Dr. Abdur Rabb

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I came to Canada 48 years ago. I am very fortunate to be a Canadian citizen. I consider Canada the best country of the world. This country has given me and my family genuine freedom–political, social and religious–, human rights, good education, opportunities to realize our potentials, security of life, prosperity, and peace. Here the state guarantees food, clothing, shelter, education, and medical care for all Canadians. Saskatchewan is a province of this great country. Bounded by Manitoba on the east, Alberta on the west, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut on the north, and the American States of Montana and North Dakota on the south, Saskatchewan is now attracting many immigrants from all over the world. Many Canadians of other provinces are also moving to the same province for the opportunities that it offers.

Saskatchewan is full of natural resources. It has potash, gold, diamond, oil, and gas. A large part of the world’s uranium deposits exists under the soil of that province.  Canada is the store-house of wheat that feeds the world, and over 54% of that wheat is produced in Saskatchewan. The population of approximately one million people is utterly insufficient for developing the resources of that province. Hence the Government of Saskatchewan have made the wise decision of making it easy for immigrants to come and work there. If a person needs to obtain 69 points to qualify for immigration to some other provinces such as Ontario and Quebec, that person needs almost half of that score, 35 points, to come to Saskatchewan. This means that a large number of the people of Bangladesh, for example, qualify to become immigrants in Saskatchewan. Moreover, after one year of residence in the province, an immigrant can bring his/her relatives as immigrants. The following is a summary of the point system on which a skilled person applying for immigration to Saskatchewan is assessed:

1. Education and training. If you have a trade or occupational certification that required one full year of training, you may score 8 points.

2. Work experience. If you have worked for more than five years, you will score 10 points.

3. Language ability. If you speak English related to your job, you may earn 10 points.

I should note that if one member of the family qualifies for immigration, the entire immediate family of that person is given immigrant visas.

As for the employment situation in Saskatchewan, the recent figures from Statistics Canada show 5.5 per cent jobless rate in that province. This figure is second only to Manitoba’s 5.1 per cent, and is well below the national rate of 7.6 per cent. It was the 10th consecutive month of year-over-year employment gains. Two major cities, Regina and Saskatoon, constitute the engine of economic growth of the province.

As for education, the University of Saskatchewan and University of Regina are the institutions of higher learning. There are of course many high schools, colleges and training centers in the province.

If you are fond of professional sports, think about Saskatchewan Roughriders CFL football team. Saskatchewan is known as the RIDER nation. Regina Pats, Saskatoon Blades, Prince Albert Raiders, Swift Current Broncos and Moose Jaw Warriors are your choices too.

I am sure that you would like to know about Saskatchewan’s weather. Sure it is cold in the winter there. I must say however that I never heard of an immigrant to Canada dying because of cold weather. Human nature is such that we adapt to new conditions fairly easily. My family and I have been in Montreal for a long time, and we have survived the harsh winter of this city. We must also remember that our weather is the best in the world, ‘inside’. Our houses, offices, schools, shopping centers, trains, buses—all are heated and usually have temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Actually it is easier to protect ourselves from cold weather than from hot weather conditions. If I am in a Saudi Arabian desert in the summer, there is no way in which I can protect myself from the heat. Even stripping me to the underwear will not help. On the other hand, I just dress myself properly in cold weather and walk outside without difficulties. It is also because of cold weather that we do not have many of the diseases that hot countries have; the germs of those diseases just cannot survive in cold temperature. Most of the time Saskatchewan’s weather is dry. Hence it is easier to bear that weather than the weather of Montreal, for example, which is often cold and damp.

Immigration produces a win-win situation. The immigrants work hard and prosper, and the immigrant-receiving country or province becomes rich. All those who are interested in applying for immigration to Saskatchewan should read the information in the website: SASKATCHEWAN IMMIGRATION NOMINEE PROGRAM. They should also read the article on Saskatchewan on the internet. I recommend that they get a print-out of the material of these websites and read the information carefully before filling in the application form. The following information may also be useful to the applicants:

SASKATCHEWAN IMMIGRATION NOMINEE PROGRAM
7TH Floor, 1975 Hamilton St.
Regina, Saskatchewan
CANADA S4P 2C8

Tel. (Canada 001) 306-798-7467 Fax: (Canada 001) 306-798-0713
Email: immigration@gov.sk.ca
Website: www.immigration.gov.sk.ca/skilled