By Vancouver Sun | Link to Article
By Vancouver Sun | Link to Article
In what can only be described as a major coup for Vancouver-based SUCCESS, the non-profit organization has won a federal contract to provide pre-arrival immigrant consultation services in key markets such as China, Japan, the United States and much of Southeast Asia.
The contract from Citizenship and Immigration Canada, which bolsters SUCCESS’s reach significantly, will result in the group setting up two brand-new oversea offices — each housing up to 10 staff members — in Beijing and Shanghai, effectively doubling the size of the group’s international operations.
The announcement was made at SUCCESS’s annual fundraising gala on March 28 by chairman Doug Purdie. For a group that saw new Canadians from China make up 38 per cent of its business last year, having a physical presence in the country was a long time coming, officials said.
“I’ve always wondered why we didn’t have an office in China,” said SUCCESS CEO Queenie Choo, who herself arrived in Alberta from the United Kingdom as part of a nursing recruitment initiative. “This was one of my dreams because, from personal experience, I did not have any of this when I arrived in Canada 35 years ago. I arrived in Alberta in November, and it was bitterly cold. It would have been very beneficial to have someone providing a smooth continuum and transition experience. We are sure we are doing the right thing.”
While the announcement won’t increase the number of immigrants arriving from these markets (pre-arrival consultation only happens after an applicant is independently approved by federal immigration authorities, and SUCCESS says its presence will not involve recruitment operations in any way), what it will provide is a streamlined process for new Canadians to find their footing in Canada and start contributing to Canadian society more quickly.