Evaluation of the Immigrant Settlement and Adaptation Program (ISAP)

Executive summary

Context for the Evaluation

Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s (CIC) mission is to build a stronger Canada by:

enabling the migration of temporary and permanent residents to meet the social, economic and cultural needs of communities across Canada;
contributing to the management of international migration, including refugee protection;
screening newcomers to help protect the health, safety and security of Canadians;
supporting the successful integration of newcomers; and
promoting Canadian citizenship.

In supporting the successful integration of newcomers, CIC funds and administers three settlement programs, namely the Immigrant Settlement and Adaptation Program (ISAP), the Host Program, and the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) Program, as well as one resettlement program for refugees called the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP). The 2003–2004 actual expenditures for these three settlement programs are $36.7 million for ISAP, $2.9 million for Host, and $92.7 million for LINC. The 2003–04 expenditures for RAP were $40.4 million.

ISAP assists immigrant settlement and integration through funding to service providers to deliver direct services to immigrants such as orientation, information, translation and interpretation; referral to community resources; solution-focused counselling; and employment-related services. These services are delivered based on a needs assessment administered by the service provider with each client at the outset of service delivery. The program also funds service providers to undertake service-bridging activities (including workshops, information sessions and one-on-one training related to the unique needs and contributions of newcomers) with mainstream community organizations, as well as special projects on an ad hoc basis. CIC also provides funds for projects aimed at improving the way settlement services are delivered through ISAP Stream B funding (e.g., research projects, pilot projects, conferences, program tools).

Scope and Objectives of the Evaluation

The evaluation of ISAP was undertaken as part of the implementation of the evaluation component of the Contribution Accountability Framework for Settlement and Resettlement Programs. The ISAP evaluation focused exclusively on services managed directly by CIC. The agreements signed between the federal government and some provinces (i.e., Quebec, Manitoba and British Columbia) for the delivery of settlement services were not included. As well, the ISAP Canadian Orientation Abroad initiative will be evaluated separately.

The objective of the ISAP evaluation was to provide evidence to answer questions related to four main evaluation issues:

Program Rationale – To what extent does the program remain relevant to the priorities of the Government of Canada and to the needs of newcomers?
Program Delivery – Are the design and delivery of the program appropriate?
Effectiveness and Efficiency – To what extent does the program use the most appropriate, efficient and cost-effective methods to meet its objectives?
Success – To what extent has the program been successful in achieving its desired outcomes?

Methodology Overview

The data collection for this evaluation spanned about six weeks, from July 19 to August 31, 2004. Over this time period, Goss Gilroy Inc. conducted the following:

a data and document review;
21 key informant interviews with CIC representatives, including six individuals at headquarters and 15 individuals at the regional or local level of CIC;
nine key informant interviews with service provider organization (SPO) representatives;
two key informant interviews with stakeholders;
six focus groups with 54 ISAP clients held in Edmonton (n=1), Toronto (n=3), Ottawa (n=1) and Moncton (n=1, in French);
a telephone survey of 84 SPOs delivering ISAP settlement services (representing a response rate of 70 percent); and,
three innovative practice case studies: Job Search Workshops, Newcomer Information Centre and School Support Program.

Overview of Findings and Conclusions

Rather than a traditional evaluation report organized around the main evaluation issues, a more strategic approach has been taken. This approach presents the evaluation results by theme, or main finding. It is the expectation that the themes will better lend themselves to decision making for the program. The main findings, therefore, are organized as follows:

Appropriateness of the Current Delivery Model;
Overall Success of the Program; and
Adequacy of Capacity and Service Gaps.

Appropriateness of the Current Delivery Model

There is an identified need for continuing federal government involvement in the funding and support of settlement services. Local community-based service providers are reported to bring many strengths to the delivery of settlement services and are considered the most cost-efficient and effective means of direct service delivery. Therefore, the current model of settlement service delivery is considered to be the most appropriate.

Overall Success of the Program

Overall, ISAP is considered to be successful by those who access the services. Speaking generally, the evaluation found that ISAP services are considered appropriate, useful and generally necessary. This finding is supported by key informants, focus group participants, and by the survey results. Survey respondents confirmed two to one that ISAP services are appropriate (54 percent agreeing compared to 25 percent disagreeing that services are appropriate given the needs of newcomers). However, the survey results reflect rather striking regional differences in the overall success of the program. In the Atlantic and the Prairie and Northern Territories regions, two-thirds of SPOs consider the services to be appropriate, while in Ontario, only 48 percent consider them to be appropriate.

