27 May 2019, Calgary – Deputy Consul General Zaldy Patron conducted a Post-Arrival Orientation Seminar (PAOS) for about 40 Filipino community members in Lethbridge,

 

The seminar was held in partnership with the Filipino-Canadian Association of Lethbridge, Alberta (FCALA).

 

DCG Patron briefed the community about the consular services and programs of the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) and the Social Security System (SSS) in Calgary and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) in Vancouver.

 

Specific topics like procedures and requirements for passport application, legalization of documents, and reacquisition of Philippine citizenship; standard provisions of labor contract to be approved by POLO; and the benefits of becoming SSS and OWWA members were discussed during the seminar.

 

Based on Alberta’s 2016 Municipal Affairs Population List, Lethbridge is the fourth largest city in the province with an estimated population of 96,828.

 

The Filipinos, with a total population of about 1,625, are the largest group of recent immigrants in the city for the period 2011-2016, accounting for 29 percent of all arrivals.

 

Lethbridge is the commercial, financial, transportation and industrial centre of southern Alberta.