CIMM – Support for Afghans After Arrival in Canada – February 8, 2023

Key Messages

• The Government of Canada is committed to addressing the diverse needs of Afghan clients after their arrival in Canada, starting with airport reception upon landing, hotel accommodations, and destining to communities where refugees will begin their new lives.
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) works with resettlement agencies to improve the resettlement experience of refugees to Canada. In response to the pace of Afghan client arrivals, IRCC launched a National Afghanistan Resettlement Steering Committee, which brings together Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP) Service Provider Organizations (SPOs) from across the country in a bi-weekly meeting to identify challenges and potential innovative solutions in real time.
• The top three challenges include housing, employment, and mental health.
• As housing pressures are especially acute in major urban centers, IRCC has encouraged the resettlement of Afghan refugees across a wider number of Canadian communities – including medium and smaller sized cities where housing is more available and affordable.
• As with all refugee populations, trauma and mental health challenges are evident in this mass migration. IRCC and its partners continue to invest in strategies to assist in the short and medium term as these issues manifest over time.

Supplementary Messages

Housing

• Canada is in the midst of a housing crisis – with a lack of affordable accommodation and significant demand from Canadians, international students and newcomers alike.
• As of January 29, 2023, there are 1,936 Afghan Government Assisted Refugees (GARs) in temporary accommodations, which can include RAP reception houses, rented apartments, motels, and hotels. Of the Afghan GARs in temporary accommodations, approximately 247 are in hotels.
• 43 RAP SPOs in 44 communities across Canada and at three ports of entry are currently facilitating the placement of GARs in temporary accommodations on arrival in approximately 103 different locations that include resettlement houses, rental properties, and commercial accommodations. Procurement and payment for these accommodations is managed by the RAP service provider organizations through contribution agreements with IRCC.
• To assist all refugees, including Afghans, IRCC has introduced a “housing top-up” to RAP income support to provide additional funding to singles and couples in high demand communities like Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. Families with children have access to the Canada Child Benefit to increase their available income, but singles and couples do not.
• IRCC has also supported pilot initiatives such as the “Holding Deposit Pilot” where the resettlement agency puts a hold on a vacant rental unit. Once the refugee and landlord agree to a formal rental agreement, the refugee client pays the service provider back for the deposit. This approach ensures that available rental units are held for refugee clients – a must in this hot housing market.
• The result has been a reduction in the amount of time spent in temporary accommodations – originally anticipated to be over six months – but currently averaging 79 days.
• IRCC has also added new Resettlement Communities in medium and smaller sized cities such as Abbotsford, Grande Prairie, Winkler, Bathhurst and Edmundston – where housing is more available and affordable.
• 15,574 of the 17,510 Afghan GARs that have arrived since August 2021, or 90%, have transitioned from government-funded temporary accommodations to permanent housing in more than 44 communities across the country.

Employment

• Many of the Afghan refugees arriving have strong official language skills and are immediately looking for employment.
• IRCC has funded lending libraries of tablets for refugees so that they may quickly access services, including employment related services, even during quarantine and/or other stays in temporary accommodations.

Mental Health

• The Taliban take-over of Afghanistan has left many Afghans with poor mental and physical health. Longer stays in temporary hotel accommodation also take their toll on clients’ mental health and relationships.
• The Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) provides temporary health care coverage to refugees to help them address their immediate and short-term medical needs pending eligibility for provincial/territorial healthcare and mental health services.
• Psychology and psychotherapy counselling services, as well as interpretation services and prescription drugs are also available, if needed.
• To offset the impact of the pandemic on in-person service availability, IRCC expanded IFHP coverage to include a range of tele and virtual services. This coverage facilitates access to health and mental services for refugees disproportionally affected by the pandemic, as well as for other vulnerable newcomers that receive IFHP coverage who may face barriers in attending health services due to their location, physical disability, or child care responsibilities.

Clients Facing Multiple Barriers

• Case management is a client-centered service for refugees who face multiple barriers and require significant intervention and support.
• Case management includes a comprehensive needs and assets assessment and settlement plan, supported by coordinated referrals to settlement and community services; regular check-ins and monitoring; as well as personalized and intensive supports such as home visits and accompaniment to appointments in the community.

Implicated Recommendation:
Recommendation #32 – Extend income support for EFPP to be year-long

Extend Income Support for Extended Family Reunification Stream for Former Interpreters (EFPP) to be Year-Long

• In recognition of the unique humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, Afghans who are approved for permanent residence through the EFPP:
  • Are given access to the Immigration Loans Program to assist with their travel costs to Canada;
  • Receive three months of income support through the Resettlement Assistance Program;
  • Are provided with IFHP coverage for up to 12 months; and,
  • Are able to access settlement services in their local community.
• These benefits apply to anyone who is approved under the EFPP, regardless of when they submitted their application, in order to facilitate their integration in Canada.
• The Government of Canada also understands that family members already in Canada may be able to support extended family members through the arrival and settlement process, including transportation from the airport, finding temporary and permanent housing, and setting up bank accounts.
• The Government of Canada recognizes the unique challenges faced by the extended family members of former Afghan interpreters and remains committed to their integration into Canada.