Fredericton, May 20, 2008 - Mike Allen, Member of Parliament for Tobique-Mactaquac, on behalf of Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, today announced funding to help newcomers settle and integrate in New Brunswick.
More than $3 million will be provided to the Multicultural Association of Fredericton, the New Brunswick Multicultural Council and the University of New Brunswick to help ensure that services and supports are in place to give immigrants every opportunity to succeed in their new communities.
"Canadian society benefits from the contribution of newcomers. And, when newcomers are accepted and engaged in their communities, they and their families also benefit from Canada," said Mr. Allen. "This funding will help deliver services that will ease newcomers' transition to life in New Brunswick and help them succeed in their new lives."
The Multicultural Association of Fredericton will receive about $2.7 million to deliver services that will help newcomers become established in Fredericton and surrounding areas. These services include language training, translation and interpretation, and referrals to community resources. The Association will also provide youth settlement workers who will work with newcomer youth in the community.
The New Brunswick Multicultural Council will receive about $300,000 to deliver job-specific language training to help prepare newcomers for jobs in Canada that match their skills and qualifications. And the University of New Brunswick will receive $7,500 to provide language testing services for newcomers applying for language training programs.
Settlement services are an essential part of the Government of Canada's immigration program. Since 2006, the Government of Canada has begun investing an additional $1.4 billion over five years in settlement funding in settlement funding to provinces and territories outside of Quebec, which receives annual funding through a separate agreement. For 2008-09, New Brunswick will receive more than $2.7 million in basic settlement funding, an increase of more than $900,000 over the previous year.
The 2008 budget also proposes changes to modernize the immigration system including to shorten the time it takes to bring newcomers and their families to Canada. Under this proposed system, instructions would be issued to immigration officers related to the processing of applications, including in relation to the jobs available in Canada, so that people with those skills and experience can be brought to Canada more quickly. With these changes, newcomers could have more opportunities to find work sooner, to provide a better life for themselves and their families and to benefit more from life in Canada.
Newcomers can also look to the Foreign Credentials Referral Office (FCRO), which helps internationally trained individuals find the information they need to get their credentials assessed and recognized more quickly. The FCRO was established in 2007 to provide information, path-finding and referral services to help internationally-trained individuals use their skills in Canada. There are now 320 Service Canada Centres across Canada offering in-person services to newcomers.
For more information on CIC's programs, consult our website at Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
For further information (media only), please contact:
Tim Vail
Press Secretary
Minister's Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-954-1064
Jon Stone
Director, Communications
Atlantic Region
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
902-426-1419
