Settlement and Integration
Services, Resources and Supports
for Newcomers
Carla Johnson and Geralyn St. Louis
Alberta Human Services
November 29, 2013
Setting Context
A Provincial System
Immigration: A Shared Responsibility
• Primary federal role:
– Determining who may immigrate.
– Collaborating with provinces to
offer services.
• Primary provincial role:
– Attracting, supporting and
retaining immigrants through
programs and services.
Newcomers to Canada
Permanent Residents/Immigrants:
• Family Class – spouses, dependent children, other relatives
• Economic Class – Federal Skilled Workers, Skilled Trades,
Investors, Entrepreneurs, Self-Employed, Live-In Caregivers,
Canadian Experience, Provincial Nominees
• Refugees – selected by federal government or privately sponsored
Temporary Residents:
•
•
•
•
Temporary Foreign Workers
Refugee Claimants
International Students
Visitor visas – tourist, business, parents and grandparents
Immigration to Alberta: Facts and Trends
• In 2007, 20,860 immigrants came to Alberta
– 8.8% of total immigrants to Canada
• In 2012, 36,092 immigrants came to Alberta
– 14.0% of total immigrants to Canada
• 2012 regional breakdown of immigration:
–
–
–
–
Calgary: 16,813
Edmonton: 11,986
Other urban locations: 2,751
Rural locations in Alberta: 4,542
Source: Facts and Figures, Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
Permanent Residents to Alberta 2012
Total Immigrants to Alberta: 36,092
Economic
Class
(24,575)
Family
Class
(8.435)
Refugess
(2,250)
Other
(832)
Birth Country of Immigrants in Alberta
(2007-2011)
20.9
49.1
13.7
3.7 5.5
7.1
Philippines
India
China
UK
Pakistan
Others
Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada: Permanent Resident Dataset Release 2012 Q2
The Landscape
Programs and Services for
Newcomers
Resource Guide
• Provides information
and links for available
programs and
services in Alberta.
• Will be circulated via
email to participants.
Are there settlement services
in your community?
Language
Assessment
Centers
Settlement
Services
Alberta
Works
ALIS.alberta.ca
Language
Training
Settlement Services
• Delivered through the Canada-Alberta Integrated
Service Program (ISP)
• ISP is a collaborative effort between Citizenship and
Immigration Canada and the Government of Alberta
• There are 17 Immigrant Serving Agencies in 9 Alberta
communities
• Find out more from the Alberta Association of
Immigrant Serving Agencies – www.aaisa.ca
Who is eligible for settlement services?
• Permanent residents of Canada including:
– Family Class
– Economic Immigrants
– Refugees (excluding refugee claimants)
• Foreign caregivers currently participating in the
Live-In Caregiver Program
• Foreign born Canadian citizens with significant
cultural and linguistic barriers
Integrated Service Program (ISP):
Main Service Areas
Newcomer Outreach
 Information about services, programs and workshops;
presentations at community organizations and meetings.
Orientation, Information and Referral
 Skill-building workshops for everyday living and cross-cultural
facilitation.
 Information on living, studying and working in Canada,
accreditation, community resources, cultural and religious
institutions, roles and responsibilities of Canadian residents.
 Referrals to community resources/services (e.g. banks, shops,
housing, etc.)
Integrated Service Program (ISP):
Main Service Areas
Interpretation services
 Trained settlement practitioners provide interpretation for
day-to-day living in the community and may accompany
immigrants to school or doctor appointments for
interpretation as necessary.
Translation of documents
 Translation services are limited to documents related to
employment, health, education and legal matters that are
necessary for immediate settlement.
 Trained volunteers provide translation services and a
certified notary public.
Integrated Service Program (ISP):
Main Service Areas
Supportive Counselling
 Helps newcomers identify options and develop and
implement strategies for adjusting to life in Canada.
 Helps newcomers to identify needs, determine how these
needs should be addressed, and assists newcomers in
connecting to mainstream and/or specialized services.
 This includes social and personal support, but not in
depth social or psychological counselling normally
provided by professional counselors.
 Referrals are made to therapeutic counselling as needed.
Integrated Service Program (ISP):
Main Service Areas
Employment Readiness
• Employment assessment, orientation to the Canadian
workplace, information on rights and legal obligations, and job
search assistance.
• Pre-employment preparation is offered that includes life skills,
assertiveness training, effective communication, job finding
clubs (job search strategies, resume writing, interview
techniques, follow-up with potential employers), and placement
into employment.
• Referrals to appropriate resources for obtaining
trade/professional certification and/or recognition of foreign
academic credentials.
Integrated Service Program (ISP):
Main Service Areas
Ethno-Cultural Collaboration
• Build and maintain partnerships and collaborations with
ethno-cultural communities.
• Settlement agencies work closely with ethno-cultural
groups to understand the settlement needs of specific
groups and to support the development and growth of
ethno-cultural associations.
• Agencies are able to use their connections to ethnocultural groups to deliver settlement information to a
larger population.
