Whereas employers in all sectors across the province are experiencing labour shortages and face challenges filling vacancies with foreign workers; And whereas the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program Rural Renewal Stream enables local governments to work directly with their business communities promoting a streamlined path for skilled and unskilled workers to enter the province: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM lobby the provincial government to create an economic immigration program that enables local governments to streamline application and approval to allow foreign workers to work in British Columbia.
Ministry of Municipal Affairs The Ministry of Municipal Affairs welcomes the opportunity to connect with local governments and explore options to address workforce challenges through the provinces economic immigration program, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program BC PNP, which allows the province to select a limited number of prospective immigrants to meet local labour market needs and nominate them for permanent residence. Immigration to regions outside of Metro Vancouver Regional District is a ministry priority which is why the program has taken additional steps in the BC PNP to achieve a target of at least 30 percent of nominees settling outside Metro Vancouver, including recently implementing changes to the program to increase opportunities for workers with job offers in regional communities outside of Metro Vancouver to apply for nomination. Staff are available to explore expanding the collaboration to attract international workers to local governments.