 Natie
Lasaleta Sotana who owns BC Happy Homes Immigration Services is an
immigration consultant who has helped many kababayans from different parts
of the world to come to
Canada
since 1992. To comply with the newly introduced government licensing
requirements, she enrolled for the Immigration Practitioner's Course at
UBC in 2002 and had since qualified to be licensed by the Canadian Society
of Immigration Consultants (CSIC).
She started by helping
Filipino caregivers come to
Canada
in 1992 through her nanny agency. Since then, she also assisted hundreds
of applicants for permanent residence, live-in caregivers and visitor's
visa. Natie had arranged the trips of many Filipino singers, movie actors
and other entertainers and their crew for their Canadian engagements. She
had the opportunity to dine with and also host in her lovely home such
prominent personalities as Jolina Magdangal, Lorna Tolentino, Melanie
Marquez, Ethel Booba, Paulo Bediones, Tony Gonzaga and the Sex Bomb girls.
Natie makes working
trips to the
Philippines
at least three times a year to meet with clients there and to conduct free
immigration seminars in various parts of the country to those planning to
work or immigrate to
Canada
.
Natie has a caring and
generous heart and this is shared by her husband Cris Sotana, a veteran
realtor and her partner for 23 years. They have an annual project
called “
Chris
tmas Treat,” whereby they sponsor 15 to 20 children from poor families
from remote part of the
Philippines
and bring them to
Iloilo
City
for a day of fun, merriment and adventure. The poor kids, who have never
been to a big town or city, are brought to the malls for shopping, to have
meals at restaurants and to receive special gifts from the couple.
“Since most of these children have never been exposed to the hustle and
bustle of the big city and being on an escalator and elevator, one cannot
help but share their joys and laughter with the “
Chris
tmas Treat” experience. We have been doing this going into three years
now and we find it very rewarding. We just hope and pray that we could
continue this privilege of sharing our love and blessings with
less-fortunate children and others like them every
Chris
tmas holiday for a long time.” Natie says.
Besides their own two
beautiful children: Cristie Lane (21) who is taking up BS in Natural
Resources Conservation at UBC and Gerna Lane (18) , beauty queen and model
who intends enroll in Political Science this coming school year, the
Sotanas have opened their homes to other children. They have two
adorable foster children Meranda and Austina. They have legally
adopted their former foster children Jessica and Nicholas who are of
Caucasian background but have learned to love and embrace the Filipino way
of life.
Natie was born and
raised in Balasan,
Iloilo
. She took up Bachelor of Science in Pre-Med at West Visayas State College
(now University) where her husband Cris also graduated. She arrived in
Canada
in 1982 and was employed as a care-aid worker in a nursing home. Ten years
later she opened her own nanny agency which led her to immigration
consultancy work.
Natie supports local
community organizations especially the Multicultural Helping House Society
where she volunteers her time on programs dealing with immigration. In
recognition of her community service, professional success and competence,
Natie will receive the Most Outstanding Filipino-Canadian in Business and
Community Service Award from the Bb. Pilipinas World of Canada Association
in
Toronto
,
Canada
in September 2006. – LBC
Natie Sotana
- BC HAPPY HOMES IMMIGRATION SERVICES
10127 172 Street,
Surrey
,
BC
,
Canada
V4N 4W6
Bus. 604.581.1194
Cell. 604.209.4706
Email: natiesotana@bchappyhomescanada.com
Website: www.bchappyhomescanada.com
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