The inherent flexibility built into the program allows regions and communities to tailor the services delivered to newcomers within certain parameters, based on need, while maintaining an overall standard of service delivery and ensuring that a core set of services are available to all newcomers.

Focus group participants indicated they were very satisfied with the information and services provided through service providers. The interviews, focus groups and survey all indicated that access to ISAP services was not a major issue (e.g., while waiting lists were reported for some services, no one service had a wait longer than two weeks). Focus group participants provided many examples of how SPOs helped to guide them through the settlement process (e.g., help filling out forms, providing information sessions, workshops and even field trips). Clients indicated that being able to access these services in their mother tongue helped to bridge the language barrier for newcomers and helped to get them settled quicker. Many focus group participants commented they would not have known where else to turn for accurate information. For some immigrants, the service providers helped to break the isolation and desperation felt in the early period of coming to Canada. For others, ISAP helped them overcome a crisis, often after they had been in the country for some time (e.g., for skilled immigrants who run out of money before they find employment).

A common complaint expressed by focus group participants was that employment services were insufficient to help them get jobs. Many newcomers were appreciative of the workshops on résumé writing, interviewing techniques and job searching, but newcomers indicated that these activities did not actually get them a job. For skilled immigrants, most of whom are professionals, these basic job-search skills were considered too basic.

In terms of client outcomes, the immediate and intermediate client outcomes are being achieved to some extent, although it is difficult to attribute these outcomes directly to ISAP. Focus group participants indicated that they are able to undertake day-to-day activities and are using English or French in the wider community. Also, many are volunteering or are otherwise active in their communities. However, many clients in focus groups said that if they encounter a problem, they are likely to return to the service provider to help them. As well, most focus group participants had not found what they would consider suitable paid work. In fact, all matters relating to employment were a point of frustration for participants. They felt that they had received help preparing résumés, were given information on expectations in the workplace, etc., but many still did not have a job.

Adequacy of Capacity and Service Gaps

Although the program is generally considered successful, there are many opportunities to improve the program and the outcomes of clients. The main findings that suggest improvements are necessary include comments regarding the inadequacy of funding, service gaps for certain client groups, the lack of promotion/awareness of the program, inconsistent capacity of service providers, and the lack of information about clients.

The evaluation found that insufficient resources (human and financial) compromise the ability to deliver a full range of settlement services to immigrants. There are two main resource issues.

The first resource-related issue lies within CIC itself. At the national and regional CIC levels, it was suggested that an increase in human resources at the program officer level would add considerable value to the program. Additional human and financial resources would enable regional program officers to get out into the communities more, to facilitate partnerships and networks, and also to develop partnerships with their federal and provincial counterparts in other departments. At the national level, additional funding would also enable program personnel to pursue partnerships at the federal level and to continue to raise the profile of issues related to the integration of immigrants. As well, additional funding would enable regular national conferences for the sharing of best practices.
The second resource issue relates to the amount of funding available to SPOs to deliver on the requirements outlined in their contribution agreements and on the outcomes of ISAP more generally. Key informants from all sources generally agreed that ISAP was insufficiently funded to achieve its desired outcomes. In fact, the program has experienced no funding increases for eight years, meaning that the overall real funding has been decreasing over time. The survey results strongly support the notion that funding is inadequate. Only 23 percent of SPOs consider funding to be adequate to achieve the expected outcomes of ISAP, and only a small proportion more (27 percent) feel funding is adequate for SPOs to deliver on the requirements in the contribution agreements.

Many key informants indicated that there is a service gap between what is currently offered and what should be offered based on the changing profile of ISAP clients (i.e., more refugees with special needs and more skilled workers requiring assistance). As well, settlement workers do not have the capacity to deal with many of these emerging needs.

The evaluation determined that there is a lack of promotion that leads to a lack of awareness of program services. Many immigrant focus group participants in Ontario noted that they had been in the country for several months before finding out about services provided through ISAP. Focus group participants who were government assisted refugees did not indicate a lack of awareness, likely because they were referred directly from RAP.

