ARCHIVED – Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration, 2010

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SECTION 4
Integration of Newcomers and Canadian Citizenship

The successful settlement and integration of new immigrants is an important objective of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. 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.

Settlement

Settlement refers to the short-term transitional issues faced by newcomers, while integration is an ongoing process of mutual accommodation between an individual and society. CIC’s Settlement Program [note 27] 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. The program accomplishes this goal by providing language learning services for newcomers, community and employment bridging services, settlement information, and support services that facilitate access to settlement programming.

Each year, eligible newcomers have access to settlement services and programs delivered by service providers such as community-based organizations funded through formal contribution agreements with the Department. CIC-funded settlement programs and services include language instruction and skills development, information and orientation, and initiatives to support social engagement, community connections and labour market participation. Through federal–provincial agreements, [note 28] British Columbia, Manitoba and Quebec assume direct responsibility for the design, administration and delivery of settlement programs and services to newcomers who settle in these provinces, but are expected to achieve outcomes comparable to those of CIC programs.

Considering the vital importance of newcomers’ language abilities in their successful integration, a summative evaluation of CIC’s largest language training program was undertaken in 2009. The Department also began enhancing language assessment within the Settlement Program, developing a standardized test, designing a field test for a new method of measuring student progress, and working toward a single coordinated language assessment and referral system for newcomers to Ontario. CIC also strengthened its French-language programming by introducing a comprehensive placement tool, and by piloting on-line French classes. Newcomers are normally informed of the availability of language training by service providers, through advertising, the Internet and word of mouth. CIC also launched a pilot in October 2009 to test whether directly receiving a language training voucher raises awareness and uptake of language training by eligible newcomers. [note 29] The effectiveness of the pilot project, which ends in early 2011, will be evaluated by comparing the number of people who take training after receiving a language training voucher to the number of people who take training without having a voucher.

The Department reissued the Welcome to Canada [note 30] publication and began to substantially revise and update the settlement-related information CIC provides to newcomers on-line, in print and in person. CIC funded two predeparture orientation projects, the Canadian Orientation Abroad project and the Active Engagement and Integration project, which were delivered in person to a total of 14,804 individuals in 2009. Human Resources and Skills Development Canada funded the Canadian Immigration Integration Project, which provided predeparture orientation to an additional 2,667 individuals. Under the Welcoming Communities Initiative, CIC continued to fund projects in 2009 aimed at fostering settlement and integration activities.

During the year, the Department also approved support for additional local immigration partnerships, which are agreements between municipalities and local stakeholders to develop a comprehensive, coordinated and collaborative strategy for the settlement and integration of newcomers to their communities. As a result of a recent management review, it was decided that the overall settlement funding envelope, which has more than tripled in recent years, should be slightly reduced. Starting in 2011–2012, the overall settlement funding envelope for all provinces except Quebec, which has a separate funding agreement, will decrease by approximately 8 percent. CIC has now launched a review of settlement programs to ensure the ongoing significant investments help achieve positive settlement outcomes for newcomers and meet the needs of Canada. CIC will work with provinces and territories to minimize the impact on the level of services for newcomers.

CIC also continued working with its federal, provincial, territorial and community partners to implement the 2006 Strategic Plan to Foster Immigration to Francophone Minority Communities. [note 31] Initiatives seeking to recruit, integrate and retain Francophone immigrants into minority communities included the Destination Canada annual recruitment initiative, economic development activities and the implementation of immigration networks. The 2006 Plan’s target was to attract and retain 4.4 percent of French‑speaking immigrants to communities outside Quebec. This proportion represents the percentage of Francophone Canadians outside of Quebec in 2001. Since then, an interim target of 1.8 percent was set for 2013 and a timeline of 2023 was set for the 4.4 percent target. In 2009, 0.8 percent of new permanent residents had French as their mother tongue. CIC commissioned research to understand where French-speaking immigrants are settling, and is implementing new data collection tools to allow more accurate capture of the number of French-speaking newcomers.

CIC also offers financial support and immediate essential services to help government-assisted refugees resettle in Canada and integrate into Canadian society. Through the Resettlement Assistance Program, [note 32] the Government ensures the delivery of essential services (such as reception services at the port of entry, temporary accommodation, assistance in finding permanent accommodation and financial orientation) through contribution agreements with service provider organizations. [note 33] This program also provides income support for up to 12 months after arrival in most cases, and up to 24 months for refugees with special needs, such as victims of trauma or torture.

