Canada-British Columbia Agreement 2004 - Annex D: Business Immigrants
Annex D:
Business Immigrants
1.0 Objectives
1.1 To develop and test co-operative working models between British Columbia and Canada to increase the economic benefits from business immigration through efforts to:
- enhance the quality and quantity of business immigrants destined to British Columbia who meet the province’s business and investment priorities; and
- maximize the economic participation and integration of business immigrants landed in British Columbia.
1.2 To evaluate co-operative working models and use results to increase the effectiveness of and inform the future development of the national program and the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program.
2.0 Provincial Participation in Processing: Pre landing
2.1 In order to increase the economic benefits of business immigration, British Columbia and Canada agree to develop and implement a pilot project to test a model for provincial collaboration in the identification and facilitation of processing of business immigrants destined to British Columbia.
2.2 The pilot project is intended to improve and facilitate the selection and processing of applications consistent with British Columbia’s requirements focusing on:
- appropriate skills and qualifications that meet British Columbia’s business and investment priorities;
- consideration of the province’s business community needs; and
- applicants whose contributions will enhance regional economic development.
2.3 The implementation of the pilot project will consider:
- Canada’s objectives and initiatives with respect to levels management;
- available overseas mission resources and capacity;
- program integrity, particularly in respect of federal program regulations, including legality of funds, and selection decisions; and
- a balanced proportional approach that does not disadvantage any other province or territory.
2.4 Canada and British Columbia agree to complete the detailed design and implementation of the pilot project no later than six months following the signing of this Agreement. Progress reports and identification of challenges to implementation will be reported to the Program Management Committee (PMC).
3.0 Provincial Participation in Processing: Post landing
3.1 As an extension of the on-going relationship with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), Admissions, Vancouver and the CIC BC and Yukon Region office, British Columbia will collaborate on initiatives allowing for better management of the terms and conditions requirement and to ensure that timely guidance is provided to entrepreneurs. Canada and British Columbia will jointly develop and test a delivery model that reflects:
- an efficient, co-operative approach allowing for cross training of staff;
- mechanisms to effectively address the conditions removal requirements of the existing case load (pre IRPA) of landed entrepreneurs while also providing business guidance;
- the development of a collaborative approach to the identification and processing of new entrepreneurial immigrants arriving in British Columbia selected under IRPA which could include joint counselling;
- collection of relevant data (transferable knowledge) that will be useful for the evaluation of conditions as they apply to entrepreneurs subsequently landed under IRPA and an evaluation of this that could be used to inform national policy; and
- objectives linked to increasing the success rate of entrepreneurs in British Columbia while maintaining Canada’s legislative role in relation to removal of terms and conditions under old legislation and new conditions under IRPA. Further to this there would be the development of terms of reference with a requirement for a yearly assessment that this joint delivery model continues to meet both Canada’s and British Columbia’s interests.
3.2 Progress reports and identification of challenges to implementation will be reported to the PMC.
4.0 Information Sharing
4.1 Canada and British Columbia will establish an information sharing arrangement, in accordance with applicable federal and provincial legislation, regarding processing information that will support the implementation of the pilot project.
5.0 Implementation
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