There is a perception among service providers of a lack of consistency between different SPOs in reporting content requirements (e.g., some SPOs are required to prepare narrative reports while others are not) and frequency (e.g., some SPOs are required to report monthly while others are required to report quarterly). However, CIC respondents feel that this “lack of consistency” is, in fact, a reflection of the flexibility of the program guidelines and requirements. Many service provider key informants also indicated that there was too much reporting required (e.g., SPOs that deliver all four settlement and resettlement programs have to prepare four reports). All respondents did mention that there is a serious lack of data about the clients accessing ISAP. Currently, reports submitted by SPOs are not rolled up to other levels of CIC.

The evaluation found that there is considerable information sharing between CIC and the SPOs and there are opportunities and avenues for information sharing between the SPOs. Key informants reported that information sharing takes place by phone, e-mail, through the Internet, and at conferences and committee meetings. However, while there appears to be ample information available to SPOs, some SPO interview respondents indicated that it is not adequately targeted. That is, the abundance of information available on the Internet and through electronic newsletters may be useful for some, but that service providers who are not “Web savvy” are not accessing the information with the same level of frequency and thus not applying it in their service delivery to clients in the same way.

There appears to be two main issues related to improved clarity for service providers:

First, there is an issue relating to clarity of the roles and responsibilities of the SPO and CIC in terms of what is within the mandate of ISAP. The evaluation revealed that, generally, there is an understanding of the respective roles and responsibilities, but that there is not always agreement. From the viewpoint of CIC, ISAP is intended to be the first step in assisting newcomers to settle. However, according to some CIC respondents, some SPOs are undertaking activities outside the scope of ISAP, including taking clients to appointments and advocacy. From their perspective, SPO respondents said that it is their duty to help their clients, regardless of what is funded under ISAP and what is not. Their perspective is that newcomers have needs that exceed the services currently offered under ISAP, and that funding should be increased and ISAP expanded to meet these needs.
Second, clarity is required around the definitions of core ISAP services. That is, many service provider and CIC respondents indicated that there is not a clear definition of many ISAP services, including counselling, service bridging and even referrals.

Service providers generally view other support and tools provided by CIC positively. Overall satisfaction is quite high with 57 percent indicating they are satisfied or very satisfied with the tools and support provided by CIC for the delivery of ISAP settlement services (only 18 percent were dissatisfied).

Challenges

The evaluation findings and the recommendations derived from them must be put in the context faced by the program and those involved in delivering it. These challenges and their implications include:

Newcomers are not adequately prepared when they come to Canada. Key informants and focus group participants all agreed that newcomers are ill prepared for life in Canada. In many cases, immigrants have a completely false idea of Canada. In other cases, professionals perceive that if they have qualified to enter as a skilled worker, there will be a job for them here in their profession. The reality that their credentials are not accepted here is a blow, and newcomers feel misled. Some immigrants are well informed and have done their “homework” on the Internet ahead of time, although many only become aware of, and access ISAP, once they are in crisis (e.g., have run out of money, have become discouraged). The main consequence for ISAP is that settlement workers have to “undo” the wrong impressions and impacts of misinformation (most often provided to immigrants through their most trusted sources – family and friends).
Different levels/types of service available in communities. The evaluation revealed that some ISAP service providers have difficulty establishing partnerships due to the lack of services available in the community. In these cases, ISAP clients are disadvantaged in that they cannot get the help they need because the community is not equipped to help them.
Employment supports not meeting the needs of newcomers. According to the evaluation, employment is the most pressing issue for immigrants. In some cases newcomers are having trouble even finding survival jobs. In many cases, immigrants are well educated and highly motivated but need assistance getting Canadian references and/or experience. The basic job-search services provided by ISAP are not enough, according to many newcomers. While Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) already delivers a number of programs related to finding a job, the evaluation revealed that there are other challenges unique to immigrants that are not being addressed in the available programs.

Recommendations and Management Response

The recommendations based on the findings of the national evaluation of ISAP are presented below.

