the CanadaVisa Team - 22 July, 2015
Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada recently announced the allocation of $12.5 million for the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program. The funding will be distributed among seven partner agencies in Hamilton, Ontario – among them the Settlement and Integration Services Organization and the Circle of Friends for Newcomers. Increased language training funding was also announced for the region of Caledon, Ontario.
The increased investment will allow language training service providers to expand upon current LINC programs and to create new ones. Higher-level LINC services will now be provided in Hamilton. Graduates of the new advanced classes will have achieved the equivalent of Canadian high school graduation English.
During the announcement, Minister Finley and her representatives highlighted how important is it for many newcomers to improve their language skills to enter the workforce or to get better paying jobs to support their families and build their new lives in Canada.
The recent Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement allocated $920 million from the federal government over five years for Ontario settlement and language training programs. In partnership with the provinces and territories, Citizenship and Immigration Canada provides a number of immigrant settlement programs. Among them are the Immigrant Settlement and Adaptation Program, the Host Program, and the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada, which are described at length at www.cic.gc.ca .
