The Government of Saskatchewan has recently announced an $8.5 million infusion of funds into immigration and settlement services for the 2007-2008 fiscal year. This budget represents a 40 per cent increase over 2006-2007.

Recognizing the importance of immigration to the province’s labour force, the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program surpassed its targets last year, issuing 1,255 nominations, an increase of 176 per cent over the previous year. The new goal for the upcoming year is 1,500.

The Immigration branch of the provincial government will focus on streamlining application processes, expanding processing capacity, increasing marketing efforts, and improving settlement community-based services, making them more widely available across the province. $5.7 million of the investment is allotted to support settlement initiatives such as credential recognition, employment and language services, capacity building and funding supports for settlement agencies. The remainder will cover the expenses of the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program.