Links and Documents

ISAP Program Review - Final Report And Recommendations

(Adobe Acrobat PDF)

This Immigrant Settlement and Adaptation Program (ISAP) program review focussed on the needs and experiences of newcomers to Canada, on the planning, delivery, and evaluation of settlement services in Ontario, and on necessary changes and/or improvements to ISAP.

The program review incorporated many different perspectives and activities, including hundreds of interviews and surveys with newcomers, agencies and key informants, as well as several group consultations and a scan of the relevant literature.

Recommendations are based on two assumptions:

1. That newcomers need access to the full range of services that are available to all Canadian residents, and

2. that ISAP funding cannot possibly replace the other service sectors (such as health, employment, education and so on).

It is vital that ISAP focus its mandate to ensure that newcomers get the services they need rather than settling for a parallel and under-funded service system.

The report outlines five major recommendations aimed at improving the effectiveness of ISAP services within the context of the challenges facing the settlement sector as a whole:

1. 1. CIC Ontario should clarify its expectations for ISAP and its components, and set standards (new or existing) within each component. In particular, Information & Referral standards should be incorporated into expectations for ISAP-funded agencies.

2. CIC Ontario and agencies should implement performance management processes that systematically improve the effectiveness of the sector as a whole.

3. CIC Ontario should further define and improve its employment-related services while encouraging HRDC to ensure that its services are accessible to newcomers.

4. CIC Ontario and CIC National should ensure that prospective immigrants get accurate information about employment issues before they arrive in Canada.

5. CIC Ontario should work with CIC National to address key policy issues that are outside of its direct control; in particular broadening eligibility criteria and improving access to reliable and accurate information overseas.

Format: These documents are available for download in MS Word and Adobe Acrobat PDF formats.

Language: English