COW – Settlement Services – June 9, 2025

Key facts and figures

• The federal government plans to invest $1.2B in 2025–2026 to support the settlement needs of newcomers (outside of Quebec). This includes approximately $95M to provide services in French to newcomers settling in Francophone Minority Communities.
• In 2024–2025, nearly 686,000 newcomers accessed settlement services. Although this is a slight decrease from the high of nearly 704,000 unique clients in 2023–2024, it remains one of the highest client volume years for the program.

Key Messages

• Given that funding is tied to the number of past arrivals and future admissions, the Settlement Program’s funding envelope is set to decrease over the next few years to align with reduced permanent resident targets in the 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan.
• Despite these funding adjustments, the Government of Canada remains committed to ensuring newcomers have access to the supports and services they require to meet their settlement and resettlement needs, make the most of their experience in Canada, and successfully integrate and contribute to the Canadian economy and communities.
• Through IRCC’s Settlement Program, eligible newcomers will continue to have access to vital resources. These include information about life in Canada and their new community, language training, job search assistance, and support to build connections with established immigrants, Canadians, and Indigenous Peoples as they move forward on their journey towards citizenship.
• Following the 2024 national Call for Proposals (CFP) for the Settlement and the Resettlement Assistance Programs, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) established new three-year funding contribution agreements beginning April 1, 2025.
• The CFP 2024 funding decision reflect our focus on service excellence, strong newcomer outcomes, continuity of high-quality services, and the best possible value for money within available funding resources.
• As we shape a renewed vision for Canada’s immigration system—one that strategically balances welcoming immigrants with sustainable growth, the Department remains committed to ongoing and meaningful engagement with the settlement sector and other key partners, including provincial and territorial governments.
• A core objective of the Settlement Program is to assist the most vulnerable clients and to ensure that they have the supports they need to participate in Canadian society. In the language training service sector, this means prioritizing basic language skills that allow clients to: access services; participate in their children’s education; and conduct daily activities. Considering reductions in Levels and associated reductions in Settlement Program funding, difficult decisions have been made, and stage 2 language training classes will be phased out by September 2026.

Supplementary Information

• All permanent residents (including protected persons and resettled refugees) are eligible to receive settlement services, until they become Canadian citizens. Certain cohorts of temporary residents on a clear pathway to permanent residence can be granted access to settlement services, while others arriving under a departmental response to an international crisis (e.g., Gaza and Ukraine) can also be granted a time-limited access on an exceptional basis.
• Other temporary residents, asylum seekers, and Canadian citizens are generally not eligible for federally-funded settlement services.
• Federally-funded settlement services are delivered by approximately 570 third-party service provider organizations across Canada (excluding Quebec, where services are determined by the Canada-Quebec Accord). This includes close to 80 Francophone service providers in Francophone-minority communities.
• Through these organizations, newcomers can access an array of federally-funded settlement services, pre- and post-arrival that include:
  • Needs and assets assessment and referral services;
  • Information and orientation;
  • Language training in English or French;
  • Employment-related services;
  • Case management services;
  • Community connections to build social cohesion and allow newcomers to develop a sense of belonging; and,
  • Additional support services to remove barriers and ensure equitable access to settlement services, including child care, transportation, translation, interpretation, short-term counselling, digital supports, and provision of services for newcomers with disabilities.

Supporting Francophone Immigration Priorities

• With the new Policy on Francophone Immigration launched in January 2024, the Department continues to strengthen its support of the successful settlement, resettlement and integration of a growing number of French-speaking and bilingual newcomers in Francophone minority communities through the Francophone Integration Pathway.
• This will be achieved through existing initiatives, such as Welcoming Francophone Communities, and new measures, such as a strategy to better support French-speaking women immigrants and investments in language training tailored to Francophone minority communities.
• With funding from the Action Plan for Official Languages (2023–2028), nine service providers are delivering English and/or French language training services adapted to the needs of French-speaking newcomers in Francophone minority communities to help them settle economically and socially.
• Overall, over the next three fiscal years, IRCC will be investing approximately $250M in Francophone programming through its base settlement funding and temporary investments received through the Action Plan.

Supporting Specific Populations

• Tailored supports are available to newcomer populations facing additional barriers to integration and who are at increased risk of marginalization, including refugees, racialized women, youth, seniors, people living with a disability, and members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community.
• In 2025, the Settlement Program introduced a new Equity Stream to provide funding to a limited number of intermediaries to support lower-capacity, grassroots organizations that serve and are led by equity-deserving populations to enhance these organizations’ capacity to apply for and be successful in future departmental funding processes.

Housing Availability and Affordability for Newcomers

• The government recognizes that the lack of affordable and available housing is affecting both Canadians and newcomers.
• For newcomers, housing is a key component in their successful settlement and integration, and a requisite to achieving the long-term social and economic benefits of immigration.
• In collaboration with settlement service providers in communities across Canada, as well as federal and provincial/territorial partners, IRCC will continue to provide information to assist newcomers in finding housing.
• In addition, through the Resettlement Assistance Program, IRCC funds the delivery of immediate and essential services to government-assisted refugees and other eligible clients during their first four to six weeks in Canada. This includes the provision of port-of-entry services, temporary accommodations, assistance finding permanent accommodations, information and orientation to life in Canada, and registration and referrals to other government and community services. Eligible clients also receive monthly income support, which includes a one-time household start-up allowance as well as direct financial support generally for up to one year to cover basic needs and shelter costs.
• The Settlement Program also plays an important role in increasing the supply of housing by supporting the successful integration of newcomers into the Canadian labour market, including in the skilled trades and construction sector, through a suite of employment-related services funded by IRCC.