More illegal migrants are coming here, but profile is different from those arriving elsewhere in Canada

There are no migrant caravans here and no mass rush across British Columbia’s unprotected border with the United States as there has been in Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.Still, the number of people claiming refugee status after walking or driving into British Columbia has sharply increased, even though the number remains relatively small compared to central Canada.Between April 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017, the Settlement Orientation Services of B.C. recorded a 76-per-cent increase in those seeking help — a total of 1,277 claimants.Across Canada, the number of illegal migrants has more than doubled from 2011. Earlier this week, the Parliamentary Budget Office reported that this could cost the federal government as much as $1 billion over three years — and that doesn’t include the cost to the provinces, which pick up the tab for the healthcare, social assistance and education that refugee claimants are entitled to.