Emigration Settlement and Adaptation Program - Essay Example

IMMIGRATION SETTLEMENT AND ADAPTATION PROGRAM Canada has always been a gateway for immigrants belonging to different parts of the world. People immigrate to Canada for three main reasons, which are family, economic gains and as refugees. Canadian Immigration and Citizenship (CIC) keeps a record of all the immigrants. According to the article “Canadian Immigration Statistics” written by Sturo (2006) the most recent statistics compiled by CIC indicate that there has been a 12% increase in the immigrant population in the third quarter of 2005 as compared to its previous year. In all a total of 10% increase in the immigration population was observed in the first three quarters of the year 2005 as compared to 2004 statistics. A 12% decrease in the family class immigrants was noted in 2005. On the other hand those entering Canada for economic gains or for exploring business opportunities increased by 29% and 18% respectively whereas the refugee class immigrant population increased by 26% in 2005 as compared to 2004 statistics. CIC has compiled a list of the countries topping the immigrant population and these include China, India, Philippines, Pakistan and the United States. Other than these five countries Canada also hosts a number of immigrants belonging to other countries such as Mexico, France, Jamaica and Japan. Of the many provinces of Canada, Ontario has always been the top most preference of the immigrant population followed by Quebec and the British Columbia. Immigration to a new place is never easy. CIC has compiled a list of the problems faced by the immigrant population in Canada. The problems included settlement, employment, education, language and other countless issues. For the assistance of the newcomers a number of programs have been launched such as the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP), Host Program, Newcomer Settlement Program (NSP), Immigration Settlement and Adaptation Program (ISAP) etc. In this paper I would like to critically evaluate the working of one of these organizations. I intend to evaluate the Immigration Settlement and Adaptation Program (ISAP) because after some research I have found out that ISAP is working at a larger level and addresses a number of problems faced by the immigrants such as settlement, education assistance, employment assistance, language learning etc. I also intend to explore the success rate of this program and the reasons behind its success or failure. My evaluation will be based on the success or failure, applicability, current status and the cost effectiveness of the program. Before evaluation it would be pertinent to give a brief introduction to the program under discussion. It is stated in the report “Evaluation of the ISAP” (2004) that the ISAP program was started by the Canadian government in 1974 when the demand for addressing the problems faced by the newcomers was greatly felt. ISAP addresses the social, economic and cultural needs of the newcomers by offering different services such as orientation, referrals, translation and interpretation and employment services etc. ISAP provides funds to different multi-service organizations for the promotion of the program. During 2003-2004 there were approximately 66 ISAP funded organizations in the Ontario region that were also funded by the Newcomer Settlement Program (NSP). These agencies are directed to address the needs of the newcomers, their settlement, education, and language and employment problems (Kerr and Simard, 2003, pg. 7). The basic aim of ISAP is to help the immigrant population settle properly and quickly in the new environment so that they become an active member of the society and contribute towards its betterment. ISAP receive funds to provide assistance to immigrants such as reception, orientation, translation, interpretation and employment related issues. Canadian Orientation Abroad (COA) is also a part of the ISAP whose basic aim is to prepare the immigrants about different issues before leaving their homeland. For this purpose various orientation programs are conducted all over the world under the guidance of ISAP. Funds are released by the federal treasury board after evaluation of the services delivered and the effectiveness of the program. There are some provinces that have signed settlement services agreement with the government. British Columbia and Manitobala are the prominent ones in this regard. The governments of these two provinces have the authority to administer, design and deliver the settlement services for immigrants in their respected provinces. Quebec has also signed settlement agreement with the government of Canada. According to this agreement Quebec receives federal funds in the form of grant for selection and settlement of immigrants in Quebec. The three provinces have signed an agreement with the CIC for the provision of settlement services to the immigrants which include reception, orientation and job search etc (Treasury Board of Canada, 2007). The website of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (2004) gives a detailed account of the program. There are a number of programs that work under the umbrella of ISAP. These programs were initiated in