Backgrounder - Announcement of settlement funding to help newcomers settle in Kingston

The Government of Canada wants to help newcomers succeed in their new home. To help newcomers settle in Kingston, Ontario, the Government of Canada is committing $3,982,334 to aid four agencies with providing settlement services. The funding is provided under the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement (COIA). The following are the four agencies receiving funding in today’s announcement:

• Kendra Noble:  $66,612
• Kingston Community Health Centres:  $1,850,532
• Kingston Employment Youth Services Inc.:  $754,238
• Kingston Literacy:  $1,310,952

Settlement services are an essential part of the federal government’s immigration program. Through the COIA, the Government of Canada has increased settlement funding for Ontario by a total of $920 million over five years. Under the COIA, CIC works with the province and immigrant-serving agencies to make a real difference in the lives of immigrants. Since 2006, the Government of Canada has begun to invest an additional $1.4 billion over five years in settlement funding in provinces and territories outside Quebec.

Budget 2008 also introduced changes for modernizing the immigration system and shortening the time it takes to bring newcomers and their families to Canada. Under this system, instructions issued to immigration officers regarding the processing of applications will also include information on the jobs available in Canada so that people with the needed skills and experience can be brought to Canada more quickly. With these changes, newcomers could have more opportunities to find work sooner, to provide a better life for themselves and their families and to benefit more from life in Canada.