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IMMIGRATION
Migrating during the Pandemic:
Good Preparation Means Good Integration Aïssatou Sonko is the manager of the Employability and Immigration Program at the Société économique de l’Ontario (SÉO), a non-profit organization (NPO) that celebrated its 20th anniversary last year. The SÉO, formerly RDÉE Ontario, supports economic development, entrepreneurship, employability and immigration for Francophones and bilingual individuals. The organization has three main offices located in Toronto, Sudbury and Ottawa, as well as several regional offices.
With her Ottawa-based team, Ms. Sonko pilots several types of interventions and specialized programs, all with a focus on employability. Their clientele is primarily made up of future, recent or already settled Francophone newcomers, and a small proportion of refugees who have received their official status and are able to communicate in French. Like everywhere else in the world, the pandemic over the past 23 months has complicated her team’s work: first, the number of newcomers dropped abruptly, both because of health and travel restrictions. This drop was most noticeable in 2020, with an almost 46% drop in the number of newcomers in Ontario.1 The situation improved in 2021, and although comprehensive statistical data for last year is not yet available, the number of arrivals by September (84,887 people) had already surpassed the number of arrivals for all of 2020 (82,981 people). 2 This drop can be explained in large part by the fact that many immigration files were put on hold. As of mid-December 2021, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) estima ted that there were still 1.8 million files awaiting processing. A pledge of 85 million dollars in Canadian currency was made to hire more resources in order to process a larger volume of files and to upgrade the immigration system.3 In the meantime, the Employability and Immigration Program team assisting new and future immigrants has noted that many are taking the time to prepare for their arrival and are assessing all of their options prior to departing.
FACILITATING AN INCREASINGLY LENGTHY PROCESS Ms. Sonko explains that for those who have immigrated with their families in the last two years, health restrictions have complicated their arrival on all levels. Pre-departure services, for those who have received permanent residence authorization from IRCC, aim to provide information on administrative procedures, housing, the Canadian labour market, orientation on choosing the right area to settle, etc. The SÉO, on the other hand, strives to provide relevant and complementary information with personalized orientation. It seems that the pandemic has also increased the desire to relocate across provinces and the team has been receiving requests from other Canadian provinces as well, not just from abroad. For each person who comes to the SÉO, an initial one on one consultation is held to develop a detailed plan. Ms. Sonko explains that, at this level, the desires of newcomers can vary. Some want to become professional and will seek a diploma, others need to go back to school or take exams to enter one of the many professional associations that govern the health, education, architectural or engineering occupations, for example. In some cases, immigration can also be an opportunity to pursue a career change. While the recognition of diplomas and skills is a common obstacle for newcomers, it is mitigated when they arrive well informed and prepared for this step, with the correct documents. While waiting for their departure, those interested can
Office of Economic Policy, March 2021, “Ontario Demographic Quarterly: highlights of fourth quarter 2020,” Ontario Ministry of Finance, Government of Ontario website, consulted on February 11, 2022: https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-demographic-quarterly-highlights-fourth-quarter-2020. 2 Office of Economic Policy, March 2021, “Ontario Demographic Quarterly: highlights of third quarter 2020,” Ontario Ministry of Finance, Government of Ontario website, consulted on February 11, 2022: https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-demographic-quarterly-highlights-third-quarter?_ga=2.205808531.1204547742.1644679512-386788270.1644679512. 3 Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), January 3, 2022, “Modernizing Canada’s immigration system to support economic recovery and improve client experience,” a press release published on the IRCC’s website, consulted on February 11, 2022: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2022/01/modernizing-canadas-immigrationsystem-to-support-economic-recovery-and-improve-client-experience.html. 1
