B.C. releases updated newcomers’ guide to settlement resources and services in 11 languages

Home to about 40,000 newcomers every year, British Columbia (B.C.) has updated and released its comprehensive guide to settlement resources and services across the province this week to support newcomers in adapting their new lives in this province.

The 2009 B.C. Newcomers’ Guide to Resources and Services will assist newly arrived immigrants in finding information and services to help them make the most of their decision to move to B.C.

The guide has general information that will help newcomers in their first few months after arrival and includes topics such as finding a place to live, money and banking, healthcare, education, cars and driving, employment and business, the legal system, government and citizenship, and much more. It will be distributed by mail to various immigrant-serving agencies and other key stakeholders and be available for online orders at WelcomeBC, where it could also be downloaded in PDF (4.36MB).

The guide was originally written in the early 1990s. It was last updated in 2002 and translated into five languages. The 2009 edition will be available in 11 languages: English, French, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Punjabi, Korean, Farsi, Vietnamese, Arabic, Russian and Spanish. The translated versions will be released throughout 2009. For the first time, the guide will include a brochure explaining the history and milestones of the Aboriginal peoples of British Columbia.

"The Government of Canada is committed to helping immigrants and their families succeed," said Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism. "The B.C. Newcomers’ Guide is a useful tool for newcomers in their integration into Canadian society. It provides valuable information about the services available in their community to help them adapt better and quicker and make a success of their new lives in Canada. Our government is pleased to continue working in partnership with the Province of British Columbia in providing funding for the publication of this resourceful guide."

The Agreement for Canada-B.C. Cooperation on Immigration provides funding through the transfer of approximately $120 million per year from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to the B.C. government, which is responsible for administering settlement services for new immigrants.

The B.C. and federal governments agree to expand Settlement Workers in Schools program in its 2nd year

To help newcomer students and their families settle in their school and community, the B.C. and federal governments have decided to expand Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS) program to 10 more school districts in the province with an investment of $8.6 million.

Under the SWIS program, settlement workers help immigrant and refugee children, in the K-12 public school system, adjust to school culture. The workers also increase parent involvement in their children’s education, while helping to build awareness of community and government resources. As well, a valued component of the program focuses on increasing cultural awareness and sensitivity in schools.

The program has been of great benefits to the newcomer families that have unresolved first year settlement needs. More than 5,000 newcomer students and their families have availed the benefits of settlement counseling since it began. Families with long term settlement issues or who need intensive support are referred to settlement agencies and other community services.

"The Settlement Workers in Schools program is invaluable in assisting new students to integrate more quickly, while giving their parents a critical connection to the broader community," said Murray Coell, B.C. Minister of Advanced Education and Labor Market Development. "Students and their parents experience a smoother transition into the school system and the ability to more rapidly participate in Canadian society in a meaningful way."

Began in the fall of 2007 in 10 school districts across the Lower Mainland and Greater Victoria, the SWIS program has been expanded this fall to include an additional 10 districts in the Fraser Valley, the Okanagan, Nanaimo, West Vancouver, Langley, Coquitlam, and the North, based on the percentage of English as a second language students enrolled in school districts.

"Prime Minister Stephen Harper and our government are committed to helping immigrants and their families succeed in Canada. Schools are one of the first services that newcomers access in their communities and the SWIS program is an ideal way to assist newcomer students and their families on their path to integration," said Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism. "We are very pleased to be working in partnership with the Province of B.C. to support the expansion of this program to more communities in the province."

The Agreement for Canada-B.C. Cooperation on Immigration provides funding through the transfer of approximately $109 million per year from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to the B.C. government, which is responsible for administering settlement services, including SWIS, for new immigrants through WelcomeBC. WelcomeBC, which supports immigrants and their families in succeeding both economically and socially, helps immigrants in B.C. access services under one umbrella to assist them in better adapting to life in their new communities and builds on the province’s history of welcoming newcomers and creating inclusive communities.

