British Columbia has become the first Canadian province or territory to welcome a provincial nominee as a permanent resident through the Express Entry immigration system.
On Tuesday, Zoe Cremin from Ireland, a software engineer, was welcomed to the country as the first provincial nominee permanent resident by Canada’s Immigration Minister Chris Alexander and BC’s Jobs Minister Shirley Bond.
“The Express Entry stream of the PNP program supports BC’s economic growth by providing a pathway to permanent residency for high-skilled in demand workers,” said Minster Bond. “While our priority is to ensure that British Columbians come first in line for jobs, with one million job openings anticipated as a result of retirements and economic growth, the Express Entry program will be an important way to help meet our workforce needs,” she added.
As of 10th May, official figures showed that BC had nominated more candidates through Express Entry than any other province.
Launched in January, Express Entry is a new way of managing applications for Canada’s key economic immigration programs. Candidates create an online profile and express their interest in coming to Canada permanently. Those who meet the minimum criteria are then accepted into the pool and ranked according to various factors, including language proficiency, education and work experience. Each is a leading indicator of one’s likelihood of integrating fully and quickly into Canadian society and making an optimal contribution to the economy.
“Not too long ago, highly qualified candidates had to wait at the back of a very long line before being considered for permanent residence,” explained Alexander. “Under Express Entry we can now select the best candidates with skills our labour market needs and they’ll arrive ready to contribute to our economy and communities more quickly.”
The government has promised that most complete electronic applications under Express Entry will be processed in six months or less.