The IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) has pledged a $100 million investment to guarantee that newcomer settlement services are adequate during the pandemic.

The money will be distributed over the next three years with the goal of adjusting newcomer settlement programs to reflect the pandemic and post-pandemic settings.

This money comes from the Department of Immigration’s Service Delivery Improvement (SDI) program, which grants innovative projects by settlement service providers in areas like needs assessment, information, language training, skills development, employment-related services, and community links.

IRCC chose 78 projects for the 2020 financing round.

These projects will look into ways to better integrate newcomers into their new communities and how to help the settlement sector recover from the pandemic.

Many settlement services have shifted online during the pandemic. SDI money will assist IRCC in determining the types of services newcomers require while also taking into account the rising use of online service delivery.

One of the chosen projects will test whether artificial intelligence can be used to develop settlement strategies for new immigrants, another will develop service approaches with an anti-oppression framework, and yet another will connect newcomers with employers in rural communities before they arrive to see if this encourages them to settle in these areas.

According to Canada’s Immigration Minister, Marco Mendicino, in the Mapel country’s immigration system, settlement services are critical. They prepare newcomers for success in a variety of ways, including employment, housing, and language training. During this trying year and a half, I believe it’s reasonable to say that everyone has required help in some way. One can only imagine the additional challenges this pandemic has posed to people attempting to establish themselves in our country. These new SDI projects will assist us in enhancing and improving settlement services so that every newcomer can achieve their full potential in this country.

The government of Canada offers settlement services to people who come to the country as economic immigrants, through family sponsorship, or as refugees and protected persons. They concentrate on assisting people in overcoming the unique problems that newcomers face, such as finding work, housing, and learning English or French, and ultimately assisting them in succeeding.

Settlement services supported by the IRCC are provided to all permanent residents and protected individuals.

The majority of newcomers who received settlement assistance believed the programs were beneficial and relevant to their needs. These services, according to newcomers, increased their understanding of life in Canada, improved their English or French language abilities, prepared them for the Canadian labor market, and helped them connect with community organizations.

According to the same data, almost one million newcomers received settlement services in Canada between April 1, 2015, and March 31, 2019.

Starting this year, the Canadian government hopes to accept at least 401,000 new immigrants every year as part of its Immigration Levels Plan for the years 2021-2023. This is Canada’s most ambitious immigration proposal to date. The IRCC spends about $2 billion per year on grants and donations linked to settlement initiatives, making it the world’s largest.