British Columbia’s New Immigration Draw Includes Issues of 230 Invitations

British Columbia has issued fresh invitations for job applicants. In December 2020, British Columbia sent 230 invitations, excluding various jobs due to the pandemic restrictions. 

Which jobs are excluded due to pandemic restrictions?

Now, Covid-19 has imposed various kinds of restrictions in our daily life. The main limitation is social distancing. The second phase of Covid-19 has already begun from October 2020. The UK has started the lockdown in October. They have again stopped the flights until January 31, 2021. The various parts of the US are facing a spike in the covid positive issues. As such, the world is in a vigilant mode again.

British Columbia has issued invitations to job applicants in December 2020. And that is good news. However, there is a catch. The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program has excluded 31 job occupations due to social distancing. Let us check out the 31 job occupations that are excluded from this program now.

Massage therapists

Accommodation supervisors

Travel and tourism supervisors

Restaurant and foodservice managers

Retail and wholesale trade managers

Light duty cleaners

Service station attendants

Casino occupations

Managers in customer and personal services

Hairstylists and barbers

Food and beverage servers

The airline ticket and service agents

Outdoor sport and recreational guides

Pursers and flight attendants

Chefs and cooks

Bartenders

Tour and travel guides

Operators and attendants in amusement

Attendants in recreation and sport

Kitchen helpers

Travel and facilities set-up services

Hotel front desk clerks

Electrologists

Food counter attendants

Unfortunately, most applicants have applied for these 31 occupations. Undoubtedly, job applicants will be disheartened, but there is hardly anything that can be done now. The job applicants should feel fortunate that the British Columbia provincial nominee program has approved other occupations.

Given the current Covid scenario, many countries are reconsidering all their programs. The virus has changed its strain after the vaccines are out. So, the vaccines may not be that effective now. Therefore, social distancing is the only way to combat the deadly viral infection. 

Why has the government made this decision? 

If you carefully notice the list, then you will understand that all these professions need human contact in some form. Hairstylists and massage therapists have direct contact with human beings. These are very demanding professions, but at this point, when the pandemic remains unabated, the government has no choice. Somewhere down the line, the government has to think about the people in the country and the immigrants. If the immigrants get infected, then the virus may spread in the country in a ripple effect. The government can’t put the health of the citizens and the immigrants at stake. Unless there is an improvement in the pandemic situation, British Columbia’s government cannot do anything else. It cannot allow immigrants to work in professions that have close physical interactions with human beings. 

Workers from the other professions can work in British Columbia. Given the stance of the government, one question does arise in the minds of the people. Will the government, make the same decision when it comes to health workers? Will they not allow immigrant health workers to enter the country and serve the people? Isn’t it hypocrisy at some level? The USA government is allowing immigrant health workers to enter the country. But they are not allowing many workers to enter the country. The situation is almost the same in British Columbia. 

Is there any scoring system for the workers? 

There is a strict scoring system for job applicants. Skilled workers need a score of 95 to qualify for the direct provincial program. 

The expressed skilled workers have higher eligibility criteria. They need a score of 99 to qualify for the direct provincial program. 

The entry-level skilled workers need a score of 77 to qualify for this program. 

The EEBC skilled workers need a score of 99 to qualify for this program. The EEBC international graduates also have to score 99 to be eligible for this program.

The scoring criteria are higher than last year. But this much is expected during the pandemic. British Columbia government will not allow a massive number of candidates to enter the country for public safety.

Although the number of invitations is 230, there is a doubt how many people will qualify for the direct provincial program due to the strict eligibility criteria. The scoring criteria are high. Many occupations are excluded. So, we cannot have high hopes for this.

Conclusion

British Columbia has opened various universities from October 2020. It is also opening many universities in 2021. The British Columbia provincial nominee program has kickstarted from December 2020. Let us hope that the pandemic situation will improve and the covid-19 virus will go away in 2021. Workers are facing tremendous hurdles due to covid-19 restrictions. Both life and livelihood are at stake. But what can we do? 

The government is helpless due to the Covid-19 restrictions. It has already been stated that the universities have to implement a Covid-19 readiness plan to welcome international students. And their right on their part. 

International students and workers have to hold onto their patience for a long time until the situation becomes normal again. Yes, they will lose money in the interim. The unemployment rate across the world will also spike in the next few months if the pandemic doesn’t come under control. But that is all. The occupations that the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program has excluded are such that they cannot be done online. You cannot have a haircut online. You cannot get a massage online. These are occupational hazards, but workers need to understand one fact. Life is more precious than money. If they can save lives now, they can get opportunities to make money later.

Again, the British Columbia government needs to think about an alternative solution to this burning problem. The government in all countries need to think about the immigrants and their livelihoods. Otherwise, millions of people may die due to starvation and poverty.