Future research / gaps identified:
1) Investigate the extent to which Canada has a one-size-fits-all model for PSR and how this impacts key differences between refugee’s home countries.
2) Examine the role of faith-based organizations in Canada’s PSR program and how to bolster grassroots support for sponsorship.
Inte...
Key recommendations
More research is needed
Key findings
How recent Syrian refugees navigated the settlement and integration process and what services:
The refugees’ main points of contact were varied, for instance, settlement workers for GARs and private sponsors for PSRs.
Friends and families also helped them i...
Location
Calgary, Edmonton, Medicine Hat, Red Deer, and Lethbridge, Alberta
Community organizations
Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP) providers in each city
Integration timeline
At what point during the integration process the study was conducted?
A majority of survey participants had been in Canada between 8-1...
Key findings
Although integration is promoted in Lethbridge, immigrants do not fare as well as the general population
Refugees are more susceptible to poorer outcomes of integration processes, while highly educated immigrants tend to perform relatively well. At the same time, educated immigrants feel less included beca...
Key populations
Syrian refigees
Location
Edmonton, Alberta; Calgary, Alberta; Lethbridge, Alberta; Medicine Hat, Alberta; Red Deer, Alberta
Key recommendations
Strengthen social connections among refugees to find employment; access resources and express identity; address systemic issues around racism and discrimina...
Key findings
Private spronsorship is effective for bringing refugees to Canada
All three refugees programs (government-assisted refugees (GARs), privately-sponsored refugees (PSRs), and the blended refugee program (BVORs)) were largely successful in bringing in Syrian refugees to safe places in Canada.
PSRs seemed to b...
Key recommendations
NA
Gaps identified
Compared to Brookes , Edmonton, Lethbridge, and Red Deer, the refugees in Calgary have the loWest attendance rate. Moreover, Calgary has the highest percentage of employed services used by the refugees for the purpose of finding work.
Key findings
This study assesses the serv...