Transcript DANISH PARLIMENTARIANS

Citizenship and
Immigration Canada
Citoyenneté et
Immigration Canada
CANADA’S INTEGRATION PROGRAMS
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CANADA’S INTEGRATION PROGRAMS
Rick Herringer
Director, Resettlement
Refugees Branch, CIC
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INTEGRATION AND PARTNERSHIPS

Partnership is essential to achieving effective results in the integration of
newcomers to Canada.

Partnership with Provinces:
• certain provinces have assumed responsibility for the design, administration and
delivery of settlement programs and services, with federal funding

Partnership with private and non-profit sectors:
• in the remainder of the provinces, settlement programs and services are administered
by CIC and delivered through a network of CIC offices, community organizations,
educational institutions and the private sector

Private sponsors and Hosts
• members of the public work with the Department to assist in settlement of newcomers
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EVOLUTION OF SETTLEMENT AND
RESETTLEMENT PROGRAMS
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Two early movements
– Self-help movement AND Philanthropic/voluntary sector
movement
Government takes responsibility
– 1948 Order-in-Council
– 1950 Creation of Citizenship and Immigration
Refugee movements
– Post WWII: European refugees
– Mid 1950’s: Hungary
– 1970’s: Uganda, Chile, Vietnam/Cambodia/Laos
Federal Immigrant Integration Strategy
– Placed new emphasis on helping immigrants learn about
Canadian values and on helping Canadians understand
diversity
– Additional funds for existing programs and new initiatives
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CHALLENGES TO IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION
 Recent immigrants lack occupation-specific
language skills and networks
 Statistics show many immigrants earning
less than their Canadian peers
 Barriers include foreign credential
recognition, lack of social networks, and
discrimination
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ADDITIONAL CHALLENGES FOR
REFUGEES

In-Canada:
–
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Lengthy and complex refugee determination system.
Resettled Refugees:
–
Changing refugee profile:
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–
1998: 66% from Eastern Europe and 11% from Africa
2004: 40% from Africa and 2% from Eastern Europe
Impact:
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Weaker settlement potential
More health problems
Requirement for more supports and assistance
Strain on current funding levels
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THE RESETTLEMENT/SETTLEMENT CONTINUUM –
FIRST YEAR IN CANADA
Interim Federal Health Program
HOST
Selection
Immigrant
Loans
Program
Travel to
Canada
Private Sponsorship
of Refugees Program
Resettlement
Assistance Program
Arrival in
Canada
Immigrant Settlement and
Adaptation Program
Language Instruction for
Newcomers to Canada
Continuing
Journey to SelfSufficiency
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IMMIGRANT LOANS PROGRAM (ILP)

EVOLUTION
– Began in 1951 to assist refugees and immigrants leaving
Europe and seeking resettlement in Canada.

WHAT IS IT?
– Provides financial assistance to refugees to cover the costs
of medical examinations, transportation to Canada, as well as
certain costs of entering the labour market such as
equivalency exams, required tools or licensing costs.
– Loans to refugees have a grace period from interest of
between 1-3 years depending on the size of the loan.

WHY DOES CANADA FUND IT?
– To provide low cost assistance to refugees who would not be
able to access other forms of credit.
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RESETTLEMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
(RAP)

EVOLUTION
– Formerly the Adjustment Assistance Program, began in 1951 to
assist refugees and immigrants coming out of Europe
– RAP replaced the Adjustment Assistance Program in 1994

WHAT IS IT?
– Available only to government-assisted refugees.
– Provides income support for up to one year (80% of budget) and
immediate/essential services (20% of budget).
– In special cases, income support can be provided up to two years.

WHY DOES CANADA FUND IT?
– Supports Canada’s humanitarian tradition.
– Canada recognizes that refugees require additional assistance to
become integrated.
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PRIVATE SPONSORSHIP OF REFUGEES
(PSR) PROGRAM

EVOLUTION
– Evolved out of the overwhelming public support to assist in the
Indochinese refugee movement which began in the late 1970’s.
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WHAT IS IT?
– Provides an opportunity for Canadian citizens and permanent
residents (sponsors) to assist in the resettlement of refugees from
abroad.
– Sponsors provide settlement assistance, both financial and
emotional, to the refugees for up to one year.
– 94 Sponsorship Agreement Holders make up 85% of all
sponsorships.
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WHY DOES CANADA FUND IT?
– Recognizes that Canadians play an important role in the
resettlement of refugees.
– Provides voluntary sector with additional opportunities to assist
refugees over and above support given by government through the
RAP.
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INTERIM FEDERAL HEALTH PROGRAM
(IFH)

EVOLUTION
– Came into existence in 1957
– Originally intended to address the impact of the sudden influx of
Hungarian refugees who had limited access to health care
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WHAT IS IT?
– Humanitarian program
– Almost exclusively limited to refugee asylum claimants and
refugees selected abroad.
– A program to provide temporary health care coverage to those who
are not eligible for provincial healthcare.
– Provides emergency and essential health care and dental coverage
to individuals who lack financial resources.

WHY DOES CANADA FUND IT?
– To ensure that newcomers are healthy and able to function in
society
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LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION FOR
NEWCOMERS (LINC)
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EVOLUTION
– LINC was officially launched in 1992 as part of the Federal
Immigrant Integration Strategy
– CIC now spends approximately 80% of its settlement budget
on LINC
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WHAT IS IT?
– Delivered by Service Providing Organizations (SPO’s)
– Provides basic language instruction to adult newcomers in
one of Canada’s two official languages as soon as possible
after arrival.
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WHY DOES CANADA FUND IT?
– English and French are Canada’s two working languages
– Language ability has been determined to be the major factor
in successful integration.
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IMMIGRANT SETTLEMENT AND
ADAPTATION PROGRAM (ISAP)

EVOLUTION
– Began in 1974 as a funding mechanism for voluntary agencies to
provide settlement assistance.
– Recently expanded to include Enhanced Language Training.
– CIC spends approximately 18% of its settlement budget on ISAP.

WHAT IS IT?
– Delivered by Service Provider Organizations (SPOS’s)
– Direct, essential services are delivered to newcomers, including
reception and orientation, interpretation/translation, solutionfocused counselling and referral to community resources.
– Indirect, providing support to the SPO’s , including research,
professional development and resources/tools to facilitate their
work.
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WHY DOES CANADA FUND IT?
– Facilitate adaptation, settlement and integration.
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HOST PROGRAM
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EVOLUTION
– Piloted in 1984
– CIC spends approximately 2% of its settlement budget on HOST.

WHAT IS IT?
– Volunteer based, win-win program
– Recruitment, training, matching of individual volunteers who spend
time with newcomers to assist them in overcoming the stress of
moving to a new country.
– Volunteers can also assist in learning about available services,
practising their official language skills, searching for employment,
and participating in community activities.

WHY DOES CANADA FUND IT?
– Individual newcomers will develop confidence in unfamiliar
surroundings and thus be able to contribute to their own selfsufficiency sooner.
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EVOLVING DYNAMICS
Major cities soon dominated by newcomers
Multiculturalism perceived as a positive reality by the
majority
Challenges prevail
Diversity is evolving, as are we
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EQUALITY OF OUTCOMES

Address gaps in immigrant outcomes through:
Labour market initiatives
Address discrimination barriers
Outreach
Nurture multi-tiered partnership - NGOs, communities,
schools, employers, private sector, other levels of
government, & global connections
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CONCLUSION
More needs to be done
New Directions
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