The British Columbia government has released a report on the province’s Provincial Nominee Program (“BC PNP”). Introduced in 2001, the BC PNP has become one of the most preferred routes for people immigrating to Canada. I personally believe that the number of people admitted to the program’s current cap of 3,500 nominations should be increased with a corresponding decrease in some of the federal programs.
The Strategic Occupations Stream
The report reached the following conclusions about the Strategic Occupations Stream, which consists of numerous programs designed to attract skilled or future-skilled workers to British Columbia.
- From 2005-2010 (mid-year), the BC PNP nominated almost 10,000 workers who were employed by over 4,600 employers. The top 5 source countries in order for the BC PNP Strategic Occupations Stream during this period was the United Kingdom, China, the Philippines, the United States, and Korea.
- 25% of nominees settled outside of the Metro Vancouver region. This is significantly larger than the 10% of Federal Skilled Workers who immigrate to British Columbia that settled outside the Lower Mainland, and the incredibly small 6% of Federal Business Class immigrants.
- 94% of people nominated continue to live in British Columbia. 86% of people remain in the community where they planned to live at the time of nomination. 87% of nominees where still working in the same occupation as when they were nominated. 77% were working for the same employer.
- 94% of nominees surveyed were working full time. BC PNP Skilled Workers reported an average annual pre-tax income of approximately $88,200 in 2009, compared with $64,000 for Federal Skilled Workers.
- 2% of BC PNP Skilled Workers and 7% of BC PNP Entry Level and Semi-Skilled nominees had incomes that did not meet the Statistics Canada Low Income Cutoff. By comparison, about 11% of all families in British Columbia had incomes below the LICO.
The Business Stream
The report reached the following conclusions about the Business Stream, which consists of numerous programs designed to attract investment to the province.
- From 2005 to 2010 (mid-year), 203 entrepreneurs nominated in the business stream invested $423-million into the provincial economy, and created over 1,100 jobs. The top 5 source countries in order for the BC PNP Business Stream during this period was China, the United Kingdom, Korea, the United States, and Taiwan.
- 70% of businesses created under the program are created outside of the Lower Mainland.
- 68% of people were still actively involved in the business for which they were nominated. Their average annual business revenue in 2009 was $589,500.
- 93% are still living in British Columbia. 75% have purchased a home.