$5.5M helps immigrants learn English and secure jobs

VICTORIA – For the first time in B.C. immigrants will receive advanced workplace-specific, settlement-focused language training to help them find and keep jobs and settle into their communities.

The pilot project starting November 2011 is supported by $5.5 million in new funding, and is part of the government’s investment in free English language classes under the English Language Services for Adults (ELSA) program.

The new project delivers on the commitment made in Canada Starts Here: The B.C. Jobs Plan to support newcomers and enable them to fill some of the over one million jobs anticipated to open in B.C. over the next decade.

Around 19,000 students are expected to benefit from the complete suite of ELSA classes offered in more than 35 communities across the province in 2011. The workplace-specific curriculum, part of ELSA Levels 6 and 7, will be introduced this fall in Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley and Southern Vancouver Island.

The ELSA program is offered through WelcomeBC – www.welcomebc.ca – the Province’s umbrella of services for immigrant settlement and integration services. An annual budget of $40 million is provided through federal and provincial funding.

Quotes:

Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism –

“The federal government continues to work in partnership with the Province of British Columbia to help newcomers transition and become productive members of Canadian society.”

“Language is an important component of success here in Canada; the sooner newcomers improve their language skills, the sooner they will integrate into the job market and produce value in our economy.”

Pat Bell, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation –

“Language training is a vital service for B.C. immigrants who want to play an active part in their local communities and workforce.”

“Better English language skills will ensure that our newcomers are able to continue making valuable contributions to the B.C. communities they now call home.”

Quick Facts:

·      Since 2008, more than $160 million in federal and provincial funding has been invested in English language development services for immigrants under WelcomeBC.

·      The ELSA program is funded through the Canada-British Columbia Immigration Agreement. This year over $100 million has been provided for immigration programs.

·      In 2010-11, the Province spent approximately $37 million on ELSA Literacy to Level 5 programs throughout British Columbia.

·      B.C. continues to be one of Canada’s most popular destinations for new immigrants, welcoming more than 40,000 newcomers each year.

·      Services through WelcomeBC are provided to more than 100,000 newcomers in 66 communities across the province, by more than 100 service providers.

·      WelcomeBC’s award-winning website recently served its one-millionth client, and is now accessible in several languages, making it easier for immigrants to access vital information.

·      By 2019, it’s expected that there will be over a million job openings in the province, and skilled immigrants will play a vital role in filling many of those positions.

Learn More:

·      For more information on ELSA programs, eligibility and locations, visit:http://www.welcomebc.ca/wbc/immigration/settle/learn/elsa.page

·      For information about other WelcomeBC programs, visit: www.welcomebc.ca

·     For information on ‘Canada Starts Here – The BC Jobs Plan’, visit:

http://www.bcjobsplan.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/CSH_BCJobsPlan_web.pdf

Immigration backlog keeping millionaires out of Canada

BY TOM GODFREY ,TORONTO SUN

FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 07, 2011 07:15 PM EDT

TORONTO - More than 22,500 foreign millionaires are waiting abroad to resettle in Canada, bringing with them more than $9 billion to help cash-strapped Ottawa, immigration officials say.

There are about 16,400 millionaires alone in Hong Kong, Jim Versteegh, a federal immigration program manager at the Canadian consulate in Hong Kong, said about classified numbers released this week.

Versteegh said there are about 22,491 millionaire investors worldwide who’ve applied and are waiting to come to Canada.

They’ll bring about 77,800 family members with them.

“We still need a game plan for dealing with our inventory,” he said in a July 2010 memo obtained under an Access to Information request by lawyer Richard Kurland. “The total number of investor cases we now have on hand is 16,400.”

He said it’ll take about 12 years for visa officers to process the backlog of cases.

Only about 2,000 cases involving the federal investor program are processed yearly.

Kurland said investors are required to dish out $400,000 in cash each to Ottawa to obtain visas for their families, providing they pass medical and background checks.

He estimated the millionaires will hand over about $9 billion in cash to the federal government for use for the provinces.

“We are losing some of these people to other countries,” Kurland said. “Many of these people don’t want to wait for years and are going elsewhere.”

He said there’s stiff competition from the United States, Australia and some European countries for the well-heeled crowd.

“These people are paying hard cash for Canadian visas,” Kurland said. “That money will go a long way to create jobs and reduce our deficit.”

Federal immigration officials have said officers can only process 2,000 cases yearly because it takes a long time to determine the source of the funds or whether the money is linked to organized crime.