Section 4:
Integration of Newcomers and Canadian Citizenship

Immigration is fundamental to the development of Canada’s economy, society and culture, and Canada strives to be a world leader in maximizing its benefits. To create a stronger nation benefiting both newcomers and Canadians, Canada is one of the few countries with a managed immigration program directed toward newcomers ultimately becoming full citizens. The successful settlement and integration of new immigrants to Canada is an important objective of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Settlement

Settlement refers to the initial and short-term transitional issues faced by newcomers, while integration is an ongoing process of mutual accommodation between an individual and society. The key to maximizing the benefits of immigration is ensuring that newcomers have the information, tools and opportunities to realize their potential and become fully engaged in all aspects of Canadian society. Under the Settlement Program, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) assists immigrants and refugees with overcoming challenges specific to the newcomer experience (e.g., lack of official language skills and limited knowledge of Canada) so that they can participate in the social, cultural, civic and economic life of Canada. Services include information and orientation, language training, initiatives to facilitate community connections and labour market participation, and support services to provide access to CIC settlement programming.

Immigration is an area of shared jurisdiction between the federal, provincial and territorial governments. In provinces and territories outside Quebec, Manitoba and British Columbia, CIC manages settlement services, with different forms of co-management and partnerships. Through agreements with CIC, the provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba and Quebec have been responsible for the design, delivery and management of settlement services in their respective jurisdictions, supported by federal funding. For all jurisdictions outside of Quebec, funding for settlement services is allocated based on the proportion of immigrants in each jurisdiction.

Following the 2012 Budget, CIC advised British Columbia and Manitoba that to better support the federal responsibility for nation building, the federal government would be resuming management of CIC-funded settlement services in those provinces within the next two years. This will allow CIC to provide consistent, effective and efficient settlement services across the country (outside of Quebec), and strengthen its federal leadership for ensuring comparable results for newcomers nationwide.

In 2011–2012, despite an 8-percent reduction in federal funding for the Settlement Program, CIC increased the number of clients served in Canada (outside Quebec, Manitoba and British Columbia) and overseas by 3-percent (from approximately 207,000 in 2010–2011 to 213,300).

CIC continues to provide settlement services while potential immigrants are still overseas in an effort to help them achieve better outcomes once they arrive in Canada. In 2011–2012, the number of clients served overseas increased by 68 percent. A recent evaluation of the three existing overseas orientation initiatives reviewed the objectives, costs and offerings of each initiative, and assessed levels of satisfaction and degree of difficulty faced by newcomers with certain barriers. A useful element of this evaluation is that it included a control group of newcomers to Canada who did not participate in overseas orientation sessions, for comparison purposes. The evaluation findings will help direct the ongoing development of the overseas strategy

Together with provinces and territories, the Department continued collaborative efforts on the Joint Federal–Provincial/Territorial Vision Action Plan for Immigration that includes a work plan to improve coordination and streamlining of settlement service delivery as well as a pan-Canadian framework for settlement outcomes. The purpose of the framework is to provide a cohesive, national approach for defining and measuring settlement outcomes and to establish the evidence base for better accountability and policy decisions. As part of this work, a survey of 20,000 newcomers across Canada was developed with provinces and territories to yield information on how well newcomers are faring across the country as well as to identify areas that have the greatest impact on overall settlement outcomes.

In addition, CIC adopted a national plans and priorities strategy for the Settlement Program. This strategy sets the stage for prioritizing settlement programming and maximizing its impact on newcomer outcomes. It also supports funding to interventions that provide direct services to eligible clients and interventions that increase the uptake by newcomers of needs-based programming earlier in their settlement experience. Other activities under the strategy will reduce duplication among services and jurisdictions through improved coordination and collaboration.

The Department is undertaking a grants and contributions modernization initiative to improve program integrity, and increase efficiency of program delivery. This includes delivery of the settlement, resettlement and multiculturalism programs. The initiative is focusing on improving program integrity through better managing risk and assessing program performance. Risk management tools have been developed and implemented, streamlining processes while reducing the burden on staff and the recipient community in line with the Report of the independent Blue Ribbon Panel on Grants and Contributions recommendations.

