The settlement experience of government assisted refugees in Hamilton, Ontario :a critique of Canada's Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program

This paper critiques Canada's Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program through a study of the settlement experience of Government Assisted Refugees (GARs) in Hamilton, Ontario. The study is based on qualitative interviews conducted with GARs informants to understand their pre-migration experience and their settlement experience in Canada. The findings of the study were scrutinized against the settlement policy and principles that are set out by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). The study revealed that Canada offers protection to refugees selected abroad, without considering their ability to integrate into Canadian society. However, the study also found that CIC's policy for the resettlement process of GARs in Canada is inadequate. This, together with the absence of clear legislation, contributes to the hardships that GARs face when they try to rebuild their lives in Canada. This paper suggests that CIC should develop inclusive policies to