1. Realign ISAP services to better meet the needs of different client groups. There is a divergent immigrant profile, with large numbers of well-educated immigrants, as well as other immigrants and refugees entering Canada. The evaluation revealed that these groups have different settlement service needs. The matter of how to address the needs of all newcomers to Canada within the current funding envelope is a challenging one, especially in light of a real declining investment over time (i.e., each year, while expenses – salaries, utilities, rent – increase, the amount of money available stays the same). In particular, the evaluation found that the program is not currently meeting the needs of some special-needs refugees and some skilled immigrants. It is recommended that an ISAP committee be established to realign ISAP services to better meet the needs of the emerging profile of the newcomer population in Canada. The following four options are presented as a starting point for the working group:

Focus ISAP services on those newcomers that are most in need of basic services and assistance (i.e., refugees and family class immigrants). Services to skilled immigrants would be limited to referrals. To support this emphasis on referrals, more resources would be put into service bridging for the first two to three years. Training would also be required for service providers to handle clients with special needs.
Offer a smaller set of priority core services to all newcomers. Service providers would be required to scale back on the services they currently offer with ISAP dollars. CIC would have to be explicit in terms of which services would be dropped and clarify definitions for the services that would continue to be funded. CIC would assist SPOs to form partnerships with other organizations to assist in service delivery. As well, SPOs would be encouraged to seek out other sources of funding (e.g., fundraising, provincial programs).
Focus ISAP service on the skilled immigrants. This would include providing more advanced job-search and workforce information for skilled workers, partnering with HRSDC and provincial governments to develop innovative approaches to meet these needs, and training for settlement workers. Services (and the associated funding) for refugees would be transferred to RAP.
Access additional funding and strengthen the service-bridging component to enable ISAP to meet the needs of special-needs refugees (through training, more time with each client, and improved referrals) and skilled immigrants (through advanced job-search programs, partnering programs, and improved referrals).

Management Response

The Department agrees with the principle of this recommendation and will continue to explore ways to better address the changing needs of newcomers to Canada.

To better meet the needs of different client groups under ISAP, the Department is committed to:

the continuous support of flexible delivery through initiatives such as the Newcomer Information Centres and Settlement Workers in the Schools;
multi-year funding agreements that may free up agency staff time (and, hence, funds to improve service delivery); and
the implementation of better tools to monitor agency performance and mechanisms to shift funds according to changing client needs.

A National ISAP Working Group will assess the options suggested in this recommendation, as well as other initiatives, as appropriate.

It is important to note that an initial Needs Assessment in all cases remains an essential component of ISAP. To improve this process, the National ISAP Working Group will coordinate the development of a Needs Assessment tool for Service Provider Organizations (SPOs) that will provide a quick and accurate assessment of client needs. This will facilitate services and free up time for high-needs newcomers.

Time Frame

CIC regions will begin to negotiate multi-year funding agreements with some SPOs in the 2005–06 funding cycle.

Discussion on the development of the Needs Assessment tool will begin in winter 2005.

2. Streamline, reduce duplication in reporting requirements for service providers. Currently, service providers are required to enter data monthly into the Immigration Contribution Accountability Measurement System (iCAMS), as well as submit monthly or quarterly (depending on the contribution agreement) activity reports and claim forms. It is recommended that service providers only be required to enter data into iCAMS and that the written report requirement be dropped. This will only be feasible once reports are regularly being produced and made available to all levels of CIC (by individual SPOs and in aggregate by city and region) and service provider (for the activities undertaken by their organization). It is further recommended that, where narrative reports are currently required, they continue to be submitted, but on a quarterly basis. These changes to the current reporting requirements would ease the funding pressures at SPOs and enable staff to spend more time delivering services to clients.

Management Response

The Department agrees that efforts must be made to reduce duplication in reporting in the Department. The Department is aware that SPOs report not only to CIC but to other funders, in addition to the records they maintain for their own internal management.

The Department has already reduced one part of CIC duplicate data entry through a system interface for LINC services in Ontario, and special data entry arrangements in a small number of other situations.

In addition, the Department has recently started a report consolidation process. The Department is consulting internally on the type of reports that can be generated using the data from the performance measurement system (iCAMS) to meet the monitoring requirements of CIC local offices. These new reports would replace some of the existing monthly and quarterly written activity (statistical) reports submitted to local offices. It could not replace the qualitative and narrative data, nor data that is not currently collected through the system.

As iCAMS is quantitative in nature, the written narrative report requirement remains an important tool to determine SPOs’ activities and unique initiatives, and to identify trends and changes in immigration patterns from the perspective of the SPO. Decisions to proceed with quarterly written reports instead of monthly are made at the regional or local level in CIC. Integration Branch will recommend quarterly reporting requirements, while allowing regions the flexibility for alternate reporting time frames.

Time Frame

Reports resulting from the consolidation exercise are expected in spring 2005.

