Published plans and annual reports 2017-2018: Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration

Minstry overview

Mandate

The Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration is dedicated to building a province where newcomers are welcomed, diversity is celebrated, volunteerism is valued, and people are engaged in working together to improve the quality of life for everyone.

In delivering its mandate, the Ministry works across government and with other levels of government to support economic growth and maximize the successful integration of newcomers to Ontario as well as to promote and recognize greater social inclusion, civic and community engagement, and volunteerism.

Ministry contribution to priorities and results

The Ministry has taken an open and welcoming stance with newcomers that demonstrates Ontario’s leadership and reflects Ontarians’ values of fairness, compassion and equality of opportunity.

The Ministry contributes to the government priorities of “Increased Talent and Skills Among Ontarians”, “Supportive and Dynamic Business Environment”, and “Reduced Poverty, Inequality and Exclusion” by improving the economic and social outcomes of newcomers, strengthening the capacity of the not-for-profit sector and promoting volunteerism, and strengthening Ontario’s economy and innovation agenda.

In 2017-18, the Ministry’s activities supporting these priorities will include:

• Attracting and retaining a skilled workforce to help address Ontario’s unique labour market needs through a transformed Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program.

• Ensuring that skilled immigrants have access to the necessary tools and supports to join the labour market quickly and contribute to Ontario’s economy through continued investments in bridge training programs.

• Supporting the successful social and economic integration of immigrants and refugees through the ongoing delivery of settlement, language training and employment supports and the implementation of enhanced programming for refugees and vulnerable newcomers.
• Promoting social inclusion and the participation of diverse ethnocultural communities in the civic, cultural, social and economic life of Ontario through the creation of a new Multicultural Community Capacity Grant Program.

• Continuing with efforts to reduce barriers to foreign qualification recognition by strengthening the Office of the Fairness Commissioner.

Ministry programs and activities

The Ministry is responsible for the following program areas:

Immigration:

Through Ontario’s Immigration Strategy, the Ministry supports Ontario’s social and economic growth and prosperity by: attracting skilled workers and their families to help address Ontario’s labour market needs, helping newcomers and their families achieve success, and promoting a globally connected economy. The Strategy directs how we select, welcome and help immigrants to our province. It provides a framework to engage with partners and develop more coordinated services to better serve the changing needs of Ontario’s immigrants.

Key programs include:

Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program – Nominates strong economic immigrants to help meet Ontario’s labour market needs, increase economic immigration to the province, attract investment and support job creation.

Labour Market Integration Program – Delivers a range of workplace and foreign qualification recognition support services to help highly skilled immigrants succeed in the labour market.

Settlement and Integration Program – Addresses key gaps in immigrant and refugee outcomes by providing access to comprehensive settlement services that help newcomers overcome integration barriers and prosper in Ontario.

Language Training Program – Provides English and French as a Second Language training from basic to advanced levels to help learners gain the language skills they need to successfully work and live in Ontario.

Citizenship:

Citizenship programs support jobs and economic growth and volunteerism by partnering with the private and not-for-profit sectors to support and promote greater social inclusion, civic and community engagement, and recognition.
Ontario’s Not-for-Profit Sector Programs –Strengthens and facilitates the not-for-profit sector and encourages and supports volunteerism in Ontario. The not-for-profit sector provides a public benefit by advocating for vulnerable populations.

Honours and Awards Secretariat – Delivers honours and awards programs that recognize the outstanding achievements and contributions of Ontarians for their service to the community. The Secretariat also organizes special commemorative events on behalf of the Province of Ontario.

The tables below illustrate the Ministry’s key program commitments and expected results for 2017-18 that align with key government priorities.

Increased talent and skills among Ontarians

Key commitments for 2017-18

Stabilize, transform and expand the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) to support the labour market needs of Ontario.

Expected results

In the short-term:

• Achievement of Ontario’s increased target of 6,000 immigrant nominees for 2017.
• Improved capacity to provide quality and responsive customer service.
• Redesigned employer-driven streams to better respond to employer needs.
• Transition from paper based to online application systems.
• Support of the government in achieving a 5% target for Francophone immigration.

In the longer-term:

• Ontario plays a more strategic role in economic immigrant selection in order to meet Ontario’s projected labour market needs.
• Increased capacity of the program to promote, attract and retain skilled workers.
• Build capacity to attract qualified business applicants to the province to encourage investment and retain skilled workers.

