Canadian immigration opens help-centre in Saskatchewan
September 01 2009 by Matt Jones
Regina is popular for Canada visa holders
Canadian immigration have opened a Newcomers Welcome Centre in Saskatchewan to help immigrants settle into the community
The centre opened in August. It is not yet fully staffed but when it is it will be able to help families on a Canada visa with a wide variety of issues including information on income support, recreational activities and housing. The centre will also have the ability to assess immigrants on their English Language skills by utilizing provincial and federal assessments.
The centre was opened due to an increase in the number of migrants applying for a visa for Canada due to of job opportunities the area.
Centre Manager Leah Sharp said: "I think, with the change in the number of newcomers [coming to Saskatchewan], we noticed a need to have a more simplified process for families to get help.”
Over 9,500 people are expected to move to Canada and set up home in Saskatchewan in the next 12-18 months.
A significant role the centre has adopted is helping parents to register their children in local schools. The parents used to register the children at the school itself, but now there is a centralized system.
The Open Door Society hired Sharp in June.
Sharp said: “We basically came together to hopefully make it a little bit easier for families settling in Regina to get their children and teens registered for school and properly assessed so that the schools can put in proper educational supports for those children and youth in the school system.”
Both the federal and provincial government provide the funding for the center. The center assesses children’s English ability to help decide where to place them in school.
Sharp said: "It is kind of a first-stop, one-stop shop for newcomers to come in and get the information that they need, any referrals and to get their children registered in school and on the road to being successful educationally.”
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