New investment for Collège La Cité and Colleges and Institutes Canada to provide pre-arrival services for newcomers Français
OTTAWA, ON, June 27, 2023 /CNW/ - Pre-arrival settlement services are key to setting newcomers up for success in Canada. They provide newcomers with the information and support they need to make informed decisions about their new lives in Canada before they arrive, which helps them successfully transition to their communities and find work faster.
The Honourable Mona Fortier, President of the Treasury Board, and Marie-France Lalonde, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced today an investment of over $10.5 million to Collège La Cité and Colleges and Institutes Canada to help deliver important pre-arrival services to new immigrants. This is part of overall settlement funding extensions that were previously announced.
Collège La Cité and Colleges and Institutes Canada offer online and in-person services abroad to newcomers before they arrive in Canada. This includes information about the Canadian workplace, soft skills development and employment counselling. Collège La Cité also supports pre-arrival services for Francophone newcomers, aiding them in adapting to their new communities and strengthening their integration into the economy.
Investments in pre-arrival services through organizations like Collège La Cité and Colleges and Institutes Canada help newcomers and their families adjust as they join our diverse communities. These investments not only support their transition, but also help them contribute to strengthening Canada's economy.
"Ensuring that immigrants are able to receive high-quality and reliable information results in better decision-making and an easier transition to Canada. With our investment and continuing support, Collège La Cité will be able to provide more individuals with services such as pre-departure assistance and integration programs once they arrive in Canada. The success of newcomers relies on Canada's continuing commitment to provide state-of-the-art accessible services."
– The Honourable Mona Fortier, President of the Treasury Board
"Providing services to newcomers before they arrive in Canada is critical to successful integration. These services help newcomers make decisions about the life they want to live in Canada as early as possible in their immigration journey and helps them contribute to the economy more quickly. The success of newcomers in Canada is down to the hard work and efforts of groups like the Colleges and Institutes Canada and Collège La Cité. Ensuring that early success, especially for the Francophone community, is critical to our economy and ensuring long-term prosperity for Canada and its people."
– Marie-France Lalonde, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
"I am delighted that La Cité can actively contribute to the socio-economic integration of French-speaking immigrants. Thanks to Connexions francophones, a unique portal registration and referral system, our pan-Canadian partnership offers a seamless, redundancy-free pathway for Francophone immigrants. Newcomers are efficiently directed to regional partner organizations, employability services and post-arrival settlement services. We are pleased that newcomers who have participated in our various employability activities, such as our virtual job fairs, are well prepared to enter the Canadian job market, and they begin working quickly following their arrival in the country."
– Lise Bourgeois, President and CEO, Collège La Cité
"We are very proud to be a pre-arrival service delivery partner for newcomers to Canada. Since 2007, Planning for Canada has helped more than 59,000 newcomers and their families make informed decisions and arrive with confidence. Investments in newcomers are investments in our communities."
– Denise Amyot, President and CEO, Colleges and Institutes Canada
- As announced on May 11, 2023, the Minister approved a two-year extension of prearrival contribution agreements from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2025. Through these agreements, funding for 15 service provider organizations totals over $60 million until 2025.
- Today's funding announcement is part of over $60 million in pre-arrival settlement funding invested across Canada. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's pre-arrival services program maximizes the economic and social integration of newcomers by
- directly connecting clients with the information and services they need through a streamlined, easy-to-navigate process
- encouraging newcomers to apply for recognition of their foreign credentials before they arrive, if needed
- linking clients to federal and provincial settlement services in Canada
- In total, 15 service provider organizations will receive additional funding to support pre-arrival services. These organizations serve clients in the country of origin and are based in British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario and internationally.
- Canada has funded pre-arrival services since 1998. While initially only provided to refugees, services were expanded to include other categories of immigrants in 2001.
SOURCE Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Contacts for media only: Bahoz Dara Aziz, Press Secretary, Minister's Office, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, [email protected]; Media Relations: Communications Branch, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, 613-952-1650, [email protected]
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