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| Interested in immigrating to Victoria? Canada immigration lawyers Abrams & Krochak have helped people immigrate to Canada and settle all across the country. |
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Victoria's Inner Harbour with The Empress hotel in the background
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Victoria is the capital of the western Canadian province of British Columbia. The metropolitan area comprising of thirteen municipalities informally referred to as Greater Victoria and is the largest urban area on Vancouver Island. By population it currently ranks as the 14th largest metropolitan area in Canada.
Geography and Climate
Immigrants throughout Canada are drawn to Victoria's mild climate, beautiful scenery, year-round golf season, and general easy-going pace of life. Located on the southeastern tip of Vancouver Island, overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the City of Victoria has a population of approximately 345,000, and is the second most populous municipality in the province.
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Victoria has a temperate climate that is usually classified as Marine west coast, with mild, damp winters and relatively dry and mild summers. It is sometimes arguably classified as a Mediterranean climate.This is a major factor for people that immigrate to Canada from warm climates.
Thanks to the rain shadow effect of the nearby Olympic Mountains in Washington State, Victoria is the driest location on British Columbia's coasts, experiencing much lower rainfall than other nearby areas. Victoria averages just 26 cm (10 in) of snow annually. While roughly one third of winters will see virtually no snow, with less than 5 cm (2 in) falling during the entire season.
The rainshadow effect also means that Victoria gets more sunshine than surrounding areas. With 2,223 hours of sun annually, Victoria is one of the sunniest places in British Columbia, and gets more sunshine than most other cities in Canada The benefits of Victoria's climate are evident through the city's gardens, which display drought-tolerant oak trees, eucalyptus, arbutus, and even bananas.
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Victoria's Harbour with Songhees condominiums in the background
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| Top Regions of Birth for Recent Immigrants
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| Birth Region |
Population |
Percent |
| United States of America |
880 |
14.7% |
| Central America |
185 |
3.1% |
| South America |
225 |
3.8% |
| Western Europe |
280 |
4.7% |
| Eastern Europe |
410 |
6.9% |
| Southern Europe |
65 |
1.1% |
| Northern Europe |
660 |
11.0% |
| Western Africa |
110 |
1.8% |
| Eastern Africa |
100 |
1.7% |
| Northern Africa |
60 |
1.0% |
| Central Africa |
0 |
0.0% |
| Southern Africa |
100 |
1.7% |
| West Central Asia and the Middle East |
85 |
1.4% |
| Eastern Asia |
1650 |
27.6% |
| Southeast Asia |
525 |
8.8% |
| Southern Asia |
395 |
6.6% |
| Oceania and other |
230 |
3.8% |
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Victoria Immigration Profile
While most of the population of Victoria remains of European descent, a substantial portion of the recent Canadian immigrants that settled in Victoria were from Asia and the Middle East (44.5%) as well as Europe (23.6%). The People’s Republic of China and the United Kingdom accounted for 14% and 10% respectively.
During the period of 2001 to 2006 Victoria became home to 5,975 new Canadian immigrants. The chart to the left shows the regions of birth for the recent immigrants according to the Canadian 2006 Census.
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Economy and Job Opportunities for Immigrants
The regional economy is strong in tourism, public administration, defense and retail. However, the City of Victoria is focused on service-oriented and knowledge-based industries. There are approximately 22,000 small businesses in the region and most employ fewer than twenty staff. These small enterprises represent 93% of Greater Victoria’s employers, making Victoria an excellent location for people interested in business class immigration. Greater Victoria is also home to the Vancouver Island Technology Park and the University of Victoria Discovery Park.
Industry Sector
The region’s film industry is becoming increasingly well established. The increasing levels of activity over the past six years has led to the establishment of several production companies and has provided opportunities for a range of industry suppliers, contractors and actors. With a diverse geoclimatic base, mild weather conditions and close proximity to Los Angeles, the region has become the second largest film destination in the province. This sector will continue to benefit from the cost-competitiveness of the Canadian dollar and the tax incentives offered by the provincial government.
Given the region’s location and existing facilities Greater Victoria is well positioned to continue to offer and develop niche marine products and services, a benefit for people looking to immigrate to Victoria as a skilled worker. The region is home to a number of shipyards offering services and facilities such as maintenance and refits, vessel and system repair, shipbuilding, marine railways, a floating drydock (the only one on the West Coast), and engineering and design. The marine sciences are also important to the regional economy. At the Federal Ocean Sciences Centre, local scientists study a wide range of topics including sustainable aquaculture, ocean contaminants, changes in the ocean conditions on marine ecosystems and understanding the role of the ocean in the global climate system.
Education for Dependant Children and Post Secondary
If post secondary education is an important factor when considering your immigration destination, consider immigrating to Victoria. The Greater Victoria/Capital Regional District has three post secondary educational institutions: University of Victoria (UVIC), Camosun College, and Royal Roads University (RRU). UVIC was rated the 3rd best comprehensive university in all Canada by Macleans magazine's 2006 college/university ratings issue.
Victoria’s secondary schools are found to be very inviting by students that have recently immigrated to Victoria. The schools are ethnically diversity as a result of their international program. The Victoria International High School Programs offer international students ages 11 - 18 the opportunity to study in Victoria. Students from all around the world travel to Victoria to experience Canadian culture and improve their English while they attend one of the government-approved programs.
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One of the stone lions that guards the gate of Chinatown in Victoria
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Arts and Culture
The oldest (and most intact) Chinatown in Canada is located within Victoria. In the heart of downtown are the Parliament Buildings, the Fairmont Empress Hotel, the gothic Christ Church Cathedral, and the acclaimed Royal British Columbia Museum, with large exhibits on local Aboriginal peoples, Natural History and Modern History.
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In addition, the heart of downtown also has the Royal London Wax Museum, Victoria Bug Zoo, and the Pacific Undersea Gardens, which showcases the Giant Pacific Octopus, the Wolf Eel and other marine life of British Columbia. North of the city on the Saanich Peninsula are the Butchart Gardens, one of the biggest tourist attractions on the island, as well as the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, Victoria Butterfly Gardens and Centre of the Universe planetarium . There are also numerous National Historic Sites, such as the Fisgard Lighthouse, Craigflower Manor and Schoolhouse, Hatley Castle and Hatley Park and Fort Rodd Hill, which is a coastal artillery fort built in the late 1890s, located west of the city in Colwood.
Sports and Recreation
People interested in being near the ocean and water sports should defiantly consider Victoria immigration. Its island situation makes Victoria water sports a huge part of life in Victoria. Rowing, sailing, boating, kayaking, canoeing, swimming, synchronized swimming, diving, scuba diving, fishing, surfing and windsurfing are all popular sports in Victoria.
Immigrants in Victoraia also enjoy inland recreation. Beacon Hill Park is the city's main urban green space. Its area of 75 hectares lie along Victoria's southern shore, and includes numerous playing fields. The sport of cricket, the rules of which have mystified tourists and locals alike, has been played in Beacon Hill Park since the mid-nineteenth century.
Each summer, Beacon Hill Park plays host to several outdoor concerts, and the popular Luminara Community Lantern Festival.
The current major sporting and entertainment complex, for Victoria and the southern Vancouver Island Region, is the Save On Foods Memorial Centre arena.
Also located west of the city you will find Western Speedway, a 4/10th-mile oval and the largest in Western Canada.
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