Key commitments for 2017-18

Deliver Ontario’s Bridge Training Program to help highly skilled immigrants get licensed or find employment at a level commensurate with their qualifications.

Expected results

In the short-term:

• Innovative training services piloted to serve additional internationally trained individuals annually to get licensed or find commensurate employment.

In the longer-term:

Expanded programming for skilled immigrants to support the implementation of the Highly Skilled Workforce Strategy and the plan for Building an Integrated Adult Education System.

Key commitments for 2017-18

Deliver the Adult Non-Credit English as a Second Language (ESL)/ French as a Second Language (FSL) Program to help approximately 70,000 learners each year acquire the language skills they need to live in Ontario and succeed in the labour market.

Expected results

In the short-term:

• Language training services provided to all newcomers, often as a first step to social and economic integration.

In the longer-term:

• Improved acquisition of official language skills to successfully work and live in Ontario.

Key commitments for 2017-18

Enhance initiatives to support Francophone immigration and make progress in reaching our commitment to 5% Francophone immigration.

Expected results

In the short-term:

• A Francophone lens applied when funding settlement and integration programs.
• Enhanced international promotion of OINP streams for French-speaking immigrants.

In the longer-term:

• Signing of a French-Speaking Immigrant Annex under the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement.

• Development of a Pan-Canadian action plan on Francophone immigration through a second joint Ministers’ Forum.

Key commitments for 2017-18

Continue, through Global Experience Ontario, to assist internationally trained individuals pre- and post-arrival so that they have accurate information about obtaining licensure and working in non-health regulated professions and the skilled trades.

Expected results

In the short-term:

• Tools and training to internationally trained individuals and service providers on navigating licensure processes developed and delivered.

In the longer-term:

• Immigrants have access to the necessary information to join the labour market quickly and contribute to Ontario’s economy.

Key commitments for 2017-18

Strengthen the Office of the Fairness Commissioner’s (OFC) ability to deliver on its mandate, including the consideration of new legislative tools, to ensure regulatory bodies have registration practices that are transparent, objective, impartial and fair.

Expected results

In the short-term:

• Transition of the OFC from public body to commission public body (upon Proclamation on September 1, 2017).

In the longer-term:

• Enhanced governance and accountability mechanisms and strengthened ability to deliver on the Office’s mandate.

Supportive and dynamic business environment

Key commitments for 2017-18

Attract a highly skilled workforce and build a stronger economy by:

• Continuing to strengthen the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) to support employers in attracting and retaining the skilled workers they need for today’s economy.
• Providing support to employers to attract investment and innovation through business immigration to Ontario.

Expected results

In the short-term:

• OINP nominates individuals whose skills are needed by Ontario employers.
• Re-designed business immigration programs that support economic growth and job creation.

In the longer-term:

• Programs that meet the needs of Ontario’s labour market and in demand occupations.
• Business immigration that enhances Ontario’s economic competitiveness through immigrant investment, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

Key commitments for 2017-18

Strengthening the government’s partnership with the Not-for-Profit (NFP) sector to support and invigorate volunteerism by:

• Supporting the NFP sector through the Partnership Grant Program and continuing efforts to invigorate Ontario’s tradition of volunteering.
• Leading the implementation and launch of Ontario’s first Volunteer Action Plan to strengthen Ontario’s volunteer base by working in equal partnership with the NFP and corporate sectors to promote the value of, and reduce barriers to, volunteerism.
• Implementing the ChangeTheWorld Youth Volunteer Program to support the not-for-profit sector to provide quality, meaningful volunteer experiences for youth between the ages of 12 and 18.

Expected results

In the short-term:

• A stronger, more effective and responsive partnership between the government of Ontario and the NFP sector.
• Strengthened Ontario volunteer base with enhanced volunteer management practices that would lead to an increased volunteerism rate in Ontario.
• Implementation of revisions to enhance and expand the reach of the ChangeTheWorld Youth Volunteer program.

In the longer-term:

• Youth across the province engage in meaningful volunteer experiences and are encouraged to be life-long volunteers.

Key commitments for 2017-18

Develop regulations under the Ontario Immigration Act.

Expected results

In the short-term:

• Proclamation of the Ontario Immigration Act. If proclaimed, it will enable the Ministry to work more closely with the federal government on recruitment, selection, and admission of skilled immigrants.

