In the last few weeks, Morden has been gaining national attention. Recently the city received requests from British Columbia for information and training, and a group wanted to do a documentary about Morden's immigration program.

The federal program called 'Immigration Matters' has been producing short documentaries about the success stories of immigration across Canada. A crew visited Morden to document the immigration program and its successes, which Morden's Immigration Coordinator, Shelly Voth, says was an exciting experience.

"It was nice; it was a great film crew, we enjoyed having them here, and I'm excited about what I've seen from the draft so far. It's just a short film, but it captures what Morden is, the friendly community that we are, and why immigration is successful here."

What interested the crew most was Morden's retention rates.

Voth says those who come through the program, 85 percent will remain in the community, and Morden is proud of this achievement.

That retention rate is what sparked interest from the BC Economic Summit, for Morden's Immigration team to speak to Economic Development officers on how Morden accomplishes this feat. Voth also met with staff from the BC Provincial Nominee Program for two days, sharing what Morden has learned from Manitoba's Nominee Program.

She attributes their success in keeping people within the community, is by meticulously choosing applicants they believe will land successfully, contribute to the economy, and meet immediate needs for an employer.

Morden's Immigration Program continues to meet the demands in the community and only needs to stay the course to remain on the road to success.

"Right now things are going well; there's nothing we would need to change to keep up the momentum, it's just a matter to continue to do what we do. We have a lot of applications to pick from, so it's continuing to choose who we feel are the best people, and that's what keeps the momentum going."

Voth hopes the short film will be ready within the near future, and there are already several videos available on the Canada.ca of other successes across the Nation.

 

Voth speaking at the BC Economic Summit