By New Canadian Media
British Columbia is ramping up its efforts to attract foreign-trained healthcare workers and early childhood educators (ECEs) to address the critical shortage of skilled workers that is impacting the province’s care economy.
The government has announced that it will revamp the B.C. Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
to prioritize health-care workers and ECEs in the application process and increase the number of people nominated in these occupations for permanent residence
The PNP enables BC to directly select qualified, prospective immigrants and nominate them and their families for permanent residency.
“By placing a greater focus on skilled workers in the care economy, we’re helping attract talent from around the world committed to delivering the essential services we all rely on,” Nathan Cullen, Minister of Municipal Affairs.
The changes also immediately provide a pathway to permanent residence for people already living in B.C. and working in these sectors.
According to BC government data, the Omicron wave of COVID-19 infections has exacerbated the problem, with more than 11 percent of B.C.’s 188,000 healthcare workers calling in sick in January. The sick workers included many of B.C.’s more than 14,000 doctors and nearly 63,000 nurses.
In terms of seniors’ care, employment is forecasted to increase by 4.2% annually and create 36,200 jobs over the next ten years. BC will need close to 3,000 health care assistants over the next five years to meet growing demand, according to the BC Care Providers Association.
“Health-care assistants who support seniors in long-term care, assisted living and in their homes are among the most in-demand occupations in British Columbia, both today and for years to come,” said Terry Lake, the association’s CEO.
“These important changes to the Provincial Nominee Program will help to meet the growing needs of the care economy, which in turn will benefit B.C. seniors and those who care for them,” he said.
Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care said BC needs about 10,000 Early Childhood Educators to join the profession over the next 10 years.
“The PNP program will help us address the ECE staff shortage throughout B.C. by helping us recruit more ECEs. We are also raising wages, expanding education, and training, and offering bursaries for people who want to enter this rewarding and in-demand career,” she said.
The B.C. PNP offers a pathway to permanent residence for economic immigrants – workers and entrepreneurs who contribute to the labour market in the province. The program constitutes about one-third of all B.C. economic immigrants.
The priority access care economy occupations currently make up about 3%, or less than 200 nominees annually. With more than 6,700 nominations available, there is room to increase the number of nominees in this category, driven largely by employer demand, the BC government said in a statement.
More than 85% of B.C. PNP nominees stay in B.C. after gaining permanent residency. In 2021, B.C. had an allocation of 6,750 nominations, and is expected to reach, or exceed that level in 2022.
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