Refugees and ICT

Introduction

In an increasingly interconnected and fluid world, the use of information communication technologies (ICTs) is paramount in the settlement and integration of newcomers. In Canada, 30 000 people arrive as asylum seekers every year, and many of these individuals are already accustomed to ICTs as an integral part of their daily routine. Moreover, asylum seekers require access to technology as they proceed through the often difficult refugee adjudication system and as they resettle in Canada.

This paper explores how ICTs are used by refugee claimants upon their arrival in Canada and while they go through the process of claiming refugee status. We also examine how refugee service organisations (RSOs) use technologies in their daily operations to support their clients and provide their settlement services. As part of the greater SINGA international research project, this paper is a profile of what is happening in the Canadian context, namely in the Greater Toronto Area and the Ottawa Region. The paper is divided into two parts. The first part of this study will first briefly outline the Canadian context of refugee resettlement before highlighting two international initiatives: the Borderless Higher Education for Refugees (BHER) Project, which relies on technology to set up transnational networks between Canada and the Dadaab refugee camp as tertiary education initiatives are rolled out for the camp residents, and the World University Services of Canada (WUSC), which sponsors refugee university students to come to Canada. The second part of this study explores how refugees themselves use ICTs and how they are supported by RSOs through the use of technology. This paper will conclude by drawing connections between the various actors profiled and will highlight some of the directions that Canada is moving towards in order to offer some suggestions for improving ICT access to refugee claimants in Canada.

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