In the longer-term:

• The Act will provide the Ministry with strong compliance and enforcement authority (e.g., administrative monetary penalties, banning, fines) to deter immigration fraud and detect misrepresentation

Reduced poverty, inequality and exclusion

Key commitments for 2017-18

Continue efforts to support the settlement and long-term integration of immigrants and refugees into Ontario communities by:

• Providing funding to community partners and service providers that deliver settlement, orientation, language training and employment supports.
• Expanding and enhancing services for refugees and vulnerable newcomers.
• Continuing to deliver language interpretation services to ensure that victims of domestic or sexual violence with language barriers are able to access critical community services.
• Transforming the Syrian Refugee Resettlement Secretariat into a Refugee Resettlement Secretariat.

Expected results

In the short-term:

• Over 80,000 newcomers are served through the Newcomer Settlement Program.
• 32 municipal immigration websites developed to provide local immigration information and resources to over 160 communities in the province.
• 21 municipal partners support the Francophone Immigration Portal to promote their French-speaking programs to attract Francophone immigrants.
• Over 70,000 immigrants and refugees participate in language training.
• Over 7,000 refugees and vulnerable newcomers benefit from new social and economic integration services.
• Over 7,000 victims of domestic and sexual violence access social, healthcare and legal services with the assistance of the Ministry-funded language interpreter services.
• Municipal efforts result in increased attraction, retention and integration of newcomers in smaller centres.

In the longer-term:

• Newcomers across all region

Key commitments for 2017-18

Implement a new Multicultural Community Capacity Grant Program.

Expected results

In the short-term:

• A new program that reaches communities across the province is designed, developed and implemented.

In the longer-term:

• Newcomer and ethnocultural communities across all regions of the province participate fully in the civic, cultural, social and economic life of Ontario.

Key commitments for 2017-18

Negotiate a new Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement with the federal government.

Expected results

In the short-term:

• Completion and signing of framework agreement and annexes in 2017-18.

In the longer-term:

• Strengthened partnership between Canada and Ontario to jointly identify strategic priorities and enhance the successful settlement and integration of immigrants and refugees through improved co-ordination and delivery of immigrant support services.

Table 1: Ministry planned expenditures 2017-18

Highlights of 2016-17 achievements

The Ministry continued to deliver results that support the government’s key priorities. Highlights of these results include:

• The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program reached its nomination target in 2016 and nominated 5,500 individuals to the federal government for permanent residence.
• Over 4,300 Ontario Bridge Training Program participants obtained employment in their field or in a related field, and over 300 achieved licensure in a regulated occupation or skilled trade.
• The Ministry continued to implement Ontario’s Refugee Resettlement Plan to help settle the nearly 24,000 resettled refugees, including over 17,000 from the Syrian conflict welcomed by Ontario between November 2015 and December 2016.
• Through ongoing collaboration with the Government of Canada, Ontario’s interests were effectively addressed in the federal government’s new Global Skills Strategy.
• Over 67,000 youth contributed more than 376,000 volunteer hours in their communities in 2016 through the Ministry’s ChangeTheWorld program.

Ministry organization chart

• Minister of Citizenship, and Immigration - Laura Albanese
  • Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Citizenship, and Immigration - Shafiq Qaadri
  • Deputy Minister - Alexander Bezzina
    • Executive Assistant to Deputy Minister - Michael Dougherty (A)
    • Regional and Corporate Services Division Assistant Deputy Minister/CAO^{footnote 1[1]} - Maureen Buckley
      • Human Resources Branch Directo - Liborio Campisi^{footnote 2[2]}
      • Corporate Finance Branch Director - Tony Marzotto
      • Corporate Resources Branch Director - Tony Marzotto
      • Regional Services and Corporate Support Branch Director - Neil Coburn
      • Corporate Policy and Planning Branch Director - Joanne Lorenzi (A)
    • Citizenship and Immigration Division Assistant Deputy Minister - Cindy Lam
      • Business Immigration and Selection Branch Director - Suzanne Hastie
      • Citizenship Branch Director - Debbie Strauss (A)
      • Immigration Policy Branch Director - Alice Young
      • Refugee Resettlement Program Director - Yvonne Ferrer (A)
      • Immigration Programs Branch Director - Doug Dixon
    • Syrian Refugee Resettlement Secretariat Assistant Deputy Minister - Melissa Thomson (A)
      • Syrian Refugee Resettlement Secretariat Director
    • Communications Branch Director - Deborah Swain^{footnote 3[3]}
    • Legal Services Branch Director^{footnote 4[4]} - Fateh Salim
    • Community Services I&IT Cluster CIO/Assistant Deputy Minister^{footnote 5[5]} - Soussan Tabari

Agencies, Boards and Commissions (ABCS)

Advisory Council to the Order of Ontario:

The Order of Ontario is the province’s highest official honour. The independent Advisory Council recommends individuals to receive this honour in recognition of their excellence and achievement in Ontario and around the world.