In support of this modernization initiative, the Department has introduced a national call for proposals process and is making efforts to streamline payment processing. The Department is also harmonizing its settlement and multiculturalism programs. Common tools, training and generic job descriptions will allow greater integration and provide the Department with flexibility in managing its workload. At the same time, the Department is streamlining its approval processes to reduce administrative backlogs.

A number of initiatives have been undertaken to improve language training services. The Department completed field testing of the Portfolio-Based Language Assessment, which measures student progress within CIC-funded language training programming. Its implementation is ongoing as a standard feature in classes across the country. CIC also completed two versions of a national test of language achievement, which will inform strategies to ensure the test is reliable and financially sustainable. An on-line national repository of language-teaching tools and resources was launched to facilitate the sharing of resources among English and French second-language teachers, foster the development of teacher communities, and provide opportunities for professional development. The Department also completed the renewal of the Canadian Language Benchmarks and the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens, Canada’s national standards for rating the English and French language proficiency of adult immigrants that will help support the creation of a new national test of language achievement.

Another accomplishment this year is the continuing expansion of the local partnerships model. The model supports locally based collaboration among multiple stakeholders to address settlement issues of newcomers in their respective jurisdictions via coordinated strategies. Throughout the year, CIC engaged various provincial representatives and community stakeholders to generate interest in the model. As a result, adaptations of the partnership model are being used beyond Ontario, where it originated.

Further to the government’s response to the Report on Best Practices in Settlement Services, CIC completed the development of a best practices website to share evidence-based practices with the settlement sector and the public.

The Department maintained efforts to pursue its commitment to foster the vitality and development of francophone minority communities, including promotion and recruitment abroad. For example, CIC continued support of 13 francophone immigration networks within francophone minority communities throughout the country in order to solidify efforts to economically, socially and culturally integrate French-speaking immigrants. Key interventions for employment-related services delivered to francophone immigrants included work placements, employment-related mentorships and networking opportunities, referral services, services meant to facilitate credential recognition, and employment counselling. The 2011 edition of the Destination Canada Job Fair involved 10 Canadian provinces and territories and approximately 2,700 participants. In addition to this main international event, 83 information events (including sessions with the participation of New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador) in France, Belgium and Switzerland attracted approximately 4,000 participants.

In 2011–2012, CIC established terms of reference and a methodology for a meta-evaluation of the Settlement Program. This special study will pull together and update the extensive existing knowledge related to the implementation and performance of CIC settlement services under the Settlement Program. A synthesis of key findings from previous evaluations will form the basis of this study. It will also assess the “evaluability” of the program and propose next steps and timing for future evaluation work.

CIC continued to support the implementation of the Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications, which is led federally by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. Following the successful development of action plans by the initial eight target regulated occupations in 2010 to address barriers in foreign credential recognition, the next six target occupations (i.e., dentists, engineering technicians, licensed practical nurses, medical radiation technologists, physicians and teachers) committed to creating action plans by December 2012.

In 2011–2012, the Federal Internship for Newcomers Program, which provides newcomers with Canadian work experience in the federal public service, expanded from Ottawa to Toronto and Vancouver/Victoria, as well as to 20 participating departments and agencies where 63 interns were successfully placed. The program is delivered in partnership with immigrant-serving organizations and in 2011–2012, 13 new partnerships were developed.

A new micro-loans pilot initiative led by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada is intended to help internationally trained individuals cover some of the costs associated with the foreign credential recognition process. In support, CIC established a contribution agreement with the Immigrant Access Fund to develop an action plan to expand its micro-loans program, as well as to develop a mechanism to track the outcomes of the loan program participants.

In 2011–2012, the International Qualifications Network website was launched, providing a virtual space for stakeholders in the area of foreign credential recognition to share innovative practices. In 2011–2012, almost 300 members joined and 146 initiatives were posted on the website.

Canadian Citizenship

The acquisition of citizenship is a significant step in the integration of newcomers. Granting citizenship to eligible applicants allows newcomers to acquire the full range of rights of citizenship and encourages them to fulfill the responsibilities of citizenship. The acquisition of citizenship also helps newcomers secure a stronger sense of belonging to Canada and share a common bond as part of the Canadian family. Supporting citizenship involves providing an environment where civic participation and the expression of identity are fostered through tools for promoting and celebrating citizenship, and through enhancing the meaning of Canadian citizenship.

