Immigration to Vancouver Island – facts, figures and resources MINISTRY OF JOBS, TRADE & TECHNOLOGY

Presentation Outline 1. Immigration in Canada “Immigration 101” Immigration in BC Presentation Outline 1. Immigration in Canada “Immigration 101” 2. Immigration trends to BC and Vancouver Island 3. Immigration resources Employer Resources and Key Contacts

Fewer Young People Entering the Workforce Canada’s Immigration System BC’s Aging Demographic Fewer Young People Entering the Workforce 3

BC’s Labour Market Outlook 2018-2028 Canada’s Immigration System BC’s Labour Market Outlook 2018-2028 903,000 BC job openings in the next 10 years 27% are projected to be filled by immigrants 4

Unemployment Rates (%) All Ages, British Columbia Supplementary Information Economic Benefits Immigrants account for nearly one quarter of Canada’s labour force Immigrants accounted for 50.1% of BC labour force growth in 2017 More than 80% of the immigrants to Canada are under 45 years old Lower unemployment rates for immigrants than non-immigrants in BC Unemployment Rates (%) All Ages, British Columbia Source: 2016 Census – Labour in Canada Temporary residents and family

Canada’s Immigration System Canada's Immigration System is: Primarily federal jurisdiction but provinces and territories play a role Managed with annual caps on admissions and selection processes Focused on three main objectives: attracting skilled workers, family reunification, and playing a global humanitarian role Economic Immigrants Family Class Refugees and Humanitarian Skilled Workers Provincial Nominees Business immigration Caregivers Spouses and dependents Parents and Grandparents Sponsor commits financial support Government Assisted Privately Sponsored Blended Visa Asylum Claims Federal targets for annual admissions in each category are tabled November 1

Immigration is Shared Jurisdiction Canada’s Immigration System Immigration is Shared Jurisdiction Canada-BC Immigration Agreement defines BC’s role in immigration The Provincial Immigration Programs Act governs the delivery of the BC PNP Attraction Selection Integration Citizenship Federal Role National-level awareness and attraction efforts Annual immigration levels Eligibility criteria Assessment and selection Settlement services for permanent residents ($100.7M for BC in 2018/2019) Setting eligibility criteria and granting citizenship BC Role WelcomeBC.ca Attraction campaign International student recruitment Provincial Nominee Program (program policy and criteria) Settlement services for temporary residents, naturalized citizens ($12M) Labour market services Foreign Credential Recognition

Federal Immigration Levels Plan: 2019-2021 Canada’s Immigration System Federal Immigration Levels Plan: 2019-2021 Immigration Category 2018 2019 2020 2021 Target Federal Economic High Skilled1 74,900 81,400 85,800 88,800 Economic Pilots2 -Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program3 1,000 2,000 4,000 To be Determined Economic Pilots2 -Caregivers 17,000 14,000 5,000 Federal Business4 700 Provincial Nominee Program 55,000 61,000 67,800 71,300 Quebec Skilled Workers and Business5 28,900 Total Economic 177,500 191,600 195,800 202,300 Spouses, Partners and Children 66,000 68,000 70,000 Parents and Grandparents 20,000 20,500 21,000 Total Family 86,000 88,500 91,000 Protected Persons in Canada and Dependents Abroad 16,000 16,500 18,000 Resettled Refugees - Government Assisted 7,500 9,300 10,700 Resettled Refugees - Blended Visa Office Referred 1,500 1,650 Resettled Refugees - Privately Sponsored 19,000 Total Refugees and Protected Persons 43,000 45,650 49,700 51,700 Humanitarian and Other6 3,500 4,250 4,500 Overall Admisssions7 310,000 330,800 341,000 350,000

Selection: BC Provincial Nominee Program Immigration to BC Selection: BC Provincial Nominee Program Application to BC PNP Provincial Nomination Application for Permanent Residence 6,250 nominations for 2018. Primarily job-offer driven. Outcomes data shows BC PNP is a key tool to address BC’s labour market needs It offers a critical pathway to permanent residency (83% of nominees were TFW permit holders) In 2016, 27% of PNP skilled immigrants and 57% of PNP entrepreneurs settled outside of Victoria/Greater Vancouver, compared to 14% of immigrants overall BC nominees have higher average employment income then federal economic immigrants and nominees in most other provinces (except Alberta)

Share of New Immigrants, 2017 Immigration to BC BC’s Share of National Immigration BC received 13% of all immigrants Canada between 2015 and 2017. Federal immigration levels targets are increasing – rising from 310,000 in 2018 to 350,000 by 2021. Increased numbers of new immigrants being admitted to Canada will likely translate into higher numbers of immigrants coming to BC. Share of New Immigrants, 2017

Number of New Immigrants to BC –Actual and Projected Immigration to BC Arrival Trends Number of New Immigrants to BC –Actual and Projected Assuming BC stays in the range of 13-15% of all immigrants to Canada, the Province is projected to receive 40,000 to 45,000 immigrants annually over the next few years 11

Selection: Permanent Pathways Immigration to BC Selection: Permanent Pathways The federal government selects economic and non-economic permanent residents BC’s Provincial Nominee Program selects skilled international workers and entrepreneurs and nominates them for permanent residency Economic* 22,255 (53%) 85% working age BC Provincial Nominee Program 7,565 | 20% Express Entry 9,995 | 26% Live-In Caregivers 4,460| 12% Family Sponsorship 13,425| 35% Refugees and Protected Persons 2,695 | 7% Business 230 | <1% Other 130 | <1% Non-Economic* 16,185 (47%) 72% working age ‘Economic immigrants’ refer to categories of permanent residents selected for their ability and skills to contribute to Canada’s economy. * 2017 Data; total permanent residents = 38,435 12

