Evaluation of Government Assisted Refugees (GAR) and Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP)
1. Background
1.1 Report Overview
This report highlights the key evaluation findings of two separate, but related, programs designed to assist Canada meet international obligations with respect to the selection, processing and resettlement of Government Assisted Refugees. In particular, this report highlights the key findings of the evaluation of the Government Assisted Refugee Program, and the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP).
Information in this report is presented under the following headings:
- Executive Summary
- Background
- Key Findings: GAR Program
- Key Findings: RAP
- Alternative Delivery Models
- Conclusions
- Programming Considerations and Recommendations
1.2 Rationale and history of the programs
As a state party to the 1951 UN Convention on the Status of Refugees, Canada participates in efforts to address refugee situations worldwide. The Canadian Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program operates for those seeking protection from outside Canada (Citizenship and Immigration Canada [CIC], 2007a). Working closely with international partners, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Canada selects refugees to ensure that they meet the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) requirements. Refugees are processed under the Convention Refugee Abroad Class or the Source Country Class when no other durable solution is available within a reasonable period of time.
In response to international concern over Canada’s immigration system, Canada implemented IRPA in 2002. IRPA changed the focus of refugee selection, placing greater emphasis on the need for protection and less on the ability of a refugee to become established in Canada. Resettled refugees are also exempt from inadmissibility to Canada for financial reasons, or for excessive demand on health or social services (St. Christopher House, 2004).
Under IRPA regulations, refugees entering Canada must have sufficient resources to live independently, be privately sponsored, or receive assistance from the Government of Canada. The number of refugees to be brought to Canada annually under the Government-Assisted Refugee (GAR) Program is set by the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism. Footnote 2 To assist GARs with their integration into Canadian society, CIC initially provided financial support and immediate essential services through The Adjustment Assistance Program, which was later redesigned into the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP) (CIC, 2010a).
The Adjustment Assistance Program was redesigned into RAP based on the 1994 Immigration Consultations. These consultations confirmed the continued importance of federal involvement (the “enduring federal role”) in resettling refugees selected from abroad and the importance of continued funding for immediate services to GARs (CIC, internal communication). RAP came into effect in 1998 and was gradually implemented through 1998 and 1999 (CIC, 2004a). Implementation saw a change in the service delivery method, with a shift from direct provision of services by CIC to the use of third-party contractors who provided necessary programming (CIC, 2004a). RAP services are now delivered by Service Provider Organizations (SPOs) across Canada, although CIC still manages the income support element of the program.
IRPA’s impact has been far-reaching, influencing both the characteristics of refugees selected as well as their needs upon arrival in Canada. In response to the increased resettlement needs of GARs, CIC piloted the Life Skills Pilot Project in six Ontario communities in 2004. The pilot was intended to assist high need GARs with integration and resettlement through the provision of short-term, intensive life skills. Focused on basic daily living, instruction was provided in the refugee’s own language in their place of permanent residence. Based on recommendations of the 2005 Evaluation of the RAP Life Skills Pilot Project, Life Skills Support/Enhanced Orientation was incorporated nationally into existing RAP services in 2006 (CIC, 2007b).
In addition to the inclusion of Life Skills in RAP, CIC has worked to address the ever-changing needs of GARs through income support increases and supplements as well as through the introduction of case management. In 2006, a number of allowances were increased or introduced, including: the introduction of a monthly school allowance for children; and increases to the winter clothing, staple, household needs, newborn and maternity allowances (CIC, 2007b).
To help address disparities between income support and local rental rates, CIC also developed a rental supplement in 2006. The supplement can be added to GAR budgets to increase available funds to cover rental costs (CIC, 2010b). In 2007, allowances were further increased including the basic clothing, school and maternity allowance. More recently, CIC piloted the use of case management to provide assistance to high-needs GARs. The case management approach was supported and recommended for integration into RAP in the evaluation of the Client Support Services Program (Kappel Ramji Consulting Group, 2009). Finally, additional income support was provided in 2009, with RAP allowances increased to match social assistance rates in all provinces where RAP had fallen behind. These provinces included Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Ontario and Alberta (CIC, internal communication, September 1, 2006).