The purpose of the Citizenship Program is to administer citizenship legislation and promote the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship. In 2011, CIC continued to focus on improving program integrity and strengthening the value of Canadian citizenship by strengthening the process of applying for citizenship, including ensuring adequate language proficiency of newcomers. The Department also implemented measures to increase efficiency and prioritized addressing citizenship fraud. In addition, CIC continued to promote civic participation and the value of citizenship to both newcomers and long-standing Canadians, with a focus on Canadian values, history, symbols and institutions, as well as the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

The Citizenship Program continued various promotional activities such as Celebrate Citizenship Week and Canada’s citizenship and reaffirmation ceremonies in communities. In 2011, the Department held 2,204 citizenship ceremonies, of which 443 were enhanced ceremonies, which are often undertaken in partnership with external organizations in the community.

In 2011, CIC processed 196,727 applications for citizenship, resulting in 181,184 individuals becoming Canadian citizens. Application intake continues to exceed this number with an estimated 223,040 application intake in 2011. CIC also issued 66,463 citizenship certificates (proofs of citizenship) to existing citizens in 2011.

CIC continues to explore measures to determine where modernization efforts should be focused in support of greater operational efficiency and effectiveness in the Citizenship Program. For example, under the Citizenship Modernization initiative, CIC reinforced roles and responsibilities of officers in maintaining program integrity by implementing mandatory system checks at strategic points in the citizenship grant application process to identify applicants who may not meet the residence obligation. A National Citizenship Fraud Conference brought together approximately 50 citizenship officials from across Canada, along with participants from the Canada Border Services Agency, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Passport Canada. A number of anti-fraud tools developed to assist citizenship officials in the detection of fraud, as well as newly implemented procedures were presented and discussed. Work also took place to develop a new citizenship certificate along with an electronic validation portal, allowing CIC to move to an easier to produce certificate while ensuring partners can validate citizenship in a highly secure manner. The new certificate and portal were launched in February 2012.

In October 2011, CIC consulted on a proposal to amend the citizenship regulations to require citizenship applicants to provide objective evidence of their language ability at the time of application, through the publication in the Canada Gazette of a Notice of Intent. As a result, the proposed regulations were pre-published in the Canada Gazette in April 2012 and final publication and the coming into force of the regulations are expected in fall 2012. This would enhance the integrity of the Citizenship Program by making language assessment more objective, while improving language outcomes for newcomers and improving processing. This could also improve the employability and earnings of permanent residents by providing an incentive to enhance their language skills before applying for citizenship; Canadian employers benefit as well by an increased pool of available employees with good language proficiency. Moreover, the legislative framework for the Citizenship Act has not seen a comprehensive update in more than 30 years. Although work is ongoing to address operational challenges, CIC undertook a review of the legislation in 2011 with a view to possible improvements in areas such as access, program integrity and fraud, and streamlining processing.

Multiculturalism

The majority of Canadians support immigration and their support is underpinned by a belief in immigration as an economic benefit and pride in Canadian multiculturalism. The Multiculturalism Program supports the government’s effort to build an integrated, socially cohesive society. Its objectives emphasize fostering intercultural and interfaith understanding, civic memory and pride, respect for core democratic values grounded in history, and equal opportunity for all Canadians.

Inter-Action, a component of the multiculturalism grants and contributions launched in June 2010 and has two streams: projects and events. The projects stream focuses on long-term, multi-year projects that support integration while the events stream provides grants to small community-based events that promote intercultural understanding between various communities. Departmental progress on results achieved in multiculturalism is reported in the Annual Report on the Operation of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act.

The projects stream of Inter-Action provides funding for long-term, multi-year activities that support building an integrated, socially cohesive society. In 2011–2012, projects stream funding of $7.7 million was approved. The events stream provides funding for community events that foster intercultural understanding, civic memory and pride, and respect for core democratic values. In 2011–2012, funding of $1.8 million was approved for the events stream.

<< Previous | Contents | Next >>