B.C. panel to review how to attract skilled workers, investors

Premier Christy Clark announced this week the creation of a task force to review the system under which skilled immigrants and foreign investors come to B.C. and Canada.

Led by Richmond-Steveston MLA John Yap, the nine-member group will consist of community and business leaders and will review the Provincial Nominee Program, the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Canadian Experience Class, and the Federal Immigrant Investor Program.

The task force will assess the efficiency of each program, and look at how to improve the federal government's responsiveness to immigration needs throughout Western Canada, the premier said in Vancouver Thursday.

"We've laid out an ambitious plan to create jobs in the BC Jobs Plan and we will need skilled immigrants to help fill more than one million job openings expected over the next decade," Clark said, noting that current B.C. residents are expected to account for only two-thirds of those positions.

"We don't know yet how we're going to fill those jobs," she said.

The goal of the task force is to assess the current system and find ways to attract more skilled workers every year.

To do that, task force members will meet with employers, industry and sector associations, settlement service providers, community associations and other relevant groups, Clark said.

"This is a province and a country that was built on immigration, and that hasn't changed."

Clark said she'd like to see the elimination of federal caps on the Provincial Nominee Program, which channels educated, experienced, skilled workers swiftly into the economy and accelerates the process to secure permanent residency.

The group's first meeting is scheduled for next week, Yap said.

"They're going to be busy over the next couple of months."

He said members of the team, which also includes former MP Stockwell Day, are participating on a volunteer basis and the government will cover the incidental costs of the initiative, which aren't expected to exceed $100,000.

A final public report will be submitted to the premier by March 31, 2012.

CONFIRMED MEMBERS OF TASK FORCE

. John Yap, chair - Richmond-Steveston MLA.

. Tung Chan (Richmond) - Former CEO SUCCESS/Chinese community leader.

. Stockwell Day (Penticton) - Government relations consultant/former minister/MP.

. Yuen Pau Woo (North Vancouver) - CEO Asia Pacific Foundation.

. Grace Wong (Vancouver) - Assistant dean, UBC/vice-chair SUCCESS.

. Tim McEwan (Prince George) - CEO, Initiatives Prince George.

. Suki Badh (Richmond) - College instructor/South Asian community leader.

. Michael Hwang (New Westminster) - Principal lawyer of Hwang & Company/founder and partner of Amicus Lawyers.

. Narindarpal Singh Kang (Vancouver) - Founder, Kang and Company Law Firm, specializing in immigration law.

Evan Duggan, Vancouver Sun

eduggan@vancouversun.com

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/business/panel+review+attract+skilled+workers+investors/5841528/story.html#ixzz1gCktCQbr

Canada Immigration Visas Available for Physiotherapists, Psychologists & Many Other Occupations.

Canadian Government continues to accept applications under its popular Federal Skilled Worker program (FSWP) currently in 25 of the 29 occupations listed in current Ministerial Instructions. Quotas for some of the open occupations are filling up faster than others.

The Federal Skilled Worker program (FSWP) is the most popular Canadian immigration program since many years, as it provides permanent residence visas to skilled professionals from across the world, based on their skills in factors like education, occupation, language abilities, etc. The program is referred to as 'Points system' among many groups, as the selection is based on the points score in each of the 6 factors and their ability to achieve the minimum pass marks (points) - set at 67 out of possible 100.

Canada has been a popular destination for immigrants from all parts of the world, so much so that it receives many times more applications than it can process or accept in any year. Canada has accepted about 250 - 280,000 immigrants annually since past many years, and the backlog grew to over a million in 2008. The resulting backlog of applications, led to increased processing time ranging from a few months to 7 years in some countries.

With a view to overcome the challenges posed by the increasing processing period, one of the new measures introduced by the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) in 2008 was Ministerial Instructions (MI). The MI, among other things limited the number of applications to be accepted for processing each year, by restricting the occupations eligible for processing. This meant that, Applicant with experience in a certain limited number of occupations were able to apply under the FSWP. Exemption was made for people already in Canada as Students or Workers and for applicants with Arranged Employment Opinion.

The first set of MI (MI-1) was introduced on November 28, 2008 (effective from February 27, 2008). The current set of MI (MI-3) introduced on July 1, 2011 carries substantial changes from MI-1, e.g. it allows only 29 occupations to apply under FSWP. Moreover, there are caps (quotas) for no. of applications to be accepted for processing overall (10,000) and in each occupation (500). It should be noted that the above applicants do have to score sufficient points to qualify.

Note: A subsequent MI-4 allowed international Ph.D. students to apply for permanent residence under FSWP, but left the other aspects of the FSWP unchanged.

It has been observed that some of occupations fill up faster than others. As of December 8, 2011, caps were reached for 4 of the 29 occupations. This means that applicants in these occupations can no longer apply under the FSWP, till the cap is re-set in July, 2012.

However, the other 25 occupations are open as of now. Some of them like Physicians and Dentists are likely to be the next, with 350 applications already accepted by CIC. Applicants in these occupations should act promptly to ensure a position in the processing lot for this year.

Some of the other open occupations include:
Managers: Oilfields, Gas fields, Mine/ Quarry, Forestry, Fishing operations, etc.
Healthcare Professionals: Physiotherapists, Psychologists, Radiation Technologists, Dental professionals, Practical Nurses, etc.
Others: Architects, Biologists, Social Workers, Cooks/ Chefs, Electricians, Plumbers, Welders, etc.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/12/10/prweb9027033.DTL#ixzz1gCjlaw1n