The Program Director for Eastman Immigrant Services expects more than three hundred immigrant families will settle in this region in 2014. Richard Harder says it's been another steady year, though not quite as busy as 2013, which was a banner year.

Harder explains as of October 31, 2014 there were 268 new families (641 individuals) registered with the settlement office. In all of 2012 there were 223 families (659 individuals) and last year another 354 families (1008 individuals).

According to Harder, Germany still produces the highest number of newcomers with 58 families so far this year. Historically Paraguay has been runner up but this year the Philippines has claimed second spot with 30 families, while Paraguay sits third with 27 families. Harder guesses in a couple of years the Philippines will sit number one.

Harder says because his office can only track newcomers when they first arrive, they don't know the percentage that settle in Steinbach compared to the surrounding area. He says back when immigration numbers were so high from Germany, many of them wanted more land and would therefore settle outside of Steinbach. But with that trend changing, he believes a large percentage of the 268 families that have settled in the region this year, have done so in The Automobile City.

In a given year, Eastman Immigrant Services will see newcomers from between 40 and 45 countries. Harder says this year there's been a new trend with ten families coming from Fiji. He notes this is thanks to a large agricultural employer that has been recruiting workers from Fiji. Harder says for families coming from Fiji, they assign a community volunteer as part of their Settlement Partner Program.

"This is basically community volunteers that open up their heart and be a friend, be a support, be this extension of settlement services to a newcomer," notes Harder. "We'll partner a community volunteer with a newcomer Fijian and they will be buddies."

Harder explains this community member can be an ongoing support, especially in the evenings when maybe the settlement office is closed.

Meanwhile, Harder says it is definitely becoming more difficult to immigrate to Canada. That's because over the last two years Canada has become more rigid in its requirement for newcomers to take an English test. Harder says this has become a stumbling block for some cultures where English isn't as prominent. As a result, Harder had expected a drop in immigration numbers.