Office of the Fairness Commissioner (OFC):

The OFC is responsible for assessing the registration practices of certain regulated professions and trades. Its purpose is to ensure these practices are transparent, objective, impartial and fair for anyone applying to practice his or her profession, particularly for internationally trained individuals.

Ontario Honours Advisory Council:

The Ontario Honours Advisory Council is an advisory body accountable to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. It considers nominations for the Ontario Medal for Police Bravery, the Ontario Medal for Firefighter Bravery, the Ontario Medal for Young Volunteers and the Ontario Medal of Good Citizenship.

Ontario Immigration Investor Corporation (OIIC):

The OIIC was established in 1999 to invest the funds received under the federal Immigrant Investor Program to support economic development and job creation. The program was created to provide permanent residency to individuals who meet eligibility criteria and invest a sum for a period of five years which is distributed to participating provinces and territories. The primary obligation of the OIIC is to invest the money from immigrant investors and to return the investment in five years. The program was terminated by the federal government in April 2014; as a result, the OIIC will wind down when its repayment obligations are satisfied in 2021-22.

Summary of ABCs' financial data

Detailed financial information

Appendix: 2016-17 Annual report

2016-17 Achievements

The Ministry’s key activities and results for the 2016-17 fiscal year include:

• Delivered Ontario’s Bridge Training programs:
  • In 2016-17, over 4,300 bridge training participants obtained employment in their field or in a related field, and over 300 achieved licensure in a regulated occupation or skilled trade.
  • Over 5,900 highly skilled immigrants benefitted as a result of coordinated federal-provincial investment in Ontario Bridge Training programs.
• Worked with the federal government to maximize the benefits of immigration, including an expansion of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP):
  • The OINP reached its nomination target in 2016 and nominated 5,500 individuals to the federal government for permanent residence.
  • Through collaboration and ongoing engagement, provincial interests were effectively addressed in the federal government’s new Global Skills Strategy.
  • The Ministry received an increase of 500 nominations in the OINP allocation for 2017 (6,000 nominations).
  • The program launched online application systems for its high volume program streams including Express Entry and International Graduat
• Delivered the Adult Non-Credit English as a Second Language (ESL) / French as a Second Language (FSL) Program for newcomers:
  • For the 2016-17 school year, the Ministry invested close to $60 million in tuition-free adult language training and the development of new program resources to assist about 70,000 immigrants to get their language skills assessed and improve their English or French.
  • A number of enhancements to the Adult Non-Credit Language Training Program were developed and implemented to address the language training needs of immigrants in Ontario. These include:
    • Improving access with the development of new online e-learning options through new pilot projects.
    • Increasing portability of learners’ language skill achievement through a consistent approach to in-class language assessments.
    • Implemented the new Ontario Curriculum Guidelines and online tools for ESL/FSL instructors to enhance consistency in developing their courses.
• Continued, through Global Experience Ontario, to assist internationally trained individuals to gain information on non-health regulated professions and trades:
  • Delivered information about licensure and registration processes in non-health regulated professions and compulsory trades to 1,900 internationally trained individuals.
  • Delivered training to approximately 500 front-line settlement and employment workers who work directly with internationally trained individuals, to gain understanding of licensure requirements and pathways to employment in Ontario.
• Supported the Office of the Fairness Commissioner (OFC) in monitoring regulatory bodies’ obligations to provide fair access for internationally trained individuals to regulated professions and trades:
  • Amendments to the Fair Access to Regulated Professions and Compulsory Trades Act, 2006 were included in the Burden Reduction Act, 2017 and will take effect on Proclamation (September 1, 2017). Once proclaimed, the OFC will be designated a Commission Public Body, which will enhance the Office’s governance and accountability mechanisms and its ability to deliver on its mandat
• Made progress in reaching Ontario’s commitment to 5% Francophone immigration:
  • Final report of the Group of Experts on Francophone Immigration was released and used to inform and enhance ministry actions.
  • Ongoing collaboration between the Ministry and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has resulted in the federal government identifying and selecting an increased number of Francophone immigrants through changes to the Express Entry system.
