“Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan 2024–2026 saw a significant decrease in immigration levels over the next three years, but that does not excuse Canada from fulfilling our humanitarian obligations,” says Katie Crocker, CEO of the Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC (AMSSA).

By overseeing more than 90 member agencies and hundreds of community stakeholder organizations serving newcomers, AMSSA has supported asylum seekers from Syria, Ukraine, and now supports those coming from the Gaza strip.

“We are trying to understand the complexities for people who are trying to leave Gaza and how they make their way to Canada,” she says.

A challenging path

According to an Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) press release, as of Oct. 5, 2024, 4,245 applications have been accepted into processing, 733 people have been approved to come to Canada and 334 people have arrived. Crocker explains that the financial and logistical barriers add to the difficulties Gazans face when fleeing the area.

“The Canadian government had initially put measures in place for temporary resident visas up to 1,000 and it’s now been increased up to 5,000,” she adds. “Getting everything in place to be able to come to Canada is so difficult that 5,000 at this point, when we’ve only seen 334 arrive, seems like it’s a really big deal.”

Following IRCC’s Oct. 16 announcement of financial assistance for Gazan asylum seekers, AMSSA, along with other settlement organizations, are coordinating resources to support their transition to Canadian life. To qualify for these temporary permits, applicants must have family connections in Canada. Crocker cautions that this might lead to the assumption of family members providing housing.

“There is always an issue around housing,” she says. “Our position on this is that we cannot continue to blame our own atrocious lack of planning in this country and use that as a scapegoat as to why we should not uphold our international humanitarian commitments.”

Crocker highlights medical care as another major challenge in resettlement services. She notes that Gazans currently have limited health coverage under the Interim Federal Health Program for three months upon arrival; in contrast, Ukrainian refugees can receive additional health benefits through the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) visa. Mental health supports for anyone fleeing conflict zones are accessed through organizations like Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture (VAST).

“It’s been very quiet as to whether there’s going to be any additional funding or aid to support Gazans accessing settlement services,” Crocker adds.

In addition to human conflict and violence, Crocker emphasized that climate change, the impact of which has already started to show, will also drive humanitarian needs.

“We need to be able to be responsive for humanitarian movements due to climate emergencies as well,” she says. “It’s going to be a matter of time before the next big humanitarian movement is rooted in a climate emergency.”

Assessing resettlement needs and services

Alongside AMSSA, Surrey Local Immigration Partnership (LIP) is conducting research to identify community needs and gaps in their services for newcomers. Manvir Aujla, manager of Research and Knowledge Sharing at Surrey LIP, describes the need assessment as a twofold process.

“What are the needs and challenges that newcomers are facing in accessing those services, and how can we make sure there’s more of a coordinated approach for the services? We try to fill the gaps,” he says.

On one hand, Surrey LIP engages with the newcomers to understand their level of participation and satisfaction as well as potential barriers in accessing these services. On the other hand, the team closely works with their council members – direct service providers – to maintain an updated service map.

“We convene to discuss the current settlement infrastructure within the city because a lot of service providers operate in silos,” says Aujla.

The goal is to allocate resources effectively and avoid service duplication. The service map can help them visualize gaps, needs, challenges and areas of resource overflow. Once the assessment is completed, the IRCC will have a better idea of how to address those challenges and understand the nuances of those issues in each city.

For more information, see www.amssa.org and www.surreylip.ca