News

Immigration Program Marks Significant Milestone

posted on January 29, 2020

By Pembina Valley |

An immigration pilot project in the Altona/Rhineland area has reached a milestone since getting started in November.

Stephanie Harris, economic development officer for S.E.E.D. said over two thousand application forms have been submitted to their office from foreign workers around the world hoping to fill job vacancies here through the Rural and Northern Immigration pilot program.

“We’re are very excited that we have finally provided community recommendations to three candidates and their families. Unfortunately, I can’t say exactly where they are from, but they are from three different countries.”

Under the pilot program, once there’s a match between the person and the job, the employer can submit a request for a temporary foreign worker’s permit and have the person come to Canada.

Applicants invited to come to Canada will still need to apply for permanent residence while they are still in their country of origin.

Over the last three months S.E.E.D. has received over 200,000 visits to its website with close to 4,000 form submissions. Over 15,000 candidate profiles have been created from individuals who are looking to apply for positions on the website.

The immigration program has caught the attention of, not only people who want to work and live in this area, but foreign companies as well, according to Harris.

“We have also been receiving inquiries regarding the business development side of things. We’re hearing from foreign direct investors who are now starting to look at our region as a possibility to relocate or expand their business or possibly invest with businesses that are already established in the community.”

Harris said, while nothing concrete has developed from these initial conversations, it’s exciting to know that it’s happening.

 

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