Frequently Asked Questions

The current system of support is complex and challenging to navigate. Only one in four newcomers to Canada access settlement support, while the rest go without the help they need for a successful transition to life in Canada.

Although many agencies offer great newcomer services, each has their own process. As a result, newcomers often have to retell their story and undergo a different assessment every time they interact with a new agency.

They will also receive multiple settlement plans and similar services that can overlap. Moreover, as newcomers are moved from one agency to the next, it is difficult or even impossible to track their progress.

Research on the effectiveness of settlement programs has revealed disappointing findings, namely that newcomers have difficulty accessing much-needed services. 

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s 2017 evaluation of Canadian settlement programs reports only a fraction of newcomers are being reached. Other research confirms that in Canada, service systems are difficult to understand for newcomers and service-providers alike, leading to a lack of referrals to relevant programs. They also found the way service information is communicated to be inconsistent, confusing, and difficult to access. 

The Board of Immigrant Services Calgary took the results to heart and decided something had to be done to address the issue of accessibility. The Board members envisioned a simpler, more efficient system, and the idea for Gateway emerged.

Gateway serves as a personal guide to help each newcomer through their unique journey. To begin, newcomers simply fill out one standardized needs test to find out what they want help with. They are then connected with resources that they can choose from to match their needs. Every choice is theirs to make.

Gateway also includes a Newcomer Knowledge Hub (K-Hub). Here, researchers, funders, and policy advisors can access collected information on newcomers’ needs and preferences to help them make better decisions and policies.

The premise of Gateway is to focus on the individual and their specific needs. Consistent support is key to guiding newcomers through the system to find the most relevant support from the appropriate agencies.

The Gateway ‘system’ refers to the overall approach to providing help to newcomers, including:

• Defined roles and training across partner agencies
• Rules for standardized needs assessments
• Personalized planning
• Creating referrals and follow-up
• Protecting newcomer privacy

The technical ‘backbone’ of Gateway is essentially a platform. It is not just one piece of software, but a tightly integrated combination of a secure data center, configured software ‘workflows’, reports, and forms. The Gateway ‘system’ also includes a Newcomer Knowledge Hub (K-Hub) where anonymous newcomer data can be analyzed by researchers, funders and policy advisors.

No, Gateway is a collaborative platform that shares a standardized needs assessment, newcomer personalized planning, and referral methodology across different agencies. Gateway also enables one consistent person to follow a newcomer’s progress throughout their journey and provide support along the way. Consented data can be shared with service providers, which will save newcomers the trouble of going through a new intake with every agency they access.