CIMM - Impact on Operations: Settlement - Dec 2, 2020
Key messages
Throughout the pandemic, my Department has demonstrated flexibility and adaptability in supporting the settlement sector to respond to the needs of newcomers.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, departmental interaction with service provider organizations has been entirely virtual in order to limit contact between individuals and contain the spread of the virus.
Service providers adapted quickly to provide non-critical services such as language training by telephone and multiple online and virtual formats. Activities typically conducted by IRCC settlement officers in person are now virtual.
Settlement service providers must follow public health and provincial guidelines. This means that in-person services offered by service providers will vary depending on their location.
Supplementary messages
My Department is dedicated to helping newcomers settle and integrate into Canadian society and the economy through partnerships with organizations that offer high quality language and settlement services.
A key component of my Department’s work in settlement and integration involves building and maintaining strong relationships with service provider organizations.
Key in-person activities conducted by settlement and resettlement officers now take place virtually with the assistance of our service provider partners; including Resettlement Assistance Program income support orientation, engagement with new service provider partners, and financial monitors.
Management of contribution agreements with service providers has been accomplished effectively in the current remote environment. Management of contribution agreements does not require a return to physical office spaces and we anticipate that to be the case for some time to come.
My Department is working closely with Canada’s network of more than 500 settlement service providers, the private sponsorship community, as well as provincial/territorial counterparts and other federal departments, to ensure newcomers continue to be well-supported and that services are adapted to meet their needs in the COVID-19 context.
Key steps taken early on, such as extending the validity period of language assessment results from one to two years, as well as streamlining monitoring and reporting tools, have lessened administrative pressures on service providers and allowed them to focus on client needs.
Health, safety and security of newcomers and frontline employees
Early in the pandemic, IRCC acquired personal protective equipment (or PPE) for distribution to service providing organizations providing in-person services. We now allow service providers to use their IRCC funding to purchase PPE and related supplies to support the resumption of in-person services in accordance with public health and provincial/territorial guidelines.
IRCC has worked to facilitate access to care during the pandemic by aligning Interim Federal Health Program benefits with provincial and territorial programs, including coverage of alternative services such as telephone and virtual appointments, for both basic and supplemental benefits where applicable.
IRCC also translated information from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Finance Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada into the most widely spoken newcomer languages to address accessibility barriers on up-to-date information and directives related to COVID-19.
My Department worked with Service Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency to provide information on federal benefits to settlement agency frontline workers to help newcomers navigate the various benefits available. We continue to assess eligible newcomer and refugee language needs and refer them to available language training using adapted tools in multiple formats, including virtually and on the phone.
Flexibility in Settlement Program delivery
IRCC provided administrative flexibility to the network of service providers so they could provide wage increases of up to 15% for frontline staff delivering critical in-person services from April 1 to June 30, 2020. Wage extensions were available after June 30, at the Department’s discretion, and based on the circumstances in each region.
Other funding flexibilities have allowed service providers to purchase laptops or cell phones that can be loaned to clients so that they can continue to access settlement and resettlement services remotely. In addition, the Department allowed service providers to exercise flexibility when verifying clients’ identity in order to facilitate their access to remote services.
Service providers that have not spent as much money on program delivery this year because of COVID-19 can ask to separate program delivery funds from their administrative funds. This will help them cover their administrative costs.
Engagement with settlement agencies, provinces and territories
My Department and I have been in regular communication with settlement sector representatives through the National Settlement and Integration Council to update them on COVID-related information. This also provides an opportunity for the sector to raise concerns and engage in discussions.
My Department has been working very closely with the provinces and territories to coordinate responses to the challenges faced by the settlement sector during COVID-19 so that we can align services and meet the needs of diverse population groups. This includes engaging with Francophone settlement service providers to understand the challenges of the Francophone sector.
In response to the pandemic, IRCC will allocate approximately $30M per year over the next three years to service delivery improvement. In addition, a Settlement Sector and Technology Task Group has been formed to identify successful digital and hybrid service delivery models. The Task Group will engage with the settlement sector this fall and report back in March 2021.
Supporting facts and figures
IRCC provides funding to more than 500 settlement service provider organizations across Canada to deliver pre- and post-arrival settlement services, this includes 79 new organizations that were selected as part of the 2019 Call for Proposals, 20 of which are Francophone.
In 2018-2019, nearly 520,000 clients accessed at least one settlement service. We have seen a 29% increase in the use of settlement services over the past four years, demonstrating the importance of providing direct supports and services to recent immigrants and refugees.
In 2019-2020, IRCC implemented the Francophone Integration Pathway which aims to increase and strengthen settlement and resettlement services offered to French-speaking clients by Francophone organizations, and promote awareness of these services to newcomers of all linguistic backgrounds. In the same year, 51% of French-speaking newcomers received at least one settlement service offered by a Francophone service provider, compared to 44% in 2018-2019.
Background
In early 2020, IRCC was in the midst of finalizing the largest Calls for Proposals in the history of the Department – over 730 five-year contribution agreements, worth more than $4B, with over 500 service providers.
At the onset of the pandemic, on March 16, 2020, IRCC advised service providers to suspend all non-essential services and focus on the provision of critical services to clients facing complex barriers until further notice.
They were also encouraged to provide non-critical services by alternate means, such as virtual delivery, where possible. Updated guidance on service resumption was shared with service provider organizations on June 3, 2020.
Information and orientation
My Department has prioritized the creation and distribution of health related information for the settlement sector and newcomers. IRCC has updated its pre-arrival and in-Canada settlement-related webpages to ensure newcomers are able to locate and access both in-person and virtual settlement services in the COVID-19 context.
Pre-arrival Information
A factsheet on resettling to Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic has been translated into multiple languages and posted on IRCC’s COVID-19 webpage. It was developed in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada and the International Organization for Migration and is being distributed by the latter to refugees resettling to Canada.
The International Organization for Migration is delivering 1-2 hour briefings to refugees by telephone, providing information on travel to Canada, how to protect themselves and their families and what to expect on arrival in Canada. These briefings are delivered in the refugees’ primary language either by the facilitator or with the assistance of a translator.
