AFGH – Settlement and Integration – April 25, 2022

Key messages

Canada’s settlement services help newcomers integrate into the Canadian labour market and society, and build a successful life in Canada.
In 2021-2022, the Government is investing approximately $923M in the Settlement Program to support the settlement and integration of newcomers to Canada (outside of Quebec, which is covered by a separate agreement).
This investment reflects the Government’s recognition that strong settlement services provide newcomers a solid foothold to contribute to Canadian society in the years to come.
The Settlement Program is well positioned to continue to address the needs of newcomers, including Afghan nationals, as Canada recovers from the pandemic.

My Department works closely with Canada’s well-established network of more than 550 settlement service provider organizations, the private sponsorship community, Francophone minority communities, as well as provincial/territorial counterparts and other federal departments, to ensure that newcomers are well supported and that services continue to meet their needs.
The extensive network of service providers is critical to ensure that newcomers, including refugees, receive the supports they need.
Settlement services will play a key role to support an inclusive recovery as we move forward from the COVID-19 pandemic.

My department funds critical resettlement supports to help meet the unique needs of Government-assisted refugees arriving in Canada, including those from Afghanistan.
Service providers ensure that refugees have access to immediate and essential services upon arrival in Canada, such as temporary accommodation, orientation services, and income support.
Resettlement supports offered to Afghan refugees start at landing with airport reception, hotel accommodations and destining to communities where refugees will live. Agencies then link refugees to temporary housing and provide orientation and other immediate supports. These organizations also help to secure permanent housing.
The approach is meant to support refugees from Afghanistan throughout their settlement journey. It also provides my department with flexibility to deliver on a number of scenarios based on the volume and pace of arrivals from Afghanistan.

The Government recognizes that housing affordability and availability are challenges for Canadians and newcomers alike.
Resettlement service provider organizations are experiencing delays in securing adequate housing for Afghan Government-assisted refugees in various metropolitan centres.
That is why my department is investing more than $21M in the expansion of resettlement services and more than $13M in the expansion of settlement services for newcomers to smaller communities, where housing pressures are less acute.
This investment will help build community capacity to resettle refugees and provide additional supports to agencies to engage more housing providers in response to resettlement needs.

Quebec is an active supporter of Canada’s humanitarian traditions through the resettlement of persons in need of protection.
Under the 1991 Canada-Quebec Accord, Quebec has the sole responsibility for the selection of immigrants and the delivery of settlement and resettlement services in the province.

Through our recent expansion of resettlement capacity, we have doubled the number of Francophone resettlement providers and are collaborating closely with Francophone communities outside Quebec.

The people of Newfoundland and Labrador responded to news of Afghan arrivals with generous donations of household goods amounting to over $100,000.
A Toronto non-profit organization partnered with a local tech company to provide computers, tablets and cellphones to newcomer families looking to study or work online.

My Department has introduced new immigration streams for Ukrainians, and their family members, who want to come to Canada temporarily or permanently.
This includes the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel, which allows Ukrainians and their immediate family members to live, work or study in Canada on a temporary basis for up to three years. In general, Afghans are coming to Canada as refugees with the intention to remain here.
Ukrainian temporary residents will have access to settlement services funded by IRCC until March 31, 2023. Ukrainians who come to Canada as permanent residents will also have access to IRCC-funded settlement services, as all permanent residents do.

In 2020-2021, nearly 380,000 clients accessed at least one settlement service.
In 2020-2021, 31% fewer clients used settlement services, attributed to the 46% decrease in permanent resident admissions compared to 2019-2020 in light of pandemic restrictions.
Current figures for 2021-2022 indicate increased demand for settlement services from newcomers compared to the same period last year.
Resettled refugees use settlement services more intensely and for longer periods of time. In 2021-2022, refugees made up a quarter of Settlement Program’s clients.

All permanent residents and protected persons, outside of Quebec, are eligible for federally funded settlement services until they become Canadian citizens.

Third-party service provider organizations ensure that government-assisted refugees have access to immediate and essential services upon arrival in Canada. Supports are provided through the Resettlement Assistance Program and include being greeted at the airport upon arrival in Canada, temporary housing and help to find permanent housing, help to register for mandatory federal and provincial programs, orientation to community services, and income support. In general, financial support for 12 months after arrival, or in exceptional cases up to 24 months.

The federal government does not generally fund settlement services for temporary residents. However, in the context of certain immigration programs and pilots, such as the Atlantic Immigration Program and the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, certain limited supports are available to temporary residents who have been selected and are on a pathway to permanent residence.