Cara Loverock
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, January 30, 2008

YELLOWKNIFE - Dozens of newcomers to Canada pour into Ana Perdomo's office every week as the number of immigrants moving to Yellowknife continues to grow.

Perdomo is the director of the New Canadian Multicultural Program and is also an immigrant, having been born in Uruguay and raised in Brazil. Her family came to Canada 1997 and she moved up to Yellowknife in 2000.

The New Canadian Multicultural Program is part of the Centre for Northern Families and works with new immigrants in a number of ways to help them in their new home.

The program has been in place since the summer of 2005 and has its own facility because of the large need in the community. It has grown to include 132 families from more than 32 countries.

"We all have the same experience, we all have the same culture shock," said Perdomo.

Perdomo said she deals with a large number of immigration cases, as there is only one immigration enforcement officer for the entire NWT and Nunavut. Perdomo said in a week she will deal with roughly 30 to 50 people just in regards to immigration issues.

"It's non-stop, but it's their life, their life depends on that," said Perdomo.

The program has yet to receive any funding from Citizenship and Immigration Canada. It runs on donations and funding the NWT Department of Education, Culture and Employment has provided.

One of the most vital services they provide is guidance on how to become a Canadian citizen.

"We do everything, visa, sponsorship applications, permanent residence, and refugee claims too," said Perdomo.

There are tutors that work with those new to the country who are looking to learn English, in addition to ESL training, advanced English courses, and a computer lab where people can learn computer skills and stay connected with family through the internet.

The multicultural program also offers a number of social networking programs to help people integrate into the community and become more independent. The multicultural collective kitchen is one of a number of programs that gets people sharing their culture and networking.

"It's tough for any family (to immigrate) and that's why we need the program. We help them to cope," said Perdomo. "It's not just information, they need more than that."