Question Period Note: Settlement Services

Update on how IRCC supports settlement services for immigrants.

• The Government is focused on improving the integration of newcomers, including into the job market, and to help address labour shortages.

• Settlement services are essential to help new immigrants adapt to the Canadian labour market and to fill vacancies in high-demand sectors such as health care and skilled trades.

• That is why, this year, we announced more than $3.25 billion over three years for settlement services provided by more than 520 organizations (outside Quebec).

• Canada has a managed immigration model that includes setting annual immigration levels, selecting immigrants, supporting them through their settlement journey, facilitating their acquisition of Canadian citizenship, and assisting with their long-term integration. The ultimate goal is for newcomers to fully participate in the economic, social, cultural and political life of Canada.

Settlement services for newcomers in Canada

• All permanent residents are eligible to receive federally-funded settlement services until they become Canadian citizens. Temporary residents, asylum seekers, and Canadian citizens are generally not eligible for these services, except in limited cases such as temporary residents on a clear pathway to permanent residence under regional immigration programs and pilots, or certain temporary residents arriving under a departmental response to an international crisis (e.g., Gaza).

• IRCC’s settlement services are delivered by more than 520 third-party service provider organizations across Canada (excluding Quebec), including 88 Francophone service providers in Francophone-minority communities. Under the Canada-Quebec Accord, the province of Quebec receives an annual federal grant to deliver and administer its own settlement programming.

• Through these organizations, newcomers can access the following federally funded settlement services in English or French, as well as many other languages:
- Both pre- and post-arrival to Canada: Needs and assets assessment and referrals and information and orientation.
- Language training in French and English;
- Employment related services
- Community connections to build social cohesion and allow newcomers to develop a sense of belonging; and
- Case management services, as part of a client-centered, comprehensive approach for newcomers facing persistent and multiple barriers to integration;
- Settlement workers in schools to offer school-based settlement programming while fostering inclusion and intercultural competence within the education system;
- Additional support services to remove barriers and ensure more equitable access to settlement services, including child care, transportation, translation, interpretation, short-term counselling, and provision of supports for newcomers with disabilities. New funding agreements established under the 2024 Call for Proposals process also introduced digital supports for newcomers needing help navigating and accessing IRCC-funded remote settlement services.

• IRCC’s settlement programming also works with communities to educate and engage stakeholders and improve systems so that they can better support newcomers as they strive to contribute to their new communities. This aspect of programming helps to reduce the isolation of newcomers, and encourages their integration within diverse communities.

• In addition, IRCC supports communities and municipalities across Canada to build capacity for newcomer integration through Local Immigration Partnerships (LIPs), which are coordinating bodies that convene key community actors in collaboration and planning around the needs of newcomers and fostering welcoming communities

Supporting Francophone immigration priorities

• In accordance with the Policy on Francophone Immigration launched in 2024, the department continues to strengthen its support of the successful settlement, resettlement and integration of a growing number of French-speaking and bilingual newcomers in Francophone minority communities through the Francophone Integration Pathway.

• This is being achieved through initiatives such as Welcoming Francophone Communities, a strategy to better support French-speaking women immigrants, and investments in language training tailored to Francophone minority communities.

• Over the next three fiscal years, IRCC will be investing approximately $277M in Francophone programming through its base settlement funding and temporary investments received through the Official Languages Action Plan.

Language training services

• IRCC prioritizes the funding of services targeting basic language skills (Stage 1) across Canada, to continue to assist clients with integration into their local communities and the workforce, as well as to support them in meeting their citizenship goals. For example, this will enable clients to access services, conduct daily activities, and participate in their children’s education. This also includes extensive supports to clients with literacy needs.
• As a result of lower funding levels during the current funding cycle, stage 2 Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) and Cours de langue pour les immigrants au Canada (CLIC) programs classes (advanced language skills) will be phased out by September 2026.

Employment-Related Services and Foreign Credential Recognition (FCR)

• Employment-related Services help immigrants and refugees overcome newcomer-specific barriers in accessing the labour market. Enhanced services to support Foreign credential recognition help newcomers make informed decisions about their new life in Canada, facilitating their integration into the labour market in their regulated occupation.

Mental health and well-being supports for newcomers

• While health care is a provincial/territorial responsibility, federally funded settlement services also offer newcomers a number of non-clinical mental health and well-being supports.

• Case Management services also support newcomer wellbeing and include a tailored settlement plan, supported by coordinated referrals to settlement and community services such as mental health services.

• To build on current programming and to complement existing settlement mental health and well-being supports, new well-being navigation activities were introduced in 2025 as a dedicated support for newcomers to find resources and information on the Canadian health care system.

• The Department also funds health sector organizations such as the Canadian Mental Health Association and the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health to help institutions such as hospitals and community health centers better address newcomers’ mental health needs.

Supporting Specific Populations

• Targeted programming and supports are available to meet the needs of specific newcomer populations that face distinct barriers to integration such as 2SLGBTQIA+ populations, racialized newcomers, women, seniors, youth, people with a disability, newcomers experiencing sexual and gender-based violence, or those in need of mental health supports. This contributes to departmental commitments to Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus), Anti-Racism, and Gender Equality.

In 2024-25, nearly 690K newcomers accessed IRCC-funded Settlement services. These services help newcomers build successful lives in Canada by supporting their economic, social, and cultural integration into communities across the country.

If pressed on cuts:

• The amount of resources available for settlement services is based on how many newcomers are expected to arrive. Since fewer newcomers are planned for in 2025-2027, there will be a decrease to federal settlement funding in those years, compared to the last few years.

• IRCC is sensitive to the impact our funding decisions may have on organizations, their staff and the clients we serve. In making these difficult decisions, we carefully considered the number of newcomers expected to arrive, the needs for those accessing services, relationships with our partner organizations and available resources.