1.3 Project objectives
As a Grants and Contributions program, RAP must be evaluated every five years under Treasury Board Policy on Evaluation (Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, 2009). RAP was last evaluated in 2004. The GAR program, although not a Grants and Contributions program, constitutes direct program spending, and has not been previously formally evaluated. The purpose of this evaluation is to assess the relevance and performance (effectiveness, efficiency and economy) of both the GAR Program and the RAP. In particular, this evaluation focuses upon the following:
1. Program relevance with respect to:
- continued need;
- alignment with government objectives and priorities; and,
- consistency with respect to federal role and responsibilities.
2. Program performance in achieving:
- effectiveness with respect to the intended outcomes of the programs, with a focus on their immediate and intermediate outcomes; and
- efficiency and economy, comparing different design and delivery approaches of the GAR and RAP programs, as well as best practices in other jurisdictions, with a view to understanding the adequacy of these approaches and practices in meeting the needs of resettled refugees.
The evaluation issues examined for the GAR Program and RAP are defined in the Evaluation Framework, presented in Appendix A.
The evaluation approach utilized for this study included multiple lines of evidence with a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. The data were collected and analyzed from primary and secondary data sources. Primary data sources included: key informant interviews; focus groups with GARs and SPOs; a survey of SPOs; a survey of GARs; inland case studies with SPOs; and international case studies with Canadian Visa Offices Abroad (CVOA) Footnote 3. The secondary data sources for the evaluation included: a document review; a literature review; and statistical analysis of data found in the Computer Assisted Immigration Processing System (CAIPS), Field Operations Support System (FOSS), Immigration-Contributions Accountability Measurement System (iCAMS), and in the Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB). The reporting period for this evaluation is from 2005 to 2009. The current evaluation did not examine GARs destined to Quebec or any of the SPOs providing RAP in Quebec. A more detailed description of the evaluation methodology is available in Appendix B.
While the methods are described in detail in Appendix B, it is important to note two key limitations of this evaluation. One of the limitations included a self-selection bias in terms of GARs participation in the survey and focus groups. Although every attempt was made to ensure that all GARs had an opportunity to participate in the survey, it is unclear as to whether GARs who self-selected to participate would have any inherent bias as compared to GARs who did not participate. However; the population of GARs who were invited to participate in the survey were selected to be representative of the overall GAR population. It was noted that the profile of GARs that responded to the survey differed from the overall GAR profile in terms of several key characteristics. A larger share of survey respondents were: male; university educated; aged 25-44; and familiar with an official language. The degree of discrepancy ranged from a maximum of 12.7 percentage points (within the category of education, those who were university educated) to a minimum of 0.5 percentage points (within the category of source country, those from Iran).
Similarly, the evaluation team visited four (4) international CVOAs and the results of the processing model used in CVOAs is based on the results/findings associated with, in most cases, the one CVOA visited. This introduces parameters around the breadth of coverage of different processing models and impacts representativeness. Although this could be seen as a limitation to the evaluation, it should be noted that the CVOAs visited accounted for more than 80% of all GARs processed in 2009. In addition, CVOAs were selected in order to reflect the different types of refugees (source country vs convention refugees), processing models (individual and group processing, Prima Facie designation), refugee setting (camp versus non camp settings) and the different GAR populations across the world Footnote 4. As a result, the selection of four CVOAs for international case studies does not impact the interpretation of the findings.
1.4 Program description
1.4.1 Government-Assisted Refugees (GAR) Program
The GAR program is one of two CIC resettlement programs, the other being the Privately Sponsored Refugees (PSR) Program. Between the years 2005 to 2009 Canada accepted between approximately 8,300 and 10,200 GARs and PSRs each year (excluding those accepted to Quebec). Of these, approximately two-thirds (63%) are government-assisted refugees (GARs) (Source: FOSS).
