New help-centre in opened in Saskatchewan

With the purpose of helping newcomers settle into the community, a Newcomers Welcome Centre has been opened by Canadian immigration in Saskatchewan.

The Centre was opened in the month of August and though it is not completely staffed till now, it will be working towards helping families on visa to Canada with issues related to information on income support, housing, recreational activities, and many other things after things get complete. With the help of provincial and federal assessments, the centre will also be able to assess the English Language skills of immigrants.

The main reason behind opening the centre was an increase in the number of applications for Canadian visas from immigrants as a result of job opportunities in the area.

Leah Sharp, Manager of the Centre, said that they felt the need to have a more simple process for helping families after the increase in the number of newcomers coming to the province.

In the next twelve to eighteen months, it is expected that more than 9,500 immigrants would come to Canada and establish their home in Saskatchewan.

The centre has also taken up the role of helping parents register their children in local schools in their area. Sharp said that everyone in the centre basically came together to make things easier for families settling in the region in terms of registering their children in schools so that proper educational support can be put in by schools for such children.

The funding for the centre comes from the federal as well as the provincial government.