Details on Transfer Payment Programs of $5 Million or More

Resettlement Assistance Program

Name of transfer payment program: Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP)

Start date: 1970s (under another name; RAP in its current form implemented in 1998)

End date: Ongoing

Type of transfer payment: Contribution

Type of appropriation: Main Estimates (Vote 10)

Fiscal year for terms and conditions: 2017–18

Strategic outcome: Newcomers and citizens participate in fostering an integrated society

Link to Department’s Program Alignment Architecture:

• Program: 3.1 (Newcomer Settlement and Integration)
• Sub-program: 3.1.4 (Resettlement Assistance Program)

Description:

The RAP’s primary objective is to meet the resettlement needs of clients following their arrival in Canada by providing direct financial support and immediate and essential services. Eligible clients include government-assisted refugees (GARs) and certain persons in refugee-like situations admitted to Canada under a public policy consideration. Similar services are delivered provincially to clients in Quebec, through the Canada-Quebec Accord.

Income support is administered directly by IRCC to both GAR and blended visa-office refugee (BVOR) clients. For GARs, income support can be provided for up to 12 months if the RAP client’s income is insufficient. For BVORs, it can be provided for up to six months to help the client meet their own needs and the needs of any accompanying dependants. GAR clients also receive start-up allowances for expenses related to furniture and other household supplies.

Immediate and essential services, for a client’s first four to six weeks, are supported through contributions to RAP service provider organizations (SPOs). RAP services include, but are not limited to: port of entry services; assistance with temporary accommodations; assistance opening a bank account; life skills training; orientation sessions; and links to settlement programming and mandatory federal and provincial programs.

Limited services (port of entry services) are provided under RAP to all resettled refugees.

The RAP also funds certain in-Canada activities to support the private sponsorship of refugees (such as the Refugee Sponsorship Training Program), as well as activities overseas (for instance, with the International Organization for Migration) to support resettlement and the objectives of RAP.

Results achieved:

The expected outcomes for RAP include meeting the immediate and essential needs of RAP clients and ensuring that RAP services are timely, useful and accessible, while contributing to Strategic Outcome 3: Newcomers and citizens participate in fostering an integrated society.

IRCC continues to meet the immediate and essential needs of RAP clients. In 2017–18, a total of 17,925 clients received RAP services (outside Quebec). The majority of RAP clients surveyed for the Evaluation of the Resettlement Programs reported that the services provided were helpful in meeting their immediate needs upon arrival. Additionally, these clients reported that they obtained IRCC settlement services as well as other government services they needed to progress toward their settlement goals.

Comments on variances:

Funding in relation to the 2017 Immigration Levels Plan and for the resettlement of survivors of Daesh, including Yazidi women and girls, was not included in 2017–18 Planned Spending. Internal reallocation of funds was also transferred to the Settlement Program for activities related to Syrian refugees.

Incremental funding was partially offset by lapses identified at year-end due to a lower number than anticipated of arrivals of RAP clients and to SPOs no longer being required to provide temporary accommodation services for persons admitted via the Syrian Refugee Initiative.

Audits completed or planned:

An Internal Audit of Operation Syrian Refugee – Settlement was completed and approved in February 2017.

Evaluations completed or planned:

IRCC conducted an evaluation of the RAP as well as a Rapid Impact Evaluation of the Syrian Refugee Initiative. Both were completed in 2016.

• Evaluation of the Resettlement Programs (GAR, PSR, BVOR and RAP)
• Rapid Impact Evaluation of the Syrian Refugee Initiative

Engagement of applicants and recipients:

The RAP targets two types of recipients: (1) refugee clients; and (2) service providers who provide immediate and essential services to eligible clients.

Refugee recipients undergo an intake assessment upon arrival in Canada to determine the level of support they need and the types of services they require. IRCC uses a call for proposals to award contribution agreements to SPOs. As a result of the national call for proposals held in 2015, in March 2017 three-year contribution agreements were negotiated with 28 SPOs for service delivery starting April 1, 2017.

