Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) intends to issue a Call for Proposals (CFP) in 2024 for the Settlement and Resettlement Assistance programs to continue providing services for a further five years, as part of IRCC’s commitment to offer high-quality services to refugees and immigrants.
The deadline for submitting a grant application is January 31, 2024; it opened on November 14, 2023. Through the Grants and Contributions System (GCS), applicants can submit funding proposals for several opportunities.
On April 1, 2025, funding for the CFP 2024 process begins. Funding for projects might be available for a maximum of five years, ending on March 31, 2030.
Over 1,300 partners and stakeholders participated in national consultations held early in 2023, which identified important priority areas that needed to be addressed. The program will continue to provide the “right service, to the right client, at the right time” according to the IRCC’s goals and guidelines for CFP 2024.
According to an ATIP received by CIC News, the Settlement Program’s specific enhancements are categorized into the following broad themes:
- Boost consistency by implementing a more nationally standardized approach to service delivery and making sure that the most complicated and barrier-ridden individuals receive the services they require.
- Encourage and enable cooperation by working together to co-plan and exchange information with other governmental orders to assist the delivery of effective and efficient settlement programs.
- Boost community partners’ ability by promoting co-creation of programs with clients and bolstering the capacity of volunteers in the community
- Flexibility: maintaining the program’s adaptability to the unique requirements and features of clients and areas while acknowledging the part played by provinces and territories in joint planning to assist in the integration and settling of newcomers
Requests for proposals for CFP 2024 for four specific streams
The Resettlement Assistance Program, the Francophone Integration Pathway, Equity (capacity building), and Service Delivery Improvement are the other four specific streams for which CFP 2024 will be accepting ideas.
By requesting ideas to expand the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP) to four more regions of the nation, CFP 2024 will build on the program’s growth, which has been in place since 2019. Additionally, it intends to guarantee that the RAP can more reliably assist clients who speak French. To guarantee a smooth transition for refugees who come to the RAP for assistance, a refugee pathway will be included.
The criteria and circumstances of the Settlement Program will incorporate the Francophone Integration Pathway. Increasing the capacity of organizations that provide services to Francophone immigrants and establishing a minimum financial goal for Francophone programming in each region are two of the suggested methods.
Additionally, the CFP aims to increase the settlement sector’s ability to provide more equitable and inclusive services for a wide range of arrivals. The stream is intended to assist groups that have not previously received financing under the Settlement and Resettlement programs, with an annual grant of up to $25 million.
Last but not least, the CFP 2024 is a crucial step in maximizing the use of digital and hybrid service delivery and encouraging testing and study of novel ideas to enhance service delivery.
Concerning Settlement Services in Canada
Approximately $2 billion is spent yearly by IRCC on settlement services across Canada, which also includes a separate settlement grant to Quebec. This money is intended to enable immigrant-serving organizations to provide services and activities that aid in the integration and settlement of individuals who satisfy the qualifying requirements of the IRCC. Permanent residents, protected individuals, and some temporary residents can generally access services sponsored by the IRCC.
Settlement providers must show how they will assist immigrants in response to the IRCC’s CFP in order to be eligible for financing. The IRCC website lists the approximately 1,300 sites throughout Canada where qualified immigrants can get IRCC-funded help at this time.