A successful bid has garnered the local agency which specializes in welcoming newcomers more financial support.
The Immigrant and Multicultural Services Society (IMSS) was awarded $423,356.80 in funding from the provincial government to use toward immigrant settlement services.
The money is part of the $20.3 million annual budget of the Settlement and Integration Program, which is part of WelcomeBC.
The money will be used for orientation classes and workshops on a variety of topics such s finding a job or a place to live, navigating the local transit system and learning banking basics.
The money available for these programs has been steadily increasing, said IMSS executive director Baljit Sethi, which allows the organization to do more specialized things.
"Before, there were no services for special needs or women or seniors," Sethi said.
She added that the money also allows the society to offer their programming in more languages than before. They've recently brought on a settlement counsellor with a background in the Philippines to help reach that large segment of their clientele.
"I have worked closely with Immigrant and Multicultural Services on a number of projects and know that this will allow them to continue the great work they do in assisting immigrant families transition to life in Northern British Columbia," said Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond in a press release. "IMSS has a strong team led by Baljit Sethi and they work tirelessly to provide the essential support that is critical in helping families adjust and become strong, contributing members of our community."
According to WelcomeBC - an umbrella group bringing together immigration, settlement and immigration-related labour market services - it is expected that there will be more than one million job openings in the province and skilled immigrants are expected to play a vital role in filling those spots.
"I'm very happy that we have good support from [Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Minister] Pat Bell and Minister Bond," Sethi said.
"I personally think the [Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation] is actively looking into ways to make the community and workplaces more welcoming [for new Canadians]."