3. Develop a national marketing working group to explore the promotion of ISAP. The evaluation found that promotion of ISAP has been irregular and mainly undertaken by service providers with little national or regional guidance. It is recommended that CIC NHQ establish a national marketing working group consisting of representatives from the regions, as well as a number of service providers, to explore the need for, role of, resource requirements and suggested activities of a marketing strategy for ISAP. This working group will need to consult iCAMS data to better understand how many newcomers currently access services (and which ones), as well as the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC) data to better understand the needs of newcomers. Marketing activities would be aligned with the decisions taken regarding the realignment of ISAP (see recommendation #1).

Management Response

The Department agrees that ISAP and other settlement services can benefit from increased and more targeted promotions.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada, in collaboration with other federal departments, provinces and territories, and other key stakeholders, is currently looking at developing the Going to Canada Immigration Portal, an Internet tool to support the settlement of newcomers to Canada and to link to descriptions of settlement services such as ISAP. The Portal is designed to better inform prospective immigrants prior to their arrival to Canada, by increasing the awareness of opportunities and challenges awaiting them so they can better prepare for working and living in Canada.

The National ISAP Working Group will discuss best practices on using ethnic media and the family and friends of immigrants to assist in the dissemination of accurate settlement information. New initiatives to disseminate settlement information will be developed in consultation with the National Promotions Working Group and will take into account regional initiatives to ensure the best use of resources.

Time Frame

The National ISAP Working Group will explore various promotional activities in winter 2005.

4. Re-establish ISAP funding at a level consistent with the real dollar amount in 1996. The program has experienced no funding increases for eight years, meaning that the overall real funding has been decreasing over time. The evaluation revealed that some SPOs report that they are currently using funding from other sources to “subsidize” the delivery of ISAP. This situation indicates that funding is inadequate and could jeopardize the long-term stability of the program. Once data is available from iCAMS, it will likely show the real declining investment in the program per newcomer and provide a solid business case for additional funds. Additional funding would ensure the long-term sustainability of the program.

Management Response

New approaches to funding will be considered in connection with the development of Canada’s Immigration Framework. Consultations will be held with provinces and territories, cities and communities, including Francophone minority communities, employers and others.

CIC is also committed to working with service providing organizations to explore new ways of delivering ISAP services and to encourage regions to share best practices with each other. Identifying best practices is a priority of the National ISAP Working Group.

It should be noted that the 2003 and 2004 federal budgets provided specific additional funding through the new Enhanced Language Training (ELT) initiative. In 2003–04, Citizenship and Immigration Canada launched the ELT ISAP initiative to work with partners, outside of Quebec, to develop and deliver labour-market levels of language training. The 2003 federal budget allocated $5 million per year for this initiative. An additional $15 million per year was allocated in the 2004 budget for a total of $20 million. Over the next five years, the program will expand to reach approximately 20,000 immigrants annually. Cost-sharing partnerships with provinces, territories, employers and non-government organizations are essential components of the initiative.

Time Frame

The National ISAP Working Group is committed to sharing best practices with each other for dissemination to local CIC offices and SPOs. This is an ongoing activity.

5. More clarity, targeted communications to SPOs. More clarity is required for service providers to better understand their roles and responsibilities and why certain activities cannot be funded under ISAP (e.g., lack of funding, overlap with other programs). Moreover, CIC NHQ and regions should reinforce the advantages of taking a flexible approach and explain why certain service providers have different contribution agreements or reporting requirements than others. These kinds of clarifications should address the apparent confusion between flexibility and consistency. Also, more information should be available regarding definitions of core services. Regarding communications to SPOs, information should be more carefully targeted to ensure that SPOs make cost-effective use of their time reviewing pertinent information that will ultimately improve service delivery to clients.

Management Response

The Department agrees to take action on this recommendation.

This recommendation identifies several issues which can be addressed by improving communication with SPOs.

As part of these improvements, CIC has been refining the definitions for iCAMS data elements and the ISAP logic model in order to more clearly portray roles and responsibilities in ISAP delivery. The Department is committed to reviewing and updating existing publications such as the ISAP Handbook for Service Provider Organizations and the ISAP Guide for Applicants.

In addition, the Department will develop CIC settlement officer training based on the new settlement manual, so that definitions are consistently communicated to SPOs nationally.