Canada invests in employment programs to facilitate social participation of newcomers and unemployed workers

To help newcomers participate in the workforce and contribute to their communities, government of Canada delivers necessary training, skills and opportunities in partnership with communities and stakeholders, and provides them essential funding to support these initiatives.

Now to help 3,700 newcomers to Canada, unemployed workers aged 45 or older aiming to re-enter the workforce, as well as assist employers in addressing local skills shortages in Lower Mainland area of British Columbia, federal government has initiated three S.U.C.C.E.S.S. projects.

One project, Tomorrow’s Workplace, aims to generate an understanding of skills shortages issues among employers and involve them in creating solutions by offering employer outreach and networking opportunities. This project is delivered through the Labour Market Partnerships program.

The Employment Resource Centre project will enable S.U.C.C.E.S.S. to help unemployed recent immigrants, who are legally entitled to work in Canada, prepare for and find employment through access to a self-serve resource centre, workshops, and the development of individual work plans. Through the Experience for Hire project, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. will provide unemployed workers aged 45 or older with employment counseling on labour market trends, job search techniques and career goals that will allow them to obtain employment or become self-employed. Both of these projects are delivered through the Employment Assistance Services program.

Established in 1973 and incorporated in 1974 as a non-profit charitable organization for the purpose of promoting the well-being of Canadians and immigrants, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. is now a multi-service, multicultural immigrant serving agency in British Columbia. With a network of 11 branches in Lower Mainland area, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. is delivering program in culturally sensitive ways to meet the needs of new immigrants and unemployed workers. Approximately 70 per cent of the S.U.C.C.E.S.S. annual operating fund comes from the three levels of government. In 1979, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. became a member of the United Way of the Lower Mainland. In 1994, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. received the Citation for Citizenship Award for its contribution to new immigrants’ settlement and integration. S.U.C.C.E.S.S. was accredited by the Council on Accreditation in January 2004 for the achievement of best practice standards.

Nova Scotia unveils a new business loan program to help newcomers start, expand or buy small businesses

Nova Scotia has introduced a simplified business loan program for newcomers to the province who wish to establish their own small businesses and generate jobs.

The new Immigrant Small Business Financing Program (ISBFP) is a joint initiative of the Nova Scotia Cooperative Council, the Credit Union Council of Nova Scotia, local Credit Unions, the Department of Economic Development and the Office of Immigration. Administered by the Nova Scotia Cooperative Council, the pilot project will be available solely through credit unions across Nova Scotia to offer up to $150,000 loan to immigrants, who have lived in Nova Scotia for less than five years, to help start, expand or buy a small business.

Local credit unions will begin taking applications for this purpose in mid of January next year.

This simplified approach will not only help ensure immigrant entrepreneurs have the opportunity to become small business owners in Nova Scotia and generate jobs, but also help getting business loans in a timely manner, which is usually difficult in Canada as banks and other lending institutions generally do not recognize international credit history of many new immigrants.

"Access to economic opportunities are key factors in a new immigrant's decision to stay or leave the province," said Immigration Minister Len Goucher. "By setting up businesses, new immigrants will also establish stronger roots in local communities, roots that will help newcomers integrate and, ultimately, settle in Nova Scotia."

To support this business loan program, department of Economic Development will invest $2 million in a loan guarantee, which will be reviewed annually, while the Office of Immigration will provide $100,000 a year for operating and other costs, such as business counselling, administration, technical services and legal costs.

The ISBFP is an extension of the existing Small Business Financing Program, which is also administered by the Nova Scotia Enterprises Cooperative and delivered through credit unions. It has helped more than 350 companies create and maintain 2,300 jobs.

"We've helped establish new businesses and empower entrepreneurs with the support they need to create employment for themselves and others," says Dianne Kelderman, chief executive officer of the Nova Scotia Cooperative Council. "We have had great success and now, with a program for immigrant entrepreneurs, we see the opportunity for even greater growth."

In Nova Scotia, there are more than 30,000 small businesses, representing 92 per cent of all businesses in the province. In 2007, more than 150 newcomers interested in starting a new business sought assistance from the Metropolitan Immigrant Settlement Association.