the past five years keeping in view the growing demand to address the issues of the newcomers. These include Newcomer Information Centers (NIC) which addresses the needs of the more advanced and technically skilled workers with good English skills, Job Search Workshops (JSW) which prepares the newcomers for employment and School Support Program which provides assistance in settlement problems in a school setting. For the critical evaluation of the ISAP I conducted my research based on the available literature. For this purpose the review reports carried out by Sparks Consulting Inc. and the Citizenship and Immigration Canada web sites have been in particular very useful. The reports based on these reviews have been stated after thorough research based on literature review, individual and group interviews of the newcomers, key informants and the staff. At the same time the overall working of the ISAP funded organizations and their practices were also reviewed which will be mentioned in this paper. The evaluation has explored the organization through various angles such as their practices, current status, applicability and success rate etc. The results of the interviews showed that the clients were very much in favour of the program. In their evaluation Kerr and Simard (2003, pg. 14) stated that the clients emphasized on the need to address the issues of the immigrant population and as such they believed ISAP was making a positive contribution. The clients believed that it was providing them necessary information about the host country and the community. Many believed that ISAP has given them confidence through “personal contact” in a new environment and has minimized their sense of loneliness in a new country. Apart from the different programs mentioned above the www.settlement.org is a very famous website that addresses the issues of immigrants under the leadership of ISAP. Another positive point mentioned by the clients was the fact that ISAP was offering services in different languages. Overall there has been a strong support for ISAP programs by the clients who felt satisfied with the orientation services, which included introduction to the government, climate, education system, community and health insurance programs etc. According to the report “Evaluation of ISAP” (2004) 54% of the clients were in favour of ISAP services and 25% were dissatisfied. However in the Atlantic, Prairies and the Northern Territories two-thirds of the service providers were in favour of the program where as in Ontario 48% voted in favour. Here it would be pertinent to critically evaluate the working of Newcomer Information Centre (NIC), Job Search Workshops (JSW) and the School Support Program to understand their current working status. It is stated in “Evaluation of ISAP” (2004) that in 1998 it was felt that there was a growing need for the Newcomer Information Centers that could provide basic information to the newcomers in communities where the services were inaccessible due to the size and complexity of the community. For this reason NICs were set up in 2001 in Peel, Mississauga and Brampton. They provide information and referrals along with a resource library having access to computers. NICs provide services in approximately 20 different languages and work throughout the week. In 2003-04 NIC dealt with 6,686 new clients of which 76% were declared newcomers. The report highlights the success of NICs since they provide information on one-to-one basis. At the same time long working hours help the immigrants to access information whenever needed. A detailed multi-lingual access to information and a local help line are some other plus points of NICs. They are also considered to be cost effective since the information provided by them is self served, i.e. based on brochures, computers and fact sheets etc. At the same time it has been observed that a large number of immigrants are attended well by few staff members. NICs are also linked with language services programs that help the newcomers in receiving language training. This program has been considered applicable and its success has led the ISAP into exploring new venues for more NICs. The School support program addresses the problems of newcomers in their educational institutions. At present 11 elementary, junior and high schools are offering this service. The program introduces the new comer to his school and provides academic and school staff support, paraprofessional counseling and referrals. It is clearly stated in “Evaluation of ISAP” (2004) that the aim of this program is to make the new comer “become more knowledgeable and empowered and to help the school be more welcoming, informed and sensitive to newcomer students and multicultural issues.” Currently the program is run by 11 schools and has a very good local reputation. It is considered highly applicable and for this reason it is greatly felt that other schools should also initiate this program to assist newcomers in a better way. The program is considered highly effective since it builds confidence in the newcomers and brings forward the multicultural issues. The success of this program is attributed to the involvement of the service providers in the school environment, its community based nature, which makes it accessible to everyone and the bi-weekly meetings of the coordinators with the school staff. Parents, students, teachers and principals have all voted in favour of this program. It is felt that the program is highly applicable and must be initiated in other regions of the country as well. According to the “Evaluation of ISAP” report (2004) the concept of Job Search Workshops was initiated in 1994 to address the employment related problems of the newcomers. The project started working in 1997 as a joint venture with COSTI and OCASI. According to the 2001 statistics there were 30 JSW in Ontario that were serving 8000 clients annually. 