In 2009, CIC continued to implement a modernized settlement approach that focuses on newcomer outcomes. Efforts to engage organizations delivering CIC-funded settlement programs to discuss implementation issues included national consultations and the development of an advisory body. With support from Canada’s Economic Action Plan, [note 34] and in collaboration with provinces and territories, CIC’s Foreign Credentials Referral Office [note 35] and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada’s Foreign Credential Recognition Program launched the Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications [note 36] on November 30, 2009. The Framework sets out a common approach to providing timely and consistent assessment and recognition processes of foreign credentials, beginning overseas where feasible, to facilitate the integration of internationally trained individuals into the Canadian labour market.

Canadian Citizenship

The acquisition of citizenship is a significant step in the integration process of newcomers. Granting citizenship to eligible applicants provides established newcomers with the full range of rights and encourages them to fulfil the responsibilities of citizenship. Citizenship acquisition also fosters a greater sense of belonging to Canada and allows newcomers to share a broader sense of community with all Canadians while supporting their full participation in all aspects of Canadian society.

In 2009, approximately 164,750 applications for citizenship were processed, resulting in 156,250 individuals becoming Canadian citizens. The 2009 target for processing applications for citizenship was not met and is lower than the number of applications processed in 2008 and 2007. Various factors led to this decrease, including the introduction of a new citizenship test, which led local offices to focus on reducing their testing inventory, as well as facility challenges at two local offices, which have since been resolved, but decreased the number of client appointments scheduled in 2009. Processing capacity for applications remains at 170,000 while annual application intake averaged 232,000 between 2007 and 2009.

In 2009, 75,450 applications for citizenship certificates (proofs of citizenship) were issued to existing citizens. CIC was able to exceed the target for processing citizenship certificates for existing citizens in 2009 due to additional funding of $3.5 million made available in 2009–2010. Pressures on citizenship certificate processing remain, as annual application intake averaged over 57,250 between 2007 and 2009, and, without additional funding, annual capacity for processing certificates would return to 38,000 applications. However, with the remaining additional funding as well as a departmental funding reallocation, the 2009 processing capacity will be maintained in 2010.

CIC is continuing to explore measures to address capacity issues as a result of the growing inventory of applications for citizenship and citizenship certificates, including measures to streamline processing using web-based tools.

In 2009–2010, CIC introduced a Citizenship Action Plan, a set of integrated initiatives that aim to strengthen the integrity of the Citizenship Program. [note 37]

The Action Plan will enhance the value and meaning of Canadian citizenship by strengthening civic memory, civic participation and sense of belonging to Canada. The program has introduced a new citizenship study guide and associated knowledge test that have greater focus on Canadian history, institutions and values, as well as the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. The test is being monitored and adjustments may be made in the fall of 2010 when the test will be updated to align with planned regulatory amendments. In addition to enhancing citizenship ceremonies, new citizenship promotional materials were developed and are now being distributed to all new Canadians at citizenship ceremonies.

The study guide for Canadian citizenship was revised and launched in November 2009. Entitled Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship, the guide provides a broad overview of the key people, events and accomplishments that define Canada. The guide also focuses on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. Meant primarily for citizenship applicants, all Canadians can benefit from Discover Canada as an important resource for citizenship education in Canada. Discover Canada has been very popular since its release and has received generally positive response from the media and general public. To date, approximately 300,000 printed copies of the guide have been distributed, with on-line and audio version downloads further increasing the reach of the guide. [note 38]

In addition, the Multiculturalism Program supports the Government’s effort to enhance the value of Canadian citizenship. Its new objectives, introduced in September 2009, emphasize fostering intercultural understanding, citizenship, civic memory and pride, respect for core democratic values grounded in history, and equal opportunity for all Canadians.

The Citizenship Program also continued administering various promotional activities such as Celebrate Citizenship Week, the Canada’s Citizenship Award (formerly called the Citation for Citizenship), reaffirmation ceremonies and citizenship ceremonies, of which 429 (22%) were special ceremonies held in the community.

Furthermore, in January 2010 a departmental lead was appointed to deal with fraud in the Citizenship Program. A departmental citizenship fraud action plan was drafted to assess and address program integrity through communications to staff and partners, adjustment to procedures, and the consideration of legislative changes.

In April 2009, CIC implemented amendments to the Citizenship Act introduced the previous year. The amendments restored citizenship to many persons who lost it under previous legislation, recognized other persons as citizens for the first time, and introduced a limit to citizenship by descent to one generation born outside of Canada. To support effective client service and implementation of the amendments, CIC developed supporting regulations, information system changes, application kits and forms, training materials, communication products, and policy and program manual updates. CIC also undertook a proactive, web-based outreach to connect with stakeholders and members of the groups affected by the new law. As citizenship legislation is complex, an on-line self-assessment tool was implemented early in 2009 to coincide with implementation of the legislative amendments to assist with client service.

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