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Learn about Vancouver (British Columbia) Immigration
If you wish to immigrate to Vancouver, you will need to file your permanent residency in one of the Federal immigration categories or under one of the British Columbia’s provincial nominee program. Immigration to Vancouver, as such is not a separate process. Once you get your permanent residency for Canada, you can get settled in Vancouver any time.
Here are a few reasons why you should choose Vancouver for immigration.
Vancouver city, one of the cities on the top of the preference list of immigrants, was discovered in the year 1792, and was named after Capt. George Vancouver, an explorer. The city is situated on the north bank of the River Columbia directly across from Portland, Oregon. The city is nearly 90 miles away from the Pacific Coast. Towards the east, there stand the mighty Cascade Mountain Range. Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument and Mt. Hood are less than two hours away. Vancouver blends the thrill of a major metropolitan area with small-town appeal and plentiful recreational prospects, and has thus become a popular destination for immigrants from China, India, Hong Kong, Philippines and many more countries.
In the annual survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit, this Canadian west coast city and 2010 Winter Olympics host, scored 98% on a combination of steadiness, health care, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure — a score unchanged from last year, and has thus been rated as world’s most livable city. It has topped the list from 2007.
Vancouver, the largest island on the west coast of North America, has a diversity found nowhere else. From sandy ocean beaches to lofty glacier-adorned mountains to impenetrable rain forests, the island boasts of an affluent eco-system that is home to thousands of plant and animal species. This assortment has made Vancouver Island one of the world's top tourism destinations: a place to fish for huge salmon, scale a mountain, wander through a grove of 800-year-old trees, paddle with killer whales along a wrinkled shoreline, watch Native carvers create a totem pole, trek some of the most stunning tracks in the world, ski a world-class run, make a putt on any of the 50-plus golf courses, or just to relax on a warm sandy beach. The people and Vancouver Island can rightfully boast that this corner of the world is a piece of paradise. A place, they like to boast about, where you can swim golf and ski all in the same day!
Greatly influenced by the winds and currents of the Pacific, Vancouver Island's climate is considerably milder than that of the mainland. Due to the warm winds, the west coast rarely observes snow in winter. The ocean air loses strength in its climb over the central mountains, making the east coast of the island much drier and warmer than the west. The south end of the island receives little annual rainfall, while, at lower heights, winter snow is usually minimal. It is not uncommon to see golfers on the course in mid January, while skiers try out the deep powder on mountains in the vicinity.
Vancouver is one of the three warmest Canadian cities, others are Victoria and Abbotsford. Vancouver has a western maritime climate; hence its weather can be variable throughout the year. Vancouver has one of the wettest and foggiest climates of Canada's cities. At times, in winter, it can seem that the rain will never stop.
Counterbalancing for the wet winters, Vancouver usually enjoys outstanding summer weather characterized by very pleasant, warm days with plentiful sunshine. The daily maximum averages 22 °C (72 °F) in July and August, with maximum temperatures hardly ever reaching 30 °C (86 °F).
Vancouver is the city with 12% of the region’s industrial floor space. The Port of Vancouver, Canada's largest and most varied, does more than C$75 billion in trade with over 130 different economies annually. Vancouver's picturesque location makes it a major tourist destination. Many visit to see the city's gardens of all shapes and sizes, the mountains, migrating whales in the ocean, forest and parklands which surround the city. Each year over a million people pass through Vancouver on cruise ship vacations.
Vancouver is administrated by the ten-member Vancouver City Council, a nine-member School Board, and a seven-member Park Board, all elected for three-year terms through an at-large system. There are 21 municipalities in Metro Vancouver, whose seat is in Burnaby. While each has a separate municipal government, Metro Vancouver supervises common services within the area such as water, sewage, transportation, and regional parks.
The Vancouver School Board enrolls more than 110,000 students in its elementary, secondary, and post-secondary institutions, making it the second-largest school district in the province. There are five public universities in the Greater Vancouver area. Vancouver Community College and Langara College are publicly funded college-level institutions in Vancouver. These are augmented by private institutions and other colleges in the surrounding areas of Metro Vancouver that provide career, trade, and university-transfer programs, while the Vancouver Film School provides one-year programs in film production and video game design. The Vancouver School of conceptual photography (often referred to as photoconceptualism) is a term applied to a grouping of artists from Vancouver who attained international acknowledgement starting in the 1980s. No formal "school" exists and the grouping remains both informal and often contentious even among the artists themselves, who often resist the term.
Musical contributions from Vancouver include performers of classical, folk and popular music. The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is the professional orchestra based in the city. The Vancouver Opera is a major opera company in the city. Vancouver has a lively nightlife scene, whether it be food and dining, or bars and nightclubs. The street can draw large crowds on weekends and is closed to traffic on such nights.
Vancouver is a major film and television production centre. Nicknamed Hollywood North, the city has been used as a film making location for nearly a century, beginning with the Edison Manufacturing Company. In 2008 more than 260 productions were filmed in Vancouver, making it the third-largest film centre in North America - after Los Angeles and New York City - and second only to Los Angeles in television production in the world. Wide mixes of local, national, and international newspapers are distributed in the city. Some of the local television stations include CBC, City, CTV and Global BC. OMNI British Columbia produces daily newscasts.
Vancouver currently has the second-largest trolleybus fleet in North America, after San Francisco. TransLink is responsible for roads and public transportation within Metro Vancouver. It provides a bus service, including the B-Line rapid bus service; a foot passenger and bicycle ferry service (known as SeaBus); a mechanical rapid transit service called SkyTrain; and West Coast Express commuter rail. Vancouver's SkyTrain system is currently running on three lines, the Millennium Line, the Expo Line and the Canada Line. Other modes of transport add to the diversity of options available in Vancouver. Inter-city passenger rail service is operated from Pacific Central Station by Via Rail to points east.
Vancouver has over 1,298 hectares (3,200 acres) of parks, of which, Stanley Park, at 404 hectares (1,000 acres), is the largest. The city has several large beaches, many bordering one another, extending from the shoreline of Stanley Park around False Creek to the south side of English Bay. The coastline provides for many types of water sport, and the city is a popular destination for boating fans. Vancouver, along with Whistler and Richmond, was the host city for the 2010 Winter Olympic and the Paralympics Games. On June 12, 2010, it played host to Ultimate Fighting Championship 115 (UFC 115) which was the fourth UFC event to be held in Canada (the other 3 were held in Montreal). Vancouver is a centre for the fast-growing sport of Ultimate. During the summer of 2008 Vancouver hosted the World Ultimate Championships. Vancouver has quite a low adult obesity rate of 12% as compared to the Canadian average of 23%. 51.8% of Vancouverites are overweight, making it the fourth thinnest city in Canada after Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax.
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