20 of these sites were located in the Greater Toronto Area and were dealing with 56% clients. The average cost per client is estimated to be $362. Currently JSW is offered by 28 service providers in Ontario region and is working on the basis of three models. The day model has 69% clients, evening model has 24% clients and Saturday model has 7% clients. A special workshop is targeted for the engineers since the statistics indicated that majority of the immigrants were trained in this field. The workshops provide training in English, French and other languages. The evaluation carried out by CIC indicate that JSW are considered highly effective by the clients since they help the newcomers get integrated with the demands of the Canadian labor market. The clients have expressed their over all satisfaction with the JSW. 2001 review of the working of JSW showed that 34% of the clients got employed after attending the JSW. Of these 34% clients 40% reported their satisfaction with the job. Although the statistics are not very impressive still it is believed that JSW are the first step of the newcomers in the Canadian labor market. JSW are also considered cost effective since a number of clients are assisted at one time. According to the “Evaluation of ISAP” (2004) the 2001 review shows that the number of participants in JSW varies between 5 and 19. Occasionally one to one assistance is provided to address the newcomers’ special needs. Over all JSWs are considered to be highly effective and a first step of the immigrants towards the Canadian labour market. Their services are offered in English and French languages and if needed the services are also offered in Spanish and Mandarin. Upon evaluation of the JSW Sparks (2001, pg. 12-13) stated that it has been found out that the immigrants have reported a number of problems upon arrival in Canada. 71% stated that the lack of Canadian experience is one of the obstacles in seeking employment. Other problems included language and communication (41%), lack of job search skills (37%) and lack of information (35%). About a quarter of the clients stated that their education was not recognized in the foreign land. For proper understanding of the status of JSW it is important to understand the clients’ response towards the working of JSW. According to the JSW Review (2001, pg. 17-18) by Sparks 54% of the clients believed that JSW was “very important” for the newcomers. 23% stated it to be “extremely important” and only 6% believed that it was “not at all important”. 26% of the facilitators, on the other hand, believed that it was “not important”, 35% believed it was “some what important”, 26% stated it to be “very important” and 12% stated “extremely important”. 41% of the program coordinators believed the program was “very important” and 11% stated “extremely important”. The reasons for JSW being considered extremely important was the fact that it was providing network opportunities and homogenous working conditions. It is also considered easy for the facilitators if the group is homogenous and looking for a similar kind of job. Those who stated it to be “somewhat important” stated that it helped the clients to get connected with people of similar experiences; it taught very basic job search skills and at times comforts the clients. They stated that a homogenous group was not possible since the majority of the clients belonged to different cultural and educational background. Those who believed JSW was not at all important stated that the English level was more important, tools were generic and that JSW dealt with one to one individual needs. As far as the usefulness of the JSW is concerned 57% clients declared it very useful, 37% declared it “extremely useful” and 6% declared it “some what useful”. The clients mentioned a number of benefits achieved from the JSW. These included improved self confidence and self esteem and dignity, increased motivation and opportunities to know more people, increased opportunities to practice their host nation language, decreased cultural aloofness, improved community information, sense of belonging and opportunities to share ideas with others (Sparks, 2001, pg. 22). Studying the evaluation reports of ISAP it is quite obvious that the over all working of the program has been declared satisfactory. However there are some issues which the clients felt needed improvement. One such problem is that of employment which the main issue of Job Search Workshops is. The interviews of the clients for ISAP analysis showed that the services provided by JSW were actually not enough in