The IOM Office in Colombia this week assisted the final group of
159 migrants selected for employment at Maple Leaf Foods, a
Canadian meat processing giant.

This last group, travelling to Canada this week, brings the
number of Colombians assisted by IOM now employed by Maple Leaf
Foods in the cities of Brandon, Edmonton and Lethbridge to
308.  A total of 758 persons applied for the IOM Canada labour
migration programme.

"I'm hoping to eventually settle in Canada with my daughter,"
explains Diana Cortés, a 26-year-old single mother who was
selected for the labour migration programme.  "My daughter is
happy, she knows I'm going for two years and we'll be in contact
all the time.  This is a great opportunity for a better
future."

The selected candidates are hired for a period of two years
under the temporary foreign worker programme.  At the end of
the two years, Maple Leaf nominates those wishing to stay in Canada
to the Provincial Nominee Programme.  Once approved, the
migrant is awarded permanent residence status and can bring his or
her spouse and minor children to Canada.

A labour shortage in Canada prompted Maple Leaf Foods to venture
into foreign recruitment in 2002.

IOM and Maple Leaf have signed bilateral agreement with Colombia
and trilateral agreements with Honduras and Mauritius.

IOM carries out the pre-selection process, organizes the final
selection process with representatives of Maple Leaf who travel to
Colombia to conduct face-to-face interviews, arranges for those
selected to undergo medical examinations, coordinates English
language courses, assists in the visa processing procedures, travel
arrangements and transit assistance, and carries out monitoring and
evaluation in Canada.

Maple Leaf identifies apartments to let in the city and pays the
first month's rent.  They also provide beds and bedding, a
welcome package, a one-month bus pass and grocery coupons to help
new foreign employees until they receive their first pay check.

According to government figures, Colombia's unemployment rate
for March 2008 was 10.9 per cent.  In 2007, the country
received USD 4.2 billion in remittances from migrants living
abroad.

Maple Leaf Foods is a Canadian-based food processing company
with more than 22,500 employees across Canada, the United States,
the United Kingdom and Asia, and operates more than 100
facilities.

Based on the success with Maple Leaf Foods, IOM Colombia is
exploring labour migration possibilities with other Canadian
companies.

For more information, please contact:

Jorge Andres Gallo

IOM Colombia

Tel: +57.1.594.6410 Ext. 142

Mobile: + 311. 561.9495

E-mail: "mailto:jgallo@iom.int">jgallo@iom.int