VANCOUVER - It appears Canada is no longer the destination of choice for people smugglers. It's been a year since the first wave of Chinese boat people arrived off the B.C. coast. While there have been all sorts of warnings that more are on the way, no boats have showed up so far this summer.

'It's driven by money, and money depends on successful smuggling'

Now a prominent immigration expert says places like Canada no longer appeal to people smugglers. Don De Voretz recently returned to Vancouver from China. He says year-long detentions and mass deportations aren't profitable to smugglers.

"They're looking at overland routes," he says, "and this is because it's driven by money, and money depends on successful smuggling."

De Voretz says Europe offers smugglers an easier entry, despite the recent tragedy in Dover, England The bodies of 58 Chinese migrants were found in a container truck on the Dover docks. They had suffocated.

About 600 Chinese migrants arrived in B.C. in four different boats last summer. Some have been deported, a handful have been granted refugee status and a few have disappeared. The rest remain in detention in B.C. jails.