providing jobs to the immigrants. Although many appreciated the efforts made by JSW in resume writing, interviewing and job searching techniques still many felt they were too basic and did not help them in actually getting into professional life (Evaluation of ISAP, 2004). Immigrants expressed their dissatisfaction over the issue of employment. Some newcomers especially the skilled and educated ones are of the view that ISAP should take further steps in addressing the issue of employment other than helping in writing resumes and referrals. Some other clients were of the view that the JSW were not very useful in getting employed since they lacked the “Canadian experience” which was greatly demanded by the employers (Sparks, 2001, pg. 13). Sparks (2001, pg. 22-23) stated that the hand-outs, which carried useful information about various problems of the newcomers, provided by the JSW to the clients were considered very useful by majority of the clients. 95% of the clients stated them to be “very useful” and 5% stated them to be “some what useful”. No one reported them to be of no use, which is another positive point for the program. Although the over all success rate of Job Search Workshops is 34% still the clients strongly recommended it. 99% of the clients stated that they would recommend the services of JSW to other immigrants as well. The Specialized Workshops for the professionals are highly effective and is a good effort on part of the administrators of the program. The Specialized Workshops show that the needs of the professional clients are a bit different from the non-professional class (Sparks, 2001, pg. 26). The evaluation carried out by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (2004) stated that overall ISAP is a successful program. At the same time it is considered appropriate, effective, useful and necessary. Since the program is flexible therefore it becomes easy for the program to tailor itself to the demands and needs of the clients in different regions. The clients have expressed their satisfaction over the information provided by the ISAP. The only problem with the program was the low success rate in terms of providing employment to the clients. The reviewers have pointed out a number of reasons that can be held responsible for the low success rate of the program. CIC (2004) is of the view that the short-comings in the program are due to insufficient human and financial resources, service gap between what is offered and what should be offered keeping in mind the changing profiles of the clients and lack of awareness about the program due to improper promotion. To conclude it can be stated that after evaluating the program from a various angles one can clearly see that Immigration Settlement and Adaptation Program (ISAP) is definitely making a difference in the lives of the immigrant population in Canada. Immigration is never an easy job and it always takes time to adjust oneself in a new environment. Under such conditions the efforts of ISAP must be appreciated. The programs working under the umbrella of ISAP have been evaluated in detail by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and the Sparks Consulting Inc. and their conclusions show that the program is highly effective, useful, applicable and successful. The clients, facilitators and the administrators have all expressed their overall satisfaction with the program. It has helped them in understanding the host nation in a better way and has also helped them by building their confidence and raising their self- esteem in a new environment. Although the success rate is very low, nevertheless the efforts made by the ISAP administrators and facilitators must not be undermined. It is believed that the program is a first step of the immigrant population towards the Canadian labour market. With further effort it can be stated that ISAP will be able to improve its success rate in near future. References “Evaluation of the Immigration Settlement and Adaptation Program (ISAP) - Appendix C, Case Studies”, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, (2004), Retrieved on January 28, 2008 from http://www.cic.gc.ca/ENGLISH/resources/evaluation/isap/appendix-c.asp “Evaluation of the Immigration Settlement and Adaptation Program (ISAP) - Executive Summary”, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, (2004), Retrieved on January 28, 2008 from http://www.cic.gc.ca/EnGLIsh/resources/evaluation/isap/index.asp “Immigration Settlement and Adaptation Program (ISAP)”, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, (2007). Retrieved on January 28, 2008 from http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/rma/eppi-ibdrp/hrdb-rhbd/isap-peai/description_e.asp Kerr. G. Simard, A. “ISAP Program Review, Final Report and Recommendations”, RealWorld Systems, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Settlement and Port of Entry Directorate, Ontario Region. (July 2003). Pg. 12-17. Sparks, R.J. “Job Search Workshops, Program Review”, R J Sparks Consulting Inc. WGW Services Limited, (2001), Pg. 6-42. Sturo, J. “Canadian Immigration Statistics”. EzineArticles. (Sept. 19, 2006), Retrieved on January 21, 2008, from http://ezinearticles.com/?Canadian-Immigration-Statistics&id=303185 Read More