Consultations with SPOs at the local level will continue to be encouraged to ensure that service providing organizations have the opportunity to discuss roles and responsibilities with CIC.

The Department will ensure that SPOs are notified when updated information is available or posted on various websites such as www.settlement.org and www.integration-net.cic.gc.ca.

In addition, the Department will develop existing communications products to enhance communications capacity with external stakeholders.

Time Frame

Indicated activities will be undertaken during the next year-and-a-half, led by NHQ, working with the National ISAP Working Group.

With regard to the review and update of existing publications, a critical path will be developed once the Working Group has defined the scope of such a review and update exercise.

6. CIC should continue/open new dialogues with others. There is a role for CIC NHQ and regional offices to facilitate the settlement of newcomers by continuing existing dialogues and opening new ones with federal, provincial, territorial, municipal, not-for-profit and private sector organizations. These discussions should be aimed at making services more accessible to newcomers and, more generally, raising awareness of the benefits of immigration. Assistance with partnerships would also address the problems in some small communities where some special-needs clients are not able to get the community services they require (such as trauma counselling), because they do not exist.

Management Response

The Department agrees with the importance of developing and maintaining partnerships for discussion and open dialogue. In fact, the Department is constantly addressing it through its participation on intergovernmental committees and initiatives such as:

Federal-Provincial-Territorial Working Group on Settlement and Integration, which provides a forum for sharing information and for identifying and discussing issues of a multilateral nature with respect to settlement and integration. Members include representatives from provinces and territories and departmental officials.
The objective of the Enhanced Language Training (ELT) initiative is to develop partnerships to provide the labour-market levels of language training that immigrants require to find and retain jobs commensurate with their skills and qualifications. ELT couples job-specific language training (workplace literacy) with bridge-to-work programs that provide an orientation to the Canadian workplace, job-search assistance, cultural orientation, preparation for licensure examinations, work placement/internships in the person’s field of expertise, and mentoring.
Since 2003–04, CIC has partnered with Industry Canada, HRSDC and Health Canada in a horizontal effort to enhance the existing Going to Canada (GTC) website (www.directioncanada.gc.ca). The objective of the GTC portal is to provide a seamless window of targeted information and services to assist potential immigrants in making informed decisions about immigrating to Canada, thus facilitating early economic and social integration.
The Settlement and Integration Joint Planning and Policy Council acts as a bridge to the future collaboration between the government and the settlement sector. It provides the partners with a consultative and planning mechanism that will maintain the follow-up work of the Voluntary Sector Initiative. Members include settlement sector representatives (from various umbrella organizations representing service providing organizations nationally), CIC (NHQ and regions), other government departments and provincial governments.
The Interdepartmental Partnership with the Official-Language Communities is a Department of Canadian Heritage initiative launched in June 2000, to create and strengthen lasting cooperative relationships between official language minority communities and federal institutions. Its objective is to ensure that the programs, policies and services of those institutions take into account the needs and realities of the official language communities and, thus, support their development.
CIC maintains and encourages bilateral relations with stakeholders, including other federal departments, other levels of government, other funders, not-for-profit and private sector organizations. CIC will demonstrate leadership to determine jurisdictional responsibility and foster effective partnerships to create opportunities for meaningful employment for immigrants, and appropriate health, education and social services.

Time Frame

Ongoing

7. Need for more and improved information on clients. There is a critical need for information on clients. This information could contribute to the allocation of resources, targeting of promotional activities, and even the redesign of the core set of services, based on who is accessing which services and how often. Not only is there a need for activity-related information, but also for outcome-related information.

Management Response

The Department agrees, in principle, with this recommendation.

The Department will have access to information on the demographic composition of client groups and service usage through the performance measurement system (iCAMS). This data will inform analyses for program improvements.

The Department plans to make some of these reports available to service providers. Where reports include client demographics, these will be displayed on an aggregate basis (no individuals are identifiable) and will enable service providers to view reports concerning only their clients.

The Department will need to secure ongoing funding for the regular maintenance of accountability activities. The maintenance of iCAMS would update the system and produce relevant reports.

The Department will explore the possibility of developing and piloting a national survey for immigrants to complete during their citizenship process. This survey would capture which settlement services immigrants accessed and which were found to be the most beneficial in the settlement process.

Time Frame

iCAMS will be able to generate ISAP reports by summer 2005. CIC is developing a distribution strategy for these reports.

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