Government-assisted refugees are Convention Refugees Abroad and members of the Source Country Class Footnote 5 whose initial resettlement in Canada is supported by the Government of Canada or Quebec. The GAR program includes the selection, screening and processing of applications for resettlement to ensure that they meet IRPA requirements, as well as matching of selected refugees to one of 23 Canadian designated communities. Canada relies on UNHCR referrals for the large majority of the GARs identified for resettlement to Canada. All GARs undergo a medical examination, and security and criminality checks, prior to admission.
Typical support to GARs under RAP can last up to one year from their arrival in Canada (CIC, 2010a, although income support may be extended for one additional year for GARs with special needs). In addition to the financial support they receive, GARs also receive resettlement assistance through RAP and Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) coverage. GARs are also eligible to access settlement services offered by CIC to all newcomers to Canada (outside of the RAP program). IFHP provides temporary supplemental health care coverage for up to one year from the date of entry into Canada prior to GAR qualification for provincial/territorial health care coverage. IFHP also covers basic health care services (for example, the treatment and prevention of serious medical/dental conditions) until GARs meet provincial/territorial residency periods (up to three months) (CIC, 2011; Medavie Blue Cross, 2005). GARs may have also received a transportation loan under the Immigration Loans Program (ILP). Loans are approved to defray costs for immigration medical examinations abroad, travel documents, and transportation to Canada (CIC, 2011; CIC, internal communication).
GAR Profile
Data from an administrative database (FOSS) was used to create a profile of GARs arriving in Canada during the reference period of 2005 to 2009. GARs are processed as cases. A single case may include more than one GAR. For example a case could include the principal applicant, spouse and their children. In the reporting period, cases most commonly include a single person or two adults with children (Table 1-1). It should be emphasized that the data presented in this section excludes GARs destined for Quebec.
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | Reporting Period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single – Adult | 39% | 43% | 41% | 44% | 46% | 43% |
| Single – Minor | 4% | 3% | 5% | 4% | 5% | 4% |
| Single Adult with Children | 12% | 11% | 10% | 11% | 9% | 11% |
| Couple – Two adults | 7% | 8% | 7% | 8% | 8% | 8% |
| Two Adults with Children | 28% | 26% | 28% | 25% | 24% | 26% |
| More than Two Adults with Children | 8% | 7% | 8% | 6% | 7% | 7% |
| Other | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| (n=1986) | (n=2094) | (n=2127) | (n=2127) | (n=2164) | (n=10498) |
Source: FOSS
Examining the demographic characteristics of all GARs during the reference period, at landing approximately one-half of the GARs are male and one-half are female (See Table 1-3). Just over half (57%) of GARs are adults when they arrive. Across all age groupings GARs are most commonly under the age of 14 or between the ages of 25 and 44 when they arrive. Age groupings at the time of resettlement have remained relatively consistent across 2005 to 2009, although in 2009 there was a slight increase in those 65 years or older (i.e. from 1% of all GARs in 2008 to 3% in 2009).
Compared to PSRs, adult GARs more often have no education at landing (18% vs. 9%). As shown in summary Table 1-3, few adult GARs (20%) arrive in Canada with post-secondary education; most (80%) have either no education (18%) or secondary school or less (63%). Among GAR adults with secondary education or less, many have 6 years or less (18%).
Minor GARs are similarly arriving with fewer years of schooling than their age would suggest. Among children 5 to 9 years of age, over one-half have never attended school (Table 1-2). When minors have attended school, they have commonly spent less time in school than children of their age who grew up in Canada. Thus, most (75%) youth between 10 and 14 years of age have only 1 to 6 years of schooling.
| 0 years | 1 to 6 years | 7 to 12 years | 13 or more years | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minor – 5 to 9 years | 59% | 41% | — | — |
| Minor – 10 to 14 years | 15% | 75% | 10% | — |
| Minor – 15 to 17 years | 14% | 36% | 50% | — |
Source: FOSS
The majority of adult (68%) and minor (78%) GARs entering Canada self-report having no knowledge of either of Canada’s official languages.
