PROVINCE SETS AGGRESSIVE NEW IMMIGRATION TARGET

A new target for the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program will help the province sustain economic growth and build dynamic communities.

Advanced Education, Employment and Labour Minister Rob Norris today announced an aggressive new immigration target of 2,800 nominations for the 2008-09 fiscal year. Including nominees and families, this represents over 7,500 newcomers to our province, over and above those individuals who immigrate through the federal classes. Norris made the announcement at New Holland Saskatoon, which employs a number of immigrants who have applied to the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program.

The new target is an 85 per cent increase over the 2007-08 target of 1,500, which was surpassed with 1,692 immigrants nominated over the past fiscal year.

"We've begun to focus on improving processing times and are already making progress," Norris said. "Between January and March of 2008, we issued 538 nominations, a jump of 48 per cent over the same period in 2007. However, we still have more work to do in order to meet our new goal."

Achievement of the new target will be supported by:

• Improved internal efficiencies and additional staff dedicated to reducing application processing times;
• New funding for training and settlement supports announced in this year's budget, increasing total settlement funding to approximately $5 million in 2008-09; and
• On-site assessment of potential nominees during upcoming recruitment missions to the Philippines and Ukraine.

"Our upcoming missions represent the type of public-private partnerships that are key to increasing immigration in our province," Norris said. "I'm looking forward to participating in these missions and to the opportunity to promote Saskatchewan with local and national governments in the Philippines and Ukraine."

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For more information, contact:

Shannon Dumba
Advanced Education, Employment and Labour
Regina
Phone: 306-787-1331
Email: shannon.dumba@gov.sk.ca