B.C. immigration program well managed, but fraud, corruption are risks: auditor

An audit says an immigration program that brings workers to British Columbia fills labour gaps but needs to improve safeguards for fraud and corruption.

Russ Jones, B.C.'s acting auditor general, says the report on the provincial nominee program that attracts immigrants found high employment rates and that more than 85 per cent of those who became permanent residents stayed in the province.

His report says that despite corruption and fraud protections in the program, the safeguards have not been fully assessed for risks and are not monitored.

The report does not identify widespread corruption but cites possible fraud and misrepresentation scenarios, including applicants inflating their qualifications, employers falsely claiming they advertised jobs in Canada before recruiting abroad and immigration agents lying about jobs.

The report makes four recommendations to improve performance management and protect the integrity of the program.

Jobs Minister Michelle Mungall says in a statement that it agrees with the report's recommendations and will be taking firm action to address the effectiveness and integrity of the program.

"Work on the auditor general's recommendations are already underway, including developing a formal framework to better assess risks of misrepresentation, fraud and corruption," Mungall says.