CANADA has greeted Guadalcanal Province with a New Year’s message which informs the province that eight more persons from the province have been nominated for Permanent Residence in Canada.
Thomas Tangithia Mike has received his nomination approval as part of Guadalcanal Province’s partnership with Canadian International Training & Education Corp [CITREC].
He has been offered a job which he has accepted as a supervisor in the food service sector.
Thomas is all packed and will be departing for Canada, a country which he will call his new home.
Thomas’ seven family members, which include his wife and children, also plan to join him in Canada in the later part of the year.
Thomas was presented with his travel documents that include his visa for travel to Canada yesterday at the Guadalcanal Provincial headquarters by Premier Anthony Veke and members of the Guadalcanal Education authority.
“Thomas Tangithia Mike your approval as principal applicant for the CITREC -GP partnership is another milestone of history in making,” Mr Veke told Mr Mike.
“Soon your family will be joining you in Canada as well,” he added.
“Your new title as supervisor for your new job in Canada sends a strong message that GP residents when equipped with proper education and training see the ‘sky is the limit’.
“Well done Thomas.”
Premier Veke said Guadalcanal province is leading the foundation work of establishing a strong Human Resources policy and framework between Solomon Islands and Canada.
Approval of eight persons from Guadalcanal is the largest number of persons who have received permanent residence nomination at one particular time and this is a moment for us to celebrate as part of our collective achievement,” Mr Veke said.
He said that his government and people of Guadalcanal are pleased with the achievements of this partnership that has helped Guadalcanal people attain Canadian education and training and then be facilitated to find jobs and further build their future in Canada.
“I also remain very grateful to the Canadian government authorities who continue to support our partnership.
“Canada’s support of the people of Guadalcanal is helping build my province. It is helping dreams come true for many of our people,” Mr Veke said.
“During my meeting with senior Canadian officials we discussed the labour mobility arrangement we presently share with CITREC and Canadian businesses and the positive impact it is having on the lives of our people.
“My people learn and earn, and we cannot thank the Canadian people and its government enough for their support of this partnership.”
Premier Veke said that the Labour Mobility partnership has helped established very strong and cordial relations between Guadalcanal and Canada and he is confident that GP’s partnership will open more opportunities for the province.
“There is no doubt that we continue to experience the friendly and cooperative attitude of the Canadian government towards our education and labour mobility partnership.
“This relationship will only grow to help further contribute towards Canada’s relationship with Guadalcanal and the Solomon Islands,” Premier Veke said.
He added that as the Guadalcanal workforce increases in Canada it also at the same time will help promote trade and tourism between both countries.
“The more people in Canada find out about Solomon Islands and the Province of Guadalcanal the more they will desire to travel and that will in given time also gain interest of investors to seek investment opportunity.
“This will contribute to our economy and tourism not only to Guadalcanal but to Solomon Islands as a whole.”
Premier Veke said that it is also becoming evident that the country needs to be attracting foreign investment to help propel its economy and it is Province’s like Guadalcanal that can help assist in attracting foreign investment to the shores of the Solomon Islands through its foreign partnership.
“We have to grow our economy.
“We need to be committed to public investment to spur economic growth, job creation, and broad-based prosperity.
“We must look to the future and create a platform that can sustain the challenging economic times,” Mr Veke said.
He further said that in a very effective and efficient manner we should at Central government level aggressively seek to export our well trained human resources to countries such as Canada and in return strengthen our areas of foreign remittances through revised tax treaty arrangement to help in-flow of foreign currency to the economy of Solomon Islands.
A few weeks ago, Grace Delight Sutahi arrived in Canada after she was granted her Canadian nomination for Permanent Residence.
Ms Delight is employed as a cook and joins two more Guadalcanal CITREC graduates Amelia Muse and Careka Volly who were the first two Guadalcanal people to be granted Canadian nomination for permanent residence late August of this year.
Just a week before Ms Delight’s arrival into Canada, Patrick Biru arrived at Canada’s Vancouver International Airport and received his Work Permit for 24 months.
“From what we have been witnessing, we are adding an average of two Guadalcanal-CITREC graduates into the Canadian economy each month and for a small Island nation like the Solomon Islands and the province of Guadalcanal this is a significant achievement,” Premier Veke said.
