New B.C. program incentivizing newcomers to settle outside Metro Vancouver draws mixed reactions - Action News
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British Columbia

New B.C. program incentivizing newcomers to settle outside Metro Vancouver draws mixed reactions

Under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), any immigrant with work experience outside the Metro Vancouver Regional District can claim additional points towardtheir permanent residency applicationif they have a qualifying job offer in that area.

Some newcomers say it's difficult to find well-paying jobs that match their skills in other parts of province

An aerial shot of people crossing a sidewalk. Most of them are wearing red in celebration of Canada Day. A person on the right has a hat with a Maple Leaf on it, and a man in the centre has a tiny Canada flag sticking out of his backpack.
People celebrate Canada Day on July 1, 2022 in Vancouver. Foreign workers are being incentivized to settle outside the Metro Vancouver region to help grow the economy across the province. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

A new B.C. program that incentivizes immigrants to settle in areas outside Metro Vancouver has drawn mixed reactions from newcomers to the province.

Under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), any immigrant who has experience working outside the Metro Vancouver Regional District can claim additional points towardtheir permanent residency applicationif they have a qualifying job offer in that area.

Under the Nov. 16 change to the province's permanent residency program,the Immigration Programs department began inviting foreign workers to help grow the economy across the province.

Just over 14,400 people were admitted to the province under the PNPfrom 2019 to 2021, according to federalfigures.

Census figures show nearly 78 per cent of immigrants to B.C.from 2016 to 2021 made Metro Vancouver their home.

Parwinder Singh, an Abbotsford-based immigration consultant, saysthe new system could net immigrants up to 25 additional points in their PNP application,with a total of 200 required to qualify.

But some newcomers say it's tough to find well-paying jobs outside B.C.'s most populated region.

Gurveer Singh, who has been waiting more than two years to get permanent residency (PR), sayssome immigration consultants had told him to move to the Interiorto qualify more easily.

A Sikh man wearing traditional clothes poses for a headshot.
Gurveer Singh, who has been living in Surrey for over five years, says the new program wouldn't benefit newcomers like him who have already made connections in Metro Vancouver, B.C.'s most populated region. (Jashan Deol Photo)

"I've been living in Surrey for around five years. I have made connections in this region," said Singh, 24, who moved from Punjab, India. "Now, it is not feasible for me to move to another place just to get PR."

Singh, who has a diploma in digital music production, says he visited Hope in the Fraser Valleyto gauge whether there were any opportunities for someone with his skills.

"In the Vancouver region, people share rooms to afford the rent but when I went to Hope, I felt that the accommodation was [still] very costly," he said. "I [only] found jobs with minimum wages in Hope."

Vancouver pictured from Cambie and Broadway in March 2020.
Vancouver pictured in March 2020. Some newcomers say it's tough to find well-paying jobs outside B.C.'s most populated region. (Maggie MacPherson/CBC)

Singh, who also tried to find opportunities in Victoria, Kamloops and Kelowna, saysMetro Vancouver's significant Punjabi-speaking population meant there were more opportunities for him to find a digital production job.

The Lower Mainland, and Surrey in particular, has been a hotbed of Punjabi music over the last decade.

Advocates welcomechange

Still, others are more enthused by the province's move.

Gordon Shuster, director of international education at Okanagan College,a post-secondary institution with campuses in the southern Interior, says the move to change requirements is a good one, in light of the growing number of international studentsin B.C.

"This region has a lot of job opportunities, and students feel it is less expensive compared to the Metro Vancouver region," he said.

Queenie Choo,CEO of S.U.C.C.E.S.S. a social services organization helping new immigrants says it's imperative for new jobs in industries like health care and technology be made available in smaller B.C. communities to attract immigrants, as well as broader supports.

"We should have the services available to those people living outside of Metro Vancouver," she said. "I'm talking about, maybe, settlement services, resettlement services for refugees.

"Having newcomers understand the situation and employment opportunities in B.C. certainly will help them to think and consider their destination of choice."

Other provinces with similar programs

Raghbir Singh Bharowal, a Surrey-based immigration consultant, saysimmigrants currently living in Metro Vancouver should alsolook to alternative permanent residency paths,such as the federalexpress entry.

Gurpreet Bawa, an education consultant based in Jalandhar, India, sayshe thinks PNPchanges might lead to students choosing other provinces to settle in. A 2017 report estimated that a quarter of all international students in Canada were in B.C.

Other provinces also reward immigrants who settle outside major cities. For instance, Ontario's Immigrant Nominee Program incentivizes newcomers to settle outside the Greater Toronto Area.

The federal government also has a Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot project that attempts to attract newcomers to 11 smaller communities across the country, including two in B.C.

"Historically, immigrants are attracted to major urban centres, but their skills and talents are needed in all regions across the province," said a spokesperson for the B.C. municipal affairs ministry in a statement.