National Initiatives

Gathering information to better meet the needs of newcomers to Canada

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For additional copies of this pamphlet, in English or in French, contact:

CIC Communications Branch
Fax: (613) 954-7619
Or visit CIC’s Web site at: www.cic.gc.ca
June 2006

Introduction

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is committed to helping immigrants and refugees settle in Canada. We fund organizations across Canada to provide newcomers with settlement programs. These organizations are called service provider organizations.

We fund the following programs through service provider organizations:

• Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada
• Immigrant Settlement and Adaptation Program (called the Integrated Service Program in Alberta)
• Host Program
• Resettlement Assistance Program (for resettled refugees)

The services provided under these programs include the following:

• adult language classes in English and French
• information on life in Canada
• job searching
• participation in community activities
• access and referral to community resources

You will be asked for some information

As a newcomer visiting a service provider organization to request services you will be asked for the following personal information:

1. Full name on immigration document
2. Date of birth on immigration document
3. Immigration number or immigration document; for example:
• the number on a Permanent Resident Card
• the number on a Temporary Resident Permit or a Minister’s Permit
• the number on a Confirmation of Permanent Residence or Record of Landing form
• a letter from the Immigration and Refugee Board or CIC indicating that the newcomer is a refugee

Where does this information go?

The service provider organization will send this information to CIC through a computer system called the Immigration-Contribution Accountability Measurement System (iCAMS).

iCAMS will also contain some information that you provided to CIC when you applied to come to Canada, such as mother tongue and country of origin.

The information that you provide also stays with the service provider organization to help them deliver services to you.

We ensure that your information will be safe

Canadian law requires that the federal government protect personal information, such as a person’s name, date of birth and immigration number. CIC protects your information in iCAMS by making sure of the following:

• Access to data is limited.
• Only trustworthy individuals can access the computer system.
• Our system has up-to-date computer security features.
• Information is intended for evaluation and research purposes only.
• We have informed the Privacy Commissioner of Canada of the purpose of the system. The Commissioner is responsible for protecting the privacy of individuals.
• We have done studies, such as a Privacy Impact Assessment,* to make sure all information is protected.
• We work with service provider organizations to protect your information.

*A summary of the Privacy Impact Assessment is available at http://integration-net.ca/english/ini/caf-cipc/documents/r407.htm.

Why does CIC need this information?

One of CIC’s goals is to help immigrants and refugees adapt to life in Canada. In order to know whether our settlement programs are helping to achieve this, we need to answer questions such as:

• Where do newcomers come from?
• How many newcomers use settlement services every year?
• What type of services do they use?
• Where in Canada do they receive these services?

The information in iCAMS, including information about services used by individuals (Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada, Resettlement Assistance Program) and groups of individuals (Immigrant Settlement and Adaptation Program, Host), will help us to answer these questions and others like them.

Information sharing

CIC will not share information in iCAMS with other government departments or with other computer systems, except in the following specific cases:

• With professionals hired by CIC to undertake research and evaluation directly related to CIC programs and services.
• With Statistics Canada, for research on how successfully immigrants are settling.
• As allowed in the Privacy Act.*

iCAMS and the Treasury Board of Canada

The information stored in our computer system has been registered with the Treasury Board of Canada. A description of the iCAMS system is available in InfoSource (#005249 in the 2005–2006 edition).

*Additional information on the Privacy Act and how you can access your records can be found at Web site: www.privcom.gc.ca/legislation/02_07_01_e.asp.

**InfoSource is available at Web site: infosource.gc.ca or at the nearest CIC office.

The benefits of collecting information

You benefit because the information collected helps CIC and service provider organizations better meet your settlement needs.

Service provider organizations benefit because they have more information to help them plan and manage CIC-funded settlement programs. The system also helps them identify which services are needed and how much funding is required.

CIC benefits by having reliable information to better manage program planning and funding, determine how service provider organizations are performing, and identify areas where we could make improvements to settlement programs.

The iCAMS system also gives us information to report to the Canadian public on the success of our settlement programs.