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With so many Irish immigrants, B.C. now home to 2nd Irish consulate

The space at The World Trade Center at Canada Place is being shared with Germany’s consulate
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Irish Consulate General Frank Flood and German Consulate General Klaus Schmidt shake hands during the official announcement of new consulate space in Vancouver. (Ireland in Vancouver/Twitter)

With so many people moving to B.C. from Ireland, that country has opened a consulate office in Vancouver.

The new office, which officially opened Monday, is the second consulate in Canada in addition to the Irish Embassy in Ottawa.

The space at The World Trade Center at Canada Place is being shared with Germany’s consulate.

About 675,000 people who identify as being of Irish descent were living in B.C. in 2016, according to the most recent Statistics Canada data. After a recession hit Ireland in 2008, Canada saw an increase in young people and families looking to move here.

This year, the federal government made roughly 10,700 working permits available for Irish citizens through the International Experience Canada holiday work program.

Through its temporary foreign worker program, the immigration ministry has reported more permits being made available to Irish citizens, from 230 in 2005 to more than 1,500 in 2014.


@ashwadhwani
ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca

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About the Author: Ashley Wadhwani-Smith

I began my journalistic journey at Black Press Media as a community reporter in my hometown of Maple Ridge, B.C.
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