Canada is among one of only three countries in the world that assist immigrants with settling in their new country well before they leave their native lands, along with Australia and New Zealand, according to leading researchers. It’s called “pre-arrival services”. But after 23 years of providing these services, are they worth the millions of dollars being spent on them? Are they effective? Should they be continued? Their record to date is mixed: while service providers point to a few gaps but feel the approach is working, New Canadian Media’s interviews with newcomers tell otherwise. The extent of settlement services in Canada is relatively unique in the world, according to Anna Triandafyllidou, the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration at Toronto Metropolitan University, and Stein Monteiro, Senior Research Associate for the program, as well as Nafiz Zaman Shuva, an assistant professor at the City University of New York, who were contacted by NCM. Last May, the government doubled down on pre-arrival services by providing $65 million in funding for all settlement services and extending the programs until 2025. Immigration, Refugee, Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in part justified the extension with findings from the Newcomer Outcomes Survey which found 96 per cent of non-refugee pre-arrival clients used at least one settlement service. Additionally, 95 per cent of clients who received a needs assessment said the referrals to services and organizations and linkages were very useful. However, the services are relatively unknown. A 2023 Settlement Outcomes Report found only 68 per cent of newcomers were aware of the pre-arrival services available to them, despite a recommendation five years earlier calling for the agency to promote its benefits. Newcomers to Canada say they’re being let down by vital job-readiness programs called pre-arrival services, which experts say highlights the need for more staff and better advice for potential immigrants before they apply. Experts explained that federally funded pre-arrival services, which prepare immigrants for the job market before they land in Canada, increases the likelihood of employment. But some service providers get overwhelmed by the number of newcomers, and newcomers only receive information on what to expect in Canada after they’ve already applied for permanent residency. Pre-arrival webinars with 30-50 attendees offer general information that doesn’t address individuals’ specific needs, according to Carolina Castillo Escobar, who came to Burnaby, B.C. from Ecuador in March 2023. Most of the advice offered in the webinars could be found online, Escobar said, who used the free YMCA-affiliate Next Stop Canada pre-arrival service. Escobar said she expected a more personalized approach. Understaffing at pre-arrival services can cause a disconnect between the overall success rate and disappointment some immigrants feel, according to Henry Akanko, director of Hire Immigrants Ottawa. “Those expectations are valid, but the reality is, the capacity isn’t at the same level to be able to support that,” Akanko said. Pre-arrival services should receive more funding, Akanko said, considering the federal government is planning on bringing in 1.5 million immigrants into the country over the next three years. It’s not a question of money, according to Patrick Mackenzie, the CEO of the Immigrant Employment Council of BC. Settlement services need to find innovations to meet the needs of newcomers by either helping prepare them more effectively or informing them how the preparation they already offer is useful, explained Mackenzie. Right now, pre-arrival services don’t always prepare immigrants the way they’re supposed to, Mackenzie said. But another layer of information services could address the capacity issue. Prospective immigrants should be offered advice before they apply to Canada, instead of waiting until their arrival to find out if the country is suited for them, Mackenzie suggested. Mackenzie said that would ease the demand that pre-arrival services currently face. “I don’t know if we can ever fully meet demand,” Mackenzie said. Escobar came to Canada under the Express Entry Skilled Workers Program and is now a permanent resident, with eight years of experience as an international policy analyst in Ecuador, Spain, and Sweden. She submitted more than 100 job applications to Canadian employers before arriving in the country, but only landed one interview. Despite offering her a mock interview, her pre-arrival service was unable to help her prepare due to a two-week waiting period. “I could not opt for the mock interview because my official interview was scheduled in two days,” Escobar said.