Settlement Program

Name of transfer payment program: Settlement Program

Start date: May 15, 2008

End date: Ongoing

Type of transfer payment: Contribution

Type of appropriation: Main Estimates (Vote 10)

Fiscal year for terms and conditions: 2017–18

Strategic outcome: Newcomers and citizens participate in fostering an integrated society

Link to Department’s Program Alignment Architecture:

• Program: 3.1 (Newcomer Settlement and Integration)
• Sub-program: 3.1.1 (Settlement)
• Sub-sub program: 3.1.1.1 (Language Training)
• Sub-sub program: 3.1.1.2 (Community and Labour Market Integration Services)

Description:

Newcomers who have been selected in Canada or overseas to become permanent residents are eligible to receive IRCC-funded settlement services. For individuals selected abroad, IRCC provides free online and in-person pre-arrival services that help them understand life in Canada, how to find a job, and how to access free settlement services when they arrive.

Upon arrival, newcomers can access funded services aimed at overcoming barriers specific to the newcomer experience (such as a lack of official language skills and limited knowledge of Canada) to enable them to participate fully in the social, cultural, civic and economic life in Canada.

IRCC-funded services are provided under five areas: needs assessment and referral; information and orientation; language training; employment-related services; and community connections. In addition, clients have access to support services, such as child minding, assistance with transportation, translation and interpretation and other enabling services to support their participation in IRCC-funded settlement programs.

Most services are delivered by third-party organizations such as settlement service organizations, voluntary sector and community partners, school boards and other non-governmental actors across the country to help newcomers settle and adapt to life in Canada. In addition to direct settlement services, IRCC also funds indirect services aimed at coordinating service delivery in local communities. For example Local Immigration Partnerships, Réseaux en immigration francophone and Immigrant Employment Councils foster welcoming communities and workplaces by enhancing cross-sector engagement, coordination and planning at the local and regional level.

Under the 1991 Canada-Quebec Accord, Quebec is responsible for settlement, resettlement and integration of immigrants destined to the province. IRCC provides a grant to Quebec to cover resettlement and settlement services as well as administrative costs that are equivalent to federal services offered throughout the rest of the country.

Results achieved:

In 2017-18, 457,929 unique clients received at least one settlement service provided by over 500 organizations funded by IRCC. Of those, 362,315 clients received information and orientation services such as information to support their settlement and connections in the community. Furthermore, 105,643 clients received IRCC-funded language training at various Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) levels. CLB levels are used to measure client progress on each of the four skills taught in language classes. In addition, 78,805 clients received community connection services and 44,521 clients received employment-related services to meet short-term needs (such as networking to support finding a job, individual employment counselling) as well as long-term needs (developing work linkages through internships or mentoring, etc.).

The program’s ultimate outcome is that successfully integrated and settled clients benefit Canada.

Comments on variances:

Funding in relation to the 2017 Immigration Levels Plan and for the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) initiative was not included in 2017–18 Planned Spending. Internally reallocated funds from the RAP were invested in the Settlement Program for activities related to Syrian refugees, and Settlement funding was transferred to IRCC’s Migration Policy Development Program to meet the rising demand for Canadian expertise in international migration and refugee policy development and implementation. The unexpended balance identified at year-end is mainly due to spending and activities not materializing as planned by SPOs.

In addition, Settlement funding was transferred to the Department of Justice to provide legal aid funding to the provinces of Ontario, British Columbia and Manitoba for immigrants and refugees in those jurisdictions.

Audits completed or planned: An audit was not completed this year.

Evaluations completed or planned: An evaluation of the Settlement Program was completed in 2017-18.

Engagement of applicants and recipients:

An open and fair call for proposals process is the principal approach the Department uses to engage applicants. A national call for proposals to establish contribution agreements with service providers to deliver on the new programming priorities was put on hold in 2015 due the Government’s response to the Syrian refugee crisis. Initial results from the 2015 call for proposals were re-assessed in May 2016 to take into consideration the unique demographic of the Syrian refugee population and to respond to emerging priorities. New contribution agreements were negotiated for the re-assessed proposals, and projects were implemented starting in April 2017.

Ongoing communications continued with the National Settlement Council in 2017–18. The National Settlement Council membership includes provincial and territorial governments, settlement SPOs, umbrella organizations that represent SPOs’ interests and other settlement stakeholders.