Recent Immigrants by Place of Residence 24/04/2019 Immigration to BC Settlement Patterns of Immigrants in BC Recent Immigrants by Place of Residence Recent immigrants represent 3.8% of BC’s total population, and 5.9% of the population in Vancouver. 2016 Census

Permanent and Temporary Pathways to BC, 2017 Immigration to BC Pathways to BC Permanent and Temporary Pathways to BC, 2017 (new immigrant arrivals or work/study permits issued in the calendar year) Permanent Temporary

Economic vs. Non-Economic Immigration to BC Economic vs. Non-Economic Distribution between Immigration Categories in BC Almost 60% of BC’s new immigrants are economic class, similar to the national proportion. BC receives a lower proportion of refugees (half the national average). Economic immigrants represented a smaller proportion of immigration to BC in 2016 due to the Syrian refugee resettlement.

Characteristics of Immigrants in BC Immigration to BC Characteristics of Immigrants in BC 16

Characteristics of Immigrants in BC Immigration to BC Characteristics of Immigrants in BC

Outcomes of Immigrants in BC – Income Immigration to BC Outcomes of Immigrants in BC – Income 18

Outcomes of Immigrants - Income Over Time The average income of immigrants increases with time spent in BC. However, after 10 years average income remains lower than that for all British Columbians Economic class immigrants have higher incomes than family and refugee immigrants As indicated previously, recent immigrants tend to be younger and more educated than non-immigrants, so they bring a large amount of potential to the provinces. Nonetheless, we can see in the data that there are challenges for immigrants in terms of their long term economic outcomes. For example, although immigrants’ income increases with the length of time in BC, after 10 years they still on average make less than the BC average. This “wage gap” in BC is on par with the national average (SK and MB have the highest wage gap, NS and NL the lowest). That said, income varies substantially depending on immigration category. Suitably, economic class immigrants have the highest incomes; for example, Provincial Nominees earn on average $54,000 in their first year after gaining permanent residence, which is above the BC average. Understandably, Refugees have the lowest incomes and need more time to achieve income growth. Data Notes: Income data is available in the Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB), which is an administrative database that combines an administrative landing file (i.e., numbers of new permanent residents) with the T1 Family File (T1FF) through exact matching record linkage techniques. The overall linkage rate is approximately 97%. The IMDB consists of immigrants landed since 1980 and who filed taxes at least once since 1982. All income, or the total income in the IMDB is the sum of employment income, self-employment income, investment income, and employment insurance benefits. (Note: The definition of total income adopted by the 2016 Census does not correspond to that used by the Canada Revenue Agency for income tax purposes, which is what is reflected in the IMDB). 19 Source: Longitudinal Immigration Database

Categories of immigrants: 2011-2016 Immigration to S. Vancouver Island Categories of immigrants: 2011-2016 20

Age of landed immigrants between 2011 and 2016 Immigration to S. Vancouver Island Age of landed immigrants between 2011 and 2016 21

Immigrant highest level of education: 2011-2016 Immigration to S. Vancouver Island Immigrant highest level of education: 2011-2016 22

Unemployment rate for recent immigrants Immigration to S. Vancouver Island Unemployment rate for recent immigrants 23

Median income: recent immigrants vs non-immigrants Immigration to S. Vancouver Island Median income: recent immigrants vs non-immigrants 24

Immigrant employment by sector Immigration to S. Vancouver Island Immigrant employment by sector 25

Immigrant employment challenges Difficulties with recognition of foreign credentials Difficulty obtaining / lack of Canadian work experience Language barriers (incl. occupation-specific language) Limited professional/employer connections Perceived lack of “soft skills” (differences in cross cultural communication / knowledge of Canadian business culture) Challenges navigating immigration system and pre-arrival information Perceived employer bias 26

Who to contact in government for more info Resources and contacts Who to contact in government for more info For general information about immigration, or if you don’t know who to ask and need to be pointed in the right direction: Brian Vatne, Director of Immigration Policy BC Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training Brian.vatne@gov.bc.ca For practical information about navigating the Provincial Nominee Program or other federal government programs: Aireen Luney, Manager of Program Development and Promotion BC Ministry of Jobs, Trade and Technology; BC Provincial Nominee Program Aireen.luney@gov.bc.ca 27

Immigrant serving organizations you can contact Resources and contacts Immigrant serving organizations you can contact Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria Victoria/Duncan (250) 388-4728; http://www.icavictoria.org/ Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Greater Victoria (250) 361-9433; http://www.vircs.bc.ca/ Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society Campbell River, Courtenay, Comox Valley, Ladysmith, Nanaimo, Parksville, Port Alberni (250) 753-6911; https://www.cvims.org/ 28

Immigrant serving organizations you can contact Resources and contacts Immigrant serving organizations you can contact Multicultural & Immigrant Services Association of North Vancouver Island Campbell River, Courtenay/Comox Valley (855) 805-0171; http://cr.majorprojects.ca/community/provider/crmisa 29

Resources and help with hiring immigrants Resources and contacts Resources and help with hiring immigrants Who to contact for support with hiring immigrants: Immigrant Employment Council of BC https://iecbc.ca/ 30

Additional Resources Resources and contacts Who to contact for support with hiring immigrants: WelcomeBC.ca 31