  • Increased commitment to Francophone immigration was achieved at the Pan-Canadian level through the Minister’s participation at the joint Francophonie and Immigration forum.
• Supported the Non-for-Profit sector and volunteerism:
  • Through the 2016-18 Partnership Grant Program, the Ministry invested $4.1 million over two years to help 21 organizations carry out projects that strengthen the Non-for-Profit sector.
  • Over 67,000 youth contributed more than 376,000 volunteer hours in their communities in 2016 through the Ministry’s ChangeTheWorld program.
  • Developed program for a Volunteerism Summit to be delivered in June 2017.
  • Introduced a new ‘Volunteer Management’ category in the June Callwood Awards for Outstanding Achievement Award for Voluntarism.
  • Partnered with the Ontario Volunteer Centre Network to promote a certificate program to recognize the contributions of volunteers.
  • Partnered with FindHelp Information Services to promote SPARK Ontario, an on-line platform that showcases volunteering and helps volunteer-seeking organizations and volunteers connect.
• Attracted a highly skilled workforce to build a stronger economy:
  • Nominated individuals whose skills are needed by Ontario employers.
  • Worked to redesign employer-driven streams to better respond to employer needs.
• Implemented Ontario’s Refugee Resettlement Plan to support the arrival and successful settlement and integration of refugees:
  • Since November 2015, Ontario received an unprecedented number of refugees. Nearly 24,000 resettled refugees, including over 17,000 from the Syrian conflict, settled in Ontario between November 2015 and December 2016.
  • The Ministry has committed over $15.7 million in new funding over four years to enhance refugee services and sponsorship supports.
  • With the Ministry’s support:
    • Over 9,700 Syrian refuges have received settlement and orientation services and employment and mental health supports.
    • Over 8,000 received language assessments, and nearly 3,300 participated in provincially funded language training.
    • Over 200 front line settlement workers received training on refugee mental health.
    • A public awareness campaign was launched to promote welcoming communities for refugees and newcomers and combat racism and islamophobia.
  • Syrian refugees are settling well, with adults participating in language training and children in schools. Privately sponsored refugees are making early employment gains. A recent federal evaluation of the Syrian refugee resettlement program shows that:
    • An estimated 52 percent of privately sponsored refugees and 12 percent of government assisted refugees surveyed by the federal government were employed by September 2016.
    • 90 percent of Syrian refugees report a somewhat strong or strong sense of belonging to Canada.
  • The global refugee crisis has prompted an outpouring of public support and engagement with refugee sponsorship. In 2016, almost double the usual number of privately sponsored refugees arrived in Ontario.
• Invested in programs and services that support the successful settlement and integration of newcomers:
  • Invested $11 million in 2016-17 to support the successful settlement and integration of over 80,000 newcomers through the provision of:
    • Comprehensive community-based settlement and integration services delivered by a network of over 95 settlement agencies.
    • Services targeted to at-risk newcomers youth experiencing barriers to settlement and integration.
    • Services targeted to vulnerable populations such as immigrant women.
    • An awareness raising multilingual campaign to prevent sexual violence targeting newcomer and refugee groups.
    • Orientation to Ontario (O2O) workshops designed to provide recent newcomers with access to critical information about life in Ontario.
    • The International Student Connect Program to support international students to settle and integrate successfully in Ontario.
  • Improved access to community services through the provision of interpreter services to approximately 10,000 victims of domestic violence, sexual violence, and human trafficking who have language barriers. The interpreter services ensured access to needed supports as provided through health, court, legal, children and community services.
• Increased the assistance provided to immigrants by municipalities through the Municipal Immigration Information Online Program:
  • Worked in partnership with municipalities to:
    • Highlight local labour market gaps and supporting local employer engagement.
    • Help immigrants settle and integrate into our communities.
    • Promote Ontario communities as welcoming and inclusive destinations.
  • Supported the development of 32 municipal immigration websites by giving an online profile to over 160 communities in the province.
  • Supported the development of the Francophone Immigration Portal that has 21 partners from all regions of the province collaborating to promote French-speaking programs and services.
  • Improved online information regarding local and regional services available to new immigrants as well as potential newcomers.