Examining country of birth at landing, GARs who landed between 2005 and 2009 most commonly come from Afghanistan (13%), Iraq (9%), Myanmar (Burma) (9%), Colombia (8%), Democratic Republic of Congo (6%), Democratic Republic of Sudan (6%), Iran (6%), Thailand (6%) and Somalia (6%). However, country of birth varies by year of entry and intended destination. Thus between 2005 and 2009, Colombians made up 19% of all GARs destined to Saskatoon although they constitute only 7% of GARs overall. By country of birth, from 2005 to 2009, the highest proportion of those from Afghanistan are destined to Lethbridge (23%) and Toronto (19%), while refugees from the Congo (16%) are more commonly destined to Winnipeg.
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | Reporting period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adults and Minors | ||||||
| Minors | 45% | 43% | 43% | 42% | 41% | 43% |
| Adults | 55% | 57% | 57% | 58% | 59% | 57% |
| Gender | ||||||
| Male | 52% | 53% | 52% | 48% | 51% | 51% |
| Female | 48% | 47% | 48% | 51% | 49% | 49% |
| Age | ||||||
| 0 to 14 | 38% | 36% | 36% | 36% | 34% | 36% |
| 15 to 24 | 23% | 23% | 24% | 22% | 23% | 23% |
| 25 to 44 | 31% | 33% | 30% | 32% | 30% | 31% |
| 45 to 64 | 8% | 8% | 9% | 9% | 10% | 9% |
| 65+ | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 3% | 1% |
| Years of Schooling – Adult | ||||||
| 0 years | 16% | 16% | 20% | 16% | 20% | 18% |
| 1 to 6 years | 17% | 19% | 18% | 18% | 18% | 18% |
| 7 to 12 years | 41% | 46% | 47% | 45% | 43% | 45% |
| 13 or more years | 26% | 19% | 15% | 21% | 19% | 20% |
| Official Language – Adults | ||||||
| English | 26% | 24% | 18% | 23% | 27% | 23% |
| French | 3% | 4% | 6% | 6% | 5% | 5% |
| Bilingual | 9% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 3% | 3% |
| None | 63% | 71% | 74% | 68% | 66% | 68% |
| Official Language – Minors | ||||||
| English | 12% | 10% | 8% | 9% | 10% | 17% |
| French | 3% | 3% | 4% | 4% | 2% | 3% |
| Bilingual | 9% | 0% | 0% | 1% | 1% | 2% |
| None | 77% | 87% | 89% | 86% | 87% | 78% |
| Country of Birth | ||||||
| Afghanistan | 26% | 15% | 12% | 7% | 4% | 13% |
| Iraq | 2% | 2% | 3% | 16% | 21% | 9% |
| Myanmar (Burma) | 1% | 8% | 15% | 9% | 10% | 9% |
| Colombia | 8% | 11% | 7% | 11% | 4% | 8% |
| Congo | 3% | 5% | 7% | 7% | 9% | 6% |
| Sudan | 13% | 8% | 4% | 4% | 1% | 6% |
| Iran | 4% | 8% | 7% | 7% | 5% | 6% |
| Thailand | 0% | 6% | 13% | 4% | 6% | 6% |
| Somalia | 5% | 4% | 6% | 7% | 6% | 6% |
| Ethiopia | 4% | 5% | 4% | 5% | 3% | 4% |
| Other | 34% | 28% | 25% | 23% | 31% | 27% |
Source: FOSS
(n=27,838)
1.4.2 Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP)
The RAP provides immediate and essential services and income support to recently arrived eligible refugees (primarily GARs). Excluding income support, services are generally received within the first 4 to 6 weeks of GARs’ arrival in Canada. Income support is provided for up to one year or until the GAR becomes self-sufficient, whichever comes first. In exceptional cases for high-needs GARs, income support may be extended for up to 24 months (CIC, 2010b). CIC administers the income support portion of RAP.