The terms and conditions for the Settlement Program describe eligible recipients of contribution funding. Eligible recipients (often referred to as service providers) for settlement services include:

• provincial, territorial or municipal governments;
• international organizations (providing pre-arrival settlement services);
• not-for-profit organizations including non-governmental organizations, non-profit corporations, community groups and umbrella organizations, and regulatory and apprenticeship authorities;
• businesses including those that provide indirect services (such as employers hiring newcomers, private language schools, conference organizers, Web or production firms for tool development);
• educational institutions (including school boards, districts and divisions); and
• individuals.

Canada-Quebec Accord Grant

Name of transfer payment program: Canada-Quebec Accord Grant/Subvention versée en vertu de l'Accord Canada-Québec

Start date: Financial compensation to the province (in the form of a grant) is based on the Canada-Québec Accord relating to Immigration and Temporary Admission of Aliens, which came into force on April 1, 1991.

End date: The Accord does not have an expiry date

Type of transfer payment: Grant

Type of appropriation: The program uses transfer payment funding from the grant for the Canada-Quebec Accord on Immigration.

Fiscal year for terms and conditions: 1991–92

Strategic outcome: Newcomers and citizens participate in fostering an integrated society

Link to Department’s Program Alignment Architecture:

• Program: 3.1 (Newcomer Settlement and Integration)
• Sub-program 3.1.2 (Grant to Quebec)

Description:

Under the Canada Quebec Accord, Canada has devolved settlement and resettlement responsibility to Quebec, with financial compensation for the costs to deliver these services. This compensation covers services for the reception and linguistic, cultural and economic integration of immigrants in Quebec provided that such services are comparable to federal services offered to immigrants in the rest of Canada. One objective of the Accord is the preservation of Quebec’s demographic importance within Canada and the integration of immigrants into that province in a manner that respects the distinct identity of Quebec.

The Accord provides Quebec with exclusive responsibility for the selection of immigrants destined to the province (except for family reunification and asylum seekers in Canada) as well as the reception and linguistic and cultural integration of these immigrants (including resettlement of refugees). Under the Accord, Canada is responsible for defining overall immigration objectives, national levels, admissibility, selecting family category and asylum seekers in Canada, and citizenship.

Results achieved:

The Government of Quebec is responsible for developing and publishing its own expected results related to immigration and integration, and is accountable to the provincial National Assembly with respect to spending under the grant.

An annual study carried out by the Comité mixte compares reception and integration services offered by Canada and Quebec. Under the Canada Quebec Accord, the Comité mixte is mandated to “study, at least once a year, reception and integration services provided by Canada and Quebec” and to “re-examine, as often as it wishes but no less than once a year, the list of services set out in Annex ‘B’”. The comparison of services therefore fulfils the obligation under the Accord requiring reception and integration services offered to immigrants in Canada and Quebec to be comparable across the country.

In November 2017, the Comité mixte approved the Comparison of reception and linguistic, cultural and economic integration services for immigrants offered by Canada and Quebec in 2016-17. As with previous comparisons, in key areas under examination, the study concluded that reception and integration services offered by the two jurisdictions remain comparable and no fundamental discrepancies were identified. Given the consistent similarity between services offered in Quebec and in Canada, the Comité mixte decided that the comparative exercise would be done over a two-year cycle, with the next study to be presented in fall 2019.

Comments on variances:

Actual spending was higher than planned due to adjustment in the final payment. The final payment is based on a formula in the Canada Quebec Accord on Immigration.

Audits completed or planned: An audit was not completed this year.

Evaluations completed or planned: An evaluation of the Grant to Quebec previously planned for 2017-18 is planned for completion in 2018-19.

Engagement of applicants and recipients:

To fulfil the obligations under the Accord, the Comité mixte, co-chaired by assistant deputy ministers of IRCC and Quebec’s Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion, convenes an annual face-to-face meeting. The Comité has an overall mandate to promote harmonization of immigration and integration objectives and coordinate policies between the two levels of government. More specifically in the area of integration services, the Comité mixte ensures the reception and integration services offered by Canada and Quebec are comparable. The assistant deputy ministers approve the scope, key areas of examination and schedule for the comparison and the Comité mixte delegates the development of the comparison to the director-level joint working group.