Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Canada Minister Jason Kenney announced today that Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will be providing Language Training Vouchers to new immigrants starting this fall. The vouchers are meant to encourage new immigrants to take advantage of settlement services and integrate into their new communities more successfully.

According to the CIC,language ability is one of the biggest determinants of successful integration.

Under this pilot project, 2,000 immigrants chosen at random will be mailed “Language Training Vouchers” that they can take to any settlement service provider of their choice, and obtain the language training that they need.

"Speaking English or French is key to finding meaningful employment and successfully integrating into Canadian society. Whatever we can do to help newcomers take language training is a step in the right direction," Kenney said.

The pilot will be in effect for 18 months, after which it will be re-evaluated.