Integrated Service Program (ISP):
Main Service Areas
Enhancing Supportive Communities
• Public education/awareness around issues affecting
newcomers in the community and sharing of resources
around building welcoming and inclusive communities.
• Contributes to the community-based delivery of services
to immigrants by supporting mainstream organizations to
develop and expand services for newcomer accessibility.
• Supports the recruitment, training, and recognition of
volunteers.
• Assists with building and maintaining partnerships and
collaborations with mainstream service providers.
Welcoming and Inclusive Communities
• The Government of Alberta supports communities in becoming
welcoming and inclusive of immigrants and their families so that
immigrants have the opportunity to participate fully in the social,
cultural and economic life of the province, without
discrimination.
• Attracting & Retaining Immigrants, A Tool Box of Ideas for
Smaller Centres provides help for municipalities to support the
development of welcoming communities.
• The toolbox includes information and recommendations on
community development, strategies for building supports and
reducing barriers, and attracting immigrants.
http://www.icavictoria.org/services/resources/toolbox-ideas
What types of language training are
available in your community?
Language
Assessment
Centers
Settlement
Services
Alberta
Works
ALIS.alberta.ca
Language
Training
Language Assessment Centres
Language
Assessment
Centers
Settlement
Services
Alberta
Works
ALIS.alberta.ca
Language
Training
Language Assessment Centres
• Assess newcomers’ English language skills and
refer to training.
• Assessment Centres are in Edmonton, Calgary,
Lethbridge and Medicine Hat
• Services include:
– Job search and occupational planning and referrals
– Language assessment and referral to ESL programs
– Referrals to other needed health, social, financial,
legal and settlement services.
Adult ESL Learning in Alberta: LINC
• Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC)
– Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) provides free
basic English language courses to permanent residents
– Full or part-time instruction at no cost to learners
Additional ESL Learning in Alberta
• Drop-in ESL – Edmonton, Calgary and Taber
• Community Adult Learning Program
• Other community-based providers
• Post-secondary institutions
• Private providers
• Industry / workplace training providers
• On-line learning opportunities
Community Adult Learning Program
(CALP)
• EAE provides funding to 103 community
organizations to offer part-time, non-credit learning
opportunities for adults in Alberta.
• Two funding streams support ESL programming:
– Community Adult Learning Council (CALC) Base
Grants (received by 81 organizations).
– Volunteer Tutor Adult Literacy Services (VTALS)
Program Grants (received by 70 organizations).
Language Learning Tools & Supports
• Resources to support language training
–
–
–
–
Best Practices document
Curriculum Framework
Roots and Connections
Access through the ATESL Resource Database
www.atesl.ca/Resources/
• ELN (ESL Literacy Network)
– www.esl-literacy.com
More Language Learning Tools & Supports
• Learning English with CBC
– www.breakthewall.alberta.ca
• Rural Routes Initiative
– ESL specialists provide professional development and
consulting support and resources in smaller communities
Is there an Alberta Works Centre
in your community?
Language
Assessment
Centers
Settlement
Services
Alberta
Works
ALIS.alberta.ca
Language
Training
Check out the
Career Info Hotline on ALIS.alberta.ca
Language
Assessment
Centers
Settlement
Services
Alberta
Works
ALIS.alberta.ca
Language
Training
ALIS.alberta.ca
• Alberta Learning Information Service (ALIS) Career
Info Hotline provides:
– Education options and funding availability
– Career planning
– Resume support and job search skills
 http://alis.alberta.ca/ep/eps/hotline/abouthot.html
• ALIS Publications – view catalogue and place orders
e.g. Welcome to Alberta: Information for Newcomers
 http://alis.alberta.ca/ep/careershop/listproducts.html
?EntityCode=MEDIA_TO_SHOP
Other Supports and Financial Assistance
• Foreign Qualification Recognition (FQR)
• One form of assessment is through International Qualifications
Assessment Services (IQAS)
– Assesses international education credentials and compares to
Canadian credentials www.immigration.alberta.ca/iqas
• Paying for a post-secondary program: Student Aid
• http://studentaid.alberta.ca/
• Eligible newcomers can receive financial assistance from Human
Services to participate in language and skills training programs
– Tuition and fees
– Possibly living allowance
Temporary Foreign Worker Program
• A federal government program
• Allows employers to hire foreign workers on a
temporary basis to fill critical labour shortages.
• To learn more, visit:
http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/jobs/foreign_workers/
Temporary Foreign Worker
Support Services
• Eligible clients include temporary foreign workers
and their spouses and children
• Support Services include:
•
•
•
•
Information sessions (group and one-on-one)
Orientation workshops
Referrals
Outreach and information sessions for employers
• Support Services are provided at offices in Fort
McMurray, Edmonton, Red Deer, Calgary, Banff,
Brooks and Lethbridge (see Resource Guide)
Contact Information
Carla Johnson
CarlaJeanne.Johnson@gov.ab.ca
Geralyn St. Louis
Geralyn.stlouis@gov.ab.ca
Settlement and Community Supports
Community Partnerships
Early Childhood and Community Supports
Alberta Human Services
Thank you!