Immigrants could wait years to come to P.E.I.
An unexpectedly high number of potential immigrants nominated by P.E.I. to come to the Island could leave those people waiting for years, says Citizenship Immigration Canada.
P.E.I.'s auditor general said in his annual report last week there are close to 2,000 immigrant investors waiting in their home countries to become Canadian citizens through the provincial nominee program.
"This far exceeded the 1,000 provincial nominees P.E.I. had indicated to CIC in fall 2007 when asked for its projections as part of the annual levels planning for the year ahead," Nicholas Fortier, a media relations adviser for CIC, wrote in an email to CBC.
Auditor general Colin Younker wrote in his report previously that immigrant investors nominated by P.E.I. could expect to pass through medical and security checks by Immigration Canada within a year, which was part of the attraction for immigrants looking to come to Canada.
Whose liability?
The rush to nominate immigrants in 2007-08 could mean that wait could be two to four years for those currently on the list.
Younker worries that wait could lead some potential immigrants to change their mind. This has ramifications for more than just the overall success of the program. The nominees have already paid out in excess of $200,000 each to invest in a business and for associated fees and deposits. A portion of that is repayable if the nominee does not come to Canada, and the province has a trust fund to cover that contingency.
An unexpected number of people deciding not to immigrate could exhaust that fund, said Younker, and it is not clear who is responsible for the liability beyond what is in that fund.
CIC lays the blame for the problems at the province's door. It had given notice of changes to the nominee program effective September 2008, and was surprised by the province's response.
"In giving the province advance notice of the regulatory change, our goal was to allow P.E.I. a sufficient transition period to wind down this passive investment program and refocus in other areas," wrote Fortier.
"In the spring of 2008, CIC learned that P.E.I. was actually ramping up the program and had already recruited more than 1,800 new investors."
CIC said it suggested the province tell prospective immigrants about the delays. It's not clear if that warning was given.
Opposition leader Olive Crane shares Younker's worries regarding how many of the nominees will actually end up moving to the Island.
"We have to remember that the economy in the world slowed down, so what does that mean to them and how long they're going to be able to wait to emigrate here?" she said.
Crane said she's also concerned the relationship between the province and Immigration Canada is permanently damaged.
Innovation Minister Allan Campbell wasn't available for comment Monday.