Saskatoon Breaks Down Language Barrier for Immigrants

Thousands of people approved for Canadian immigration move to Saskatchewan every year after being issued a Permanent Resident Visa to Canada and this has resulted in a growing diversity of languages being spoken in the province.  According to the Canadian census conducted in 2011, there were 16 new foreign languages being spoken in Saskatchewan that year that were not being used in the province just five years earlier. 

This is well illustrated in the city of Saskatoon where 4,000-5,000 people per year approved for Canadian immigration settle.  In addition to hearing English, French, Ukrainian and German in Saskatoon, one can also hear immigrants speaking Arabic, various African languages, Tagalog, Urdu, Punjabi, Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, Chinese and around 70 different languages.  As the number of foreign languages spoken in Saskatoon has increased, so has the need to break down language barriers to help those who immigrate to Canada more easily adjust to their new country and integrate into Canadian society.

Saskatoon (population 222,189) has several programs to help those who immigrate to Canada and move to the city improve their English skills and also receive necessary services.  For example, the Open Door Society and Newcomer Information Centre offer free English-language learning classes to immigrants, which can help them in so many areas of life, such as applying for Canada job openings, shopping, making friends, attending additional educational programs, receiving healthcare and other daily tasks.  The city has also printed a helpful brochure with phone numbers for various services in 14 languages.  Furthermore, Saskatoon’s police department has increased the number of interpreters available to assist immigrants in a variety of languages.

There are several reasons that thousands of people granted a Permanent Resident Visa to Canada decide to move to Saskatchewan each year.  In many cases, the new arrivals were approved for Canadian immigration through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) for Saskatchewan which offers a visa to Canada for skilled foreign workers who have job skills that are in high-demand in Saskatchewan and who meet additional requirements.  Others move to Saskatchewan in search of Canada job opportunities, particularly since this province has the lowest unemployment rate in Canada (3.9% as of March 2013).  Saskatchewan’s two largest cities also have the lowest unemployment rates of any city in Canada, with Regina (population 210,556) boasting a 3.5% unemployment rate in March 2013 and Saskatoon having an unemployment rate of 4.0% (March 2013).  

Therefore, if you immigrate to Canada and want to go to where there are lots of Canada job openings, these two cities in Saskatchewan offer many employment opportunities to immigrants.  Saskatchewan also has large immigrant communities, a high standard of living, and is a beautiful place to live.