For the 2009/2010 fiscal year the RAP budget was $48.45 million (Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, 2010). The majority (approximately 75%) of Resettlement Assistance Program funds go directly to GARs in the form of income support payments, with the remaining one-quarter used to cover costs associated with RAP services which include (CIC, 2005):
- reception services;
- temporary accommodation and assistance with permanent accommodations;
- assessments;
- orientation on financial and non-financial information and life skills training; and
- links to mandatory federal and provincial programs as well as to other settlement programs.
To facilitate the implementation of Life Skills Support the RAP funding formula was increased from a maximum of 18 hours to 30 funded hours of service per client. Discussion of these programs can be found in Section 4.5 of this report.
Service Provider Organization (SPO) profile
RAP is delivered in 23 communities located across Canada in BC, the Prairies, Ontario and the Atlantic region. Based on a survey of RAP Service Providers (n=20), it was determined that SPOs commonly have 15 full-time staff working on RAP, with four staff working exclusively on the program. Staff not working exclusively on RAP split their time between RAP and the delivery of non-RAP services provided through the SPO, including enabling services (child minding, transportation, interpretation and translation), language training, employment, recreational, health, and child and family services. Approximately two-thirds (68%) of SPOs have staff who provide both RAP and non-RAP services to GARs. The majority (75%) of SPOs also use volunteers to assist in the provision of RAP services.
All SPOs surveyed provide client needs assessment and the majority provide all other required services on site, with the exception of Port of Entry (POE) services, which are usually handled by another external agency Footnote 6:
- Client needs assessment (100%);
- Life Skills training (95%);
- Access and link to mandatory and essential services (95%);
- Temporary accommodation (90%);
- Non-financial orientation (90%);
- Housing search to find permanent accommodation (90%); and
- Reception (84%).
In addition to the services listed above, a wide range of settlement and other services are also available to GARs through the current RAP SPOs. These services include child-minding; transportation; interpretation and translation; language training; employment services and related services; and recreational, health care, and child and family services. Despite the wide range of available services, less than one-half of the service provider organizations (47%) providing RAP are currently co-located Footnote 7 with other settlement services. Most (73%) SPOs currently refer GARs to other services provided by external agencies not co-located with them.
A number of trends are apparent in SPO provision of RAP services to GARs in the current (2005-2009) reporting period. iCAMS analysis showed that for temporary accommodation more single GARs are now being served, with an overall decrease in the length of stay in temporary accommodation (number of days) among married GARs (Source: iCAMS). In line with vacancy rates across the country, the Prairie region has seen the longest stays in temporary accommodation followed by Ontario in 2009.
Despite a decline in the number of GARs served in three orientation areas (Basic and Financial Orientation, and Information about Income Support), the total number of hours provided to GARs for all the orientation services, excluding orientation to federal and provincial programs, has increased since 2005. Assessment and referral has seen the greatest increase in service hours.
Similarly, assistance finding permanent accommodation has also shown an increase in the number of service hours between 2005 and 2009. Numbers of hours of service provided in order to obtain permanent accommodation have increased by 74% for all single GARs and 4% for married GARs. The 52% increase in the number of single GARs receiving services from SPOs has further compounded the issue. The Atlantic and Prairie regions have both shown the greatest increase in service hours to find permanent accommodation.
