In the News: PEI Provincial Nomination Program Issues

In the news today:

I was on the bus to work, reading my free copy of the Metro and this story caught my eye. I decided to do some more investigating since the Metro only provided a short blurb. Below is what I found so far:

“Chinese citizens pressure P.E.I. for refunds

Chinese citizens who gave money to Prince Edward Island’s troubled immigration-nominee program ay they’re angry they haven’t been refunded, two years after Ottawa rejected their visa applications.

Qiu Chuanbo, 47, said in an interview that he owed close to $91,000 after giving money to the program.”

From The Canadian Press via Metro News

There’s more to the story, provided by the Globe and Mail (story by Michael Tutton):

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/frustrated-chinese-citizens-demand-refunds-from-pei-after-immigration-rejected/article4477291/

Here are some crucial highlights from the article:

-          The program he gave that money to “was intended to attract immigrants who would invest in companies in the province.”

-          “The provincial government… says there is a trust fund to refund some of each applicant’s money.”

-          “Mr. Qiu… said the lack of responses he has received from provincial officials and immigration consultants in Canada has made him distrustful of Canadian officials.”

-          He reportedly sent “$152,500” of which he is awaiting a refund of “$90,975”.

-          “A spokeswoman for federal Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said the department warned P.E.I. in 2008 that there would be lengthy delays for the unusually large number of applicants.”

-          “’P.E.I’s mismanagement of the provincial nominee program affected the integrity of Canada’s immigration system,’ said Alexis Pavlich.”

In my opinion, this is really shameful. I understand that this was in part a business investment, and there are risks in business. However, it is not right that the PEI government essentially granted people nominations in trade for investments from applicants who were rejected later to be rejected by the federal government. Shouldn’t provincial nomination be granted to those who at least stand a good to excellent chance of being accepted? That way, we might not seem like we are stealing from those whose hopes and dreams rest on immigrating to Canada.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments or on twitter ( @MBlogger2 ).

PS Check out this blog (which also did an entry on the above story) http://visalawcanada.blogspot.ca/