“We cannot ignore the fact that one of the issues that the Solomon Islands is facing which is both an economic and social concern is that we continue to have a high unemployment rate.”
Mr Veke further added that GP is achieving its mandate of educating, training and putting people to work as part of his government’s human resources policy.
“It is very important that once we invest in education we ensure that we have a pathway for our people after they graduate. This is what the GP partnership with CITREC is delivering.”
He further said that this partnership is a highly commendable achievement.
“We started off by sending people for employment to Canada under a 4-month scheme.
“Then we started to prepare our graduates for 24-month employment opportunity. Now we will have 3 GP people employed in Canada under the permanent residence nomination program with another application under process,” a proud Mr Veke said.
CITREC Chairman Ashwant said that “CITREC-GP partnership has collectively achieved positive results for the people of Guadalcanal Province and Solomon Islands”.
“Guadalcanal Province is becoming a trusted partner in human resources.
“Through our partnership we have strengthened Guadalcanal Provinces Human Resources Policy beyond the Provincial level where we have seen Guadalcanal Province becoming a positive economic contributor to Canada’s workforce and economy in 2017.
“I remain confident that in 2018 we will be able to further deliver to the demands of the Canadian workforce by sending more GP-CITREC job ready graduates to help Canadian employers fill the job gap that they have been experiencing,” Chairman Dwivedi said.
A happy Thomas said that he looks forward to the new opportunity the CITREC-GP partnership has provided to him.
“Wow. I can’t believe that tomorrow I will be departing for Canada.
“Next week I will be employed as a supervisor and will be calling Canada my new home,” an excited Thomas said.
He further said that he is committed to delivering to the best of his ability.
“Just like my other colleagues who are already in Canada I am also job ready,” Thomas said.
He further promised that he will make Guadalcanal and Solomon Islands proud.
To date just since August of last year 2017, through CITREC’s partnership with GP, 15 Guadalcanal persons including dependants have received their Permanent residence nominations.
Including Thomas, 4 principle applicants are in Canada and their families will be soon joining them.
In Canada’s agriculture sector there are 4 workers on work permit.
In November of last year three GP-CITREC workers left for Canada to participate in an Agriculture Canada pilot project.
Baddley Sepo, Jonathan Benosi, and Mclin Tiaro have been granted their work permit under the Agriculture Management Pilot project which is valid for 24 months.
Guadalcanal Province’s partnership with CITREC is bringing the opportunity for Guadalcanal people to be employed in Canada both on short term and long- term employment valid for 4-24 months as seasonal workers in the Agriculture, Tourism and Hospitality sectors.
While those successfully nominated under the immigration nomination program are granted permanent residency.
This partnership has already seen Guadalcanal CITREC graduates receive their nomination for Permanent Residency last year under the Canadian Government’s immigration nomination program.
In an historic event for the Province and the Solomon Islands, both Amelia Muse and Careka Volly of Guadalcanal in August of last year [ 2017] received their immigration nomination documents for Canada that came with an employment confirmation and the opportunity for the duo to remain in Canada on a permanent basis as residents, a process they have applied for since arriving in Canada.
Both Mr Volly and Ms Muse have created history for the country, becoming the first Solomon Islanders to be nominated under the Immigrant nominee program.
Both are employed as food supervisors for an international fast-food restaurant chain in Canada.
Also approved to travel with Mr. Volly is his spouse and two dependent children who will soon all call Canada their home.
In total four persons in Mr Volly’s family will be travelling to Canada while Ms Muse will be travelling as the only principal applicant.
Ms Sutahi’s husband is also eligible to travel to Canada under the permanent residence nomination.
Thomas’ seven family members which include his wife and children also plan to join him in Canada in the later part of the year.
Ms Muse is the only single principal applicant.
Under the Permanent residence program total number of GP residents admitted into program is 15 while 4 persons are unemployed in Canada under Temporary work permit.
CITREC Vice President International Relations on Labour Mobility Andrew Bhai said that employers in food and agriculture sector are working with CITREC and Canadian government Ministry of Human Resources to begin the process of hiring more GP-CITREC graduates both on a permanent and temporary basis.