| Hours | GARs served | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 2009 | Change | 2005 | 2009 | Change | |
| Orientation Services | ||||||
| Basic Orientation | 20,777 | 22,026 | +6% | 4,401 | 4,332 | -2% |
| Financial Orientation | 12,750 | 13,364 | +5% | 4,310 | 4,270 | -1% |
| Client Aware Federal/Provincial Program | 18,097 | 17,093 | -6% | 4,365 | 4,424 | +1% |
| Info About Income Support | 12,192 | 13,601 | +12% | 4,290 | 4,234 | -1% |
| Assessment and Referrals | 9,398 | 12,768 | +36% | 4,182 | 4,262 | +2% |
| Permanent Accommodation | ||||||
| Single | 3,605 | 6,272 | +74% | 681 | 1,043 | +52% |
| Married | 8,893 | 9,205 | +4% | 1,541 | 1,454 | -6% |
iCAMS
Profile of GARs Receiving RAP Services from SPOs
From 2005 to 2009, SPOs provided services to 25,026 GARs or 89.5% of all GARs landing in Canada. The characteristics of GARs receiving services from SPOs generally align with the characteristics of GARs entering Canada. There may be small discrepancies in the profiles (percentage distributions) of GARs landing and GARs receiving services; however, overall the profiles are similar. Appendix F compares the profiles for GARs landing (FOSS data) and GARs receiving RAP services (iCAMS data).
During the reporting period, 51% of GARs receiving services were male and 49% were female.
With respect to marital status, the number of singles increased between 2007 and 2009, compared to the number of married GARs, which decreased between 2005 and 2009. From 2005 to 2009 the number and proportion of minors served has declined, (See Table 1-5). The change in the portion of minors can be attributed to a decrease in the number of children under the age of 11 being served. The largest proportion of adults served from 2005 to 2009, were between the ages of 18 and 35 years of age.
As highlighted in Table 1-5, few GARs over the age of 18 arrive in Canada with official language ability. From 2005 to 2009 there has been a 3% increase in the proportion of GARs with no official language capability being served by SPOs. As highlighted in Table 1-5, there has also been a marked decrease in the proportion of GARs who report being bilingual (from 9% of GARs in 2005 to 3% in 2009).
GARs seeking SPO services also have limited education. During the reporting period, only 47% of all adult GARs served had completed 10 to 14 years or more of schooling. The majority (52%) had 5 to 9 years (26%), 1 to 4 years (8%) or no formal schooling (18%).
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | Reporting period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adults vs. Minors | ||||||
| Minors | 45% | 41% | 42% | 42% | 40% | 42% |
| Adults | 56% | 59% | 58% | 58% | 60% | 58% |
| Age – Minors | ||||||
| Children (0 to 11) | 66% | 67% | 68% | 67% | 63% | 66% |
| Youth (12 to 17) | 34% | 33% | 32% | 33% | 37% | 34% |
| Age – Adults | ||||||
| 18 to 25 | 32% | 33% | 33% | 30% | 30% | 32% |
| 26 to 35 | 32% | 33% | 31% | 31% | 29% | 32% |
| 36 to 45 | 23% | 21% | 19% | 23% | 21% | 21% |
| 46 to 55 | 9% | 9% | 10% | 9% | 12% | 10% |
| 56 to 65 | 2% | 3% | 4% | 4% | 4% | 3% |
| 65+ | 1% | 1% | 2% | 2% | 4% | 2% |
| Official Language – Adults | ||||||
| English | 25% | 23% | 18% | 23% | 26% | 23% |
| French | 3% | 4% | 5% | 6% | 5% | 5% |
| Bilingual | 9% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 3% | 4% |
| None | 63% | 72% | 75% | 68% | 66% | 69% |
| Years of Schooling – Adults | ||||||
| 0 | 16% | 17% | 19% | 16% | 20% | 18% |
| 1 to 4 | 8% | 9% | 9% | 8% | 8% | 8% |
| 5 to 9 | 23% | 27% | 30% | 25% | 27% | 26% |
| 10 to 14 | 37% | 36% | 35% | 37% | 33% | 35% |
| 15 to 19 | 15% | 11% | 7% | 13% | 11% | 11% |
| 20 to 29 | 2% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
Source: iCAMS
Page details
- Date modified: