immigrants have highest wages;
• -30.5% Percentage that recent immigrants make compared with Canadian-born workers in B.C.

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