Funding for pre-arrival services expanded
April 13, 2015 — Ottawa — Many immigrants will arrive in Canada better prepared to integrate into their new communities as a result of expanded pre-arrival services. Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister, Chris Alexander, today announced that $24 million will be committed toward providing newcomers with greater access to information and services before they leave their countries of origin.
This funding will be accessed through partner organizations to help immigrants and refugees arrive better prepared to settle across Canada. Orientation sessions overseas will enable newcomers to gain a better understanding of life in Canada, how to use their skills in the Canadian labour market and make connections earlier with service provider organizations, professional associations, regulators, educational institutions and employers.
The organizations that will be funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada to deliver pre-arrival services will also be working closely with domestic settlement provider organizations to ensure seamless program delivery.
Settlement services aim to provide newcomers with the information they require to make informed decisions, language skills to achieve their integration goals, labour market services to find and retain employment, as well as community supports to build professional and personal networks.
The government continues to provide a high level of support for the settlement and integration of newcomers to ensure that all have access to the same level of services regardless of where they choose to settle.
Quick facts
- Hundreds of thousands of newcomers each year receive at least one settlement service funded by the Government of Canada.
- Experiences to date indicate that immigrants and refugees who access Canada’s settlement services prior to their arrival in the country are better prepared to work and integrate socially.
- Including pre-arrival services, the Government of Canada will invest almost $600 million in 2015-2016 outside Quebec to provide settlement services here and abroad that will help immigrants and refugees settle into their new lives.
- The distribution of funding is determined using the national settlement funding formula, which is based on the share of immigrants intake (giving additional weight for refugees to account for their unique settlement needs), as well as a capacity-building amount added for each jurisdiction to maintain a sustainable level of settlement services despite low number of immigrants. The most important factor influencing the level of funding is the proportion of immigrant intake.
Quotes
“Our government is focused on creating jobs and promoting economic growth while ensuring all newcomers have access to services and programs that will guarantee their successful integration in Canada.”
Chris Alexander, Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister
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Photos of Minister Alexander available at: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/photos/index.asp
Contacts
Kevin Menard
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-954-1064
Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca
Building a stronger Canada: Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) strengthens Canada’s economic, social and cultural prosperity, helping ensure Canadian safety and security while managing one of the largest and most generous immigration programs in the world.
