Settlement Outcomes Survey

Presentation to the National Metropolis Conference

Sharon Springer, Senior Advisory Policy and Programs

Citizenship and Immigration CanadaMarch 13, 2014

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Background• In 2009, federal-provincial-territorial (FPT) Deputy Ministers identified a need to

better understand settlement outcomes for newcomers as well as what roles the various settlement actors should play.

• In 2010, FPT Ministers tasked the FPT Settlement Working Group with developing a Pan-Canadian Framework for Settlement Outcomes to establish a cohesive, national approach to measurements on settlement across Canada.

• A national set of settlement outcomes and indicators was jointly developed and a the Pan-Canadian Settlement Outcomes Survey was administered by BC Statistics to over 20,000 newcomers between June and September 2012.

• The survey goals were to:

• Assess settlement outcomes for newcomers across Canada

• Identify the factors influencing successful settlement within the first five years.

• The intent of the survey was not to assess the outcomes of specific settlement services. It serves as a snapshot of newcomer settlement and serves as a baseline from which to assess changes in settlement outcomes over time.

Under the Canada-Québec Accord relating to immigration and temporary admission of aliens, Québec fully assumes sole responsibility for establishing immigration levels, and for the selection, francization and integration of immigrants. In areas under its responsibility, Québec develops its policies and programs, legislates, regulates and sets its own standards.

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Settlement Outcomes Agreed to by PTsGoals: Newcomers acquire the knowledge, skills and experience to be able to fully

participate in Canada’s society and economy, and Canada welcomes and includes newcomers.

Key Success Factors

• Newcomers:o Understand life in Canadao Know how to access public services and community resourceso Have the official language skills to function in Canadian society and the

labour marketo Have knowledge of the Canadian work environment and are aware of local

labour marketso Have the skills to become employed in their chosen occupationo Are connected to social and economic networks, as well as the broader

community

• People, communities, and workplaces are welcoming and inclusive of newcomers

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About the Survey

• First large-scale, nationwide study of settlement outcomes in Canada.

o Data was collected from 20,818 randomly selected newcomers across Canada who were 18 years of age or older and become permanent residents between 2007 and 2011.

• Provides information on how newcomers are faring on key settlement outcomes nationally and across jurisdictions.

• Suggests how different areas of settlement impact each other to influence newcomers’ settlement experiences.

• Limitations:

• Responses may or may not reflect “recent” settlement experiences.• Results refer to a snapshot of newcomers’ perceptions at a single point in time.• Not based on quantitative data such as employment earnings, employment patterns or

language test scores.• Results are not broken down by newcomers who have received settlement services, by

settlement program service type, length or performance, etc.

Demographic Representation

• The survey considers a number of demographic characteristics, including:

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49%51%

Gender

MaleFemale

53%35%

12%

Visible Minority

Yes

No

Unanswered

5%

34%

34%

16%

6%5%

Age

18-2425-3435-4445-5455-6465+

36%

26%

26%

8%4%

Immigration Category

Economic - Principal Applicants

Economic - Spouses & Dependents

Family Class

Refugees

Other

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Jurisdictional Breakdown

*Data for the territories (Yukon: 164; Northwest Territories: 82; Nunavut: 26) will be grouped.

ON; 31%

BC; 17%

QC; 17%

AB; 11%

MB; 7%

SK; 5%

NS; 4%

NB; 4%

NL; 2%

PEI; 2%

Terri-tories;

1%

Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Completed Questionnaires

Ontario 6,375

British Columbia 3,468

Quebec 3,466

Alberta 2,195

Manitoba 1,531

Saskatchewan 1,028

Nova Scotia 870

New Brunswick 767

Newfoundland and Labrador 448

Prince Edward Island 398

The Territories* 272

Total 20,818

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What the National Results Tell Us

• The following areas appear to have a significant impact on newcomer settlement experiences:

o Life Essentials/Meeting Basic Needso Rights and Responsibilitieso Service Awareness and Accessibilityo Ease with Official Languageso Employment Fit (in the labour force)o Social Connectiono Settlement Satisfaction and Attachment

• Together, newcomer perceptions of how successful they are in these areas were shown to have a larger impact on overall settlement than demographic characteristics.

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Successes

Overall, the results point to a positive picture of newcomer settlement.

Newcomers in all jurisdictions indicate that they are satisfied with their settlement and would rather remain in Canada than live elsewhere.

Other Areas of Strong Success

•Confidence communicating in English or French for basic conversation, in daily activities, understanding media, and seeking employment

Language Abilities (in the labour force)

•Living conditions (e.g., neighbourhood, surroundings, quality of building, safety) and transportation options meet most newcomers’ needs

•More moderate perceptions regarding whether financial resources are sufficient to meet daily expenses

Meeting Basic Needs

•Knowledge/good understanding of Canadian culture, laws, rights and responsibilities in Canada.

Rights & Responsibilities

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Moderate Results

• Newcomers perceptions of Social Connections and Service Awareness and Accessibility are moderately positive.

•Moderate scores for having good friends in their community, developing a strong connection with their community, ease in getting to know people in people in their community, and developing social connections through participation in activities in their community

Social Connections

•Moderate scores for knowing how to access settlement services (e.g., housing, information, employment counselling) and ease in these services in either official language.

Service Awareness & Accessibility

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Areas of Challenge for Newcomers

• Many newcomers have more negative perceptions regarding Employment Fit.

• Newcomers who are not in the labour force are much less likely than their labour force counterparts to feel at ease communicating in one of the official languages.

• Survey results also suggest that newcomers face difficulty accessing accurate pre-arrival information on foreign qualification recognition (FQR) and knowing the steps needed to get qualifications recognized in Canada.

•Employers’ recognition of foreign work experience and qualifications•Working in a position that matches one’s skills and experience

Employment Fit

•Moderate scores for using and official language in social settings, for daily activities, understanding media, and for accessing needed services.

Language Abilities (not in the labour force

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Understanding Connections between Areas of Settlement: An Example

The study also provided a statistical sense of how different areas are connected to one another. For example, for those in the labour force, employment fit is influenced by:

• Meeting life essentials/basic needs • Ease with using official languages

• Understanding and knowledge of rights and responsibilities

In turn, it impacts: • Making social connections • Settlement satisfaction and attachment

This suggests that there are many possible pathways to supporting newcomers in Canada.

A Note on Jurisdictional Results

• Overall, jurisdictional results mirror the national results.

• Findings point to the importance of meeting basic needs in influencing settlement satisfaction and attachment and perceptions in other areas of settlement.

• Settlement satisfaction is the most commonly recurring strength across jurisdictions, followed by ease with official languages, life essentials/basic needs and rights and responsibilities.

• Social connection, employment and FQR are the three (3) most frequently cited areas for growth.

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Next StepsResearch:

• FPT partners continue to work with the data to expand our understanding of what the results mean for policy.

FPT Multilateral Action:

• Based on the findings, CIC and our PT partners have updated the Pan-Canadian Framework for Settlement Outcomes to include a Roadmap for Improved Outcomes.

• The Roadmap identifies key areas where we believe joint FPT action would support newcomer settlement and integration.

• The Framework and Roadmap will be presented to Ministers next week for approval.

• Once approved, FPT partners will publicly share a summary of the results.