Evaluation of Pre-Arrival Settlement Services

CCBR is leading a summative evaluation of JVS Toronto’s pre-arrival program, which has supported 10,000–12,000 individuals over the past five years. The evaluation will assess the program’s long-term outcomes and provide recommendations for improvement, while also revising the evaluation framework to incorporate GBA+ considerations. This work is being carried out in collaboration with a JVS Toronto Steering Committee and includes both quantitative and qualitative data collection through client surveys and focus groups.

The pre-arrival program is designed to provide essential resources and tools to help newcomers prepare for life in Canada before their arrival. The program has served as a critical part of the settlement process, aiming to equip individuals with the necessary knowledge and skills to integrate effectively into Canadian society. Through annual evaluations, the program has been assessed regularly, but a summative evaluation is needed to reflect on the past five years and capture the longer-term outcomes of the project. Additionally, JVS Toronto expressed an interest in revising the program's evaluation framework to track data relevant to Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) over the next three years.

The primary purpose of this project is to collaboratively assess how the pre-arrival program has impacted the trajectory of newcomers in Canada and identify ways the program could be further improved to inform IRCC and organizational learning. A secondary purpose of the project is to explore how GBA+ could be incorporated into the evaluation framework in future.