Issue 04: Inventory of Services Provided to Immigrants and Refugees in the Waterloo Region

In this issue of Policy Points we have provided an inventory and assessment of immigrant services providers currently delivered in the Waterloo Region. Local communities play an important role in the settlement of newcomers and their integration into society. Waterloo Region has the fifth-highest immigrant rate in Canada (Statistics Canada, 2007), and in 2009 the Kitchener Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) was 11th highest nationally in terms of the number of immigrants arriving, and the fourth-highest in Ontario (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2011). Furthermore, Waterloo Region is expected to have a significant increase in the immigrant population over the next decades (Maan Miedema & Vandebelt, 2006). A variety of non-governmental and governmental organization in Waterloo Region assist and support immigrants and refugees in their settlement process. The recommendations in this brief aim to address the future service needs of immigrants in the Waterloo Region