National Initiatives

GTC-IP Communiqué
The Going to Canada – Immigration Portal (GTC-IP) Stakeholder Update

December 2003 http://www.directioncanada.gc.ca

One-Stop On-Line Information for Potential Immigrants and Newcomers to Canada

The Government of Canada is partnering with immigration stakeholders across Canada to provide a comprehensive, one-stop on-line source of information for prospective immigrants and newcomers to Canada.

Activities are planned to enhance the Going to Canada (GTC) Web site (www.directioncanada.gc.ca) by providing prospective immigrants, students, workers and newcomers with information, services and tools to help them make informed decisions about coming to Canada and facilitate their integration into Canada’s labour market and society.

The GTC site will provide complete information from a variety of governmental and non-governmental sources. The partners in this initiative include federal departments, provinces, territories, municipalities, communities, learning organizations, employers, professional and trade associations, and organizations that assess foreign credentials.

The site will include information on Canada’s labour market, educational system and culture. Information on Canada’s provinces, territories, regions and communities will also be available, and immigrant and employer success stories will be featured.

Visitors to the GTC site will be able to use on-line tools to assess their language abilities and evaluate their foreign credentials to determine if they will be recognized in Canada. Clients will also be able to search for employment and training opportunities before they arrive in Canada. The site will provide a general orientation to Canada, including information on the settlement services that are available to newcomers.

Work has already begun on a new architecture for the site, and on-line assessment and training tools are in development. A project secretariat composed of members of five federal departments is negotiating partnerships and developing projects for implementation.

Activities and Events

• November – December 2003 Stakeholder input survey and forums for content mapping. The content mapping exercise will be complete by the end of December. A new site plan and a mock-up and concept layout design will also be finalized before the end of 2003.
• March 2004 focus testing of concepts in United States and Mexico.

Interested in participating?

The Government of Canada is seeking partners to enhance the Going to Canada site. If you are interested in participating, please see the contact information below.

Please note: This is not a request for proposals. Submitting a proposal will not guarantee a response.

GTC Communiqué is published by CIC’s Integration Branch. For additional information on the GTC-IP initiative, or to get involved, please contact us at GTC-SRC@cic.gc.ca or visit http://integration-net.ca.