BC Provincial Nominee Program

Ashton College is proud to announce that the first Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Seminar in our 2014 line up will happen on April 16, 2014. Centering on the BC Provincial Nominee Program as a topic, this panel discussion will feature four leading industry professionals in Immigration Consulting.

Joining the panel are Karolina Francis, Ron McKay, and Aireen Luney. The seminar will take place in the Library Square Conference Centre from 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM. The panel will be discussing the BC Provincial Nominee Program which is an economic immigration program designed to help B.C. meet its evolving labour market needs.

This CPD seminar has been approved for 2.5 hours by ICCRC, The Law Society of British Columbia, and The Law Society of Saskatchewan. The seminar costs $60.00 and will be available in-class as well as through live-stream.

About BC PNP:

The BC Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is an economic immigration program designed to help B.C. meet its evolving labour market needs. The program helps employers attract and retain qualified foreign workers who have the skills and experience to contribute to B.C.’s economy. It also selects entrepreneurs ready to invest in our economy and create jobs for Canadian citizens and permanent residents. The PNP is operated by the Province of B.C. in partnership with the federal government through Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). The PNP assesses applications and nominates candidates for permanent residence, after which CIC makes the final decision on each application and issues permanent resident visas to successful applicants. This CPD will be delivered through a panel discussion with the topic being BC PNP.

About the Panelists:

• Aireen Luney is the Manager, Program Development and Promotion for the BC Provincial Nominee Program in the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism & Innovation. Aireen is responsible for developing the PNP’s international marketing strategy to attract qualified skilled workers and entrepreneurs for immigration to BC. She is committed to engaging employers and industry, community and regional stakeholders to support their respective strategic labour market priorities. Prior to joining the PNP, Aireen had extensive experience in all aspects of human resource management with the BC Public Service Agency. She has a B.A. from UVIC and intends to pursue post-graduate studies.

• A Polish native, Karolina Francis earned a Master’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Warsaw in 1999. After moving to Canada, Karolina furthered her love of telling stories by earning herself a Certificate in TV Production and Broadcasting from BCIT in 2002. However, a few years later, Karolina turned her love of listening to and reporting other people’s stories into a love of being part of those stories; in 2007, she completed her certification in becoming an Immigration Practitioner, and began helping people make their dreams of immigrating to Canada come true. A lover of educating people, Karolina now teaches others the ins and outs of being a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant at Ashton College.

• Ron McKay has been a practicing Immigration Consultant for the last seventeen years at the law firm, Clark Wilson LLP in Vancouver, British Columbia. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and Public Administration and is a Graduate of the UBC-Seneca Immigration Practitioner Program. He was previously employed as a locally engaged Immigration Officer at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo, Japan. He was the First National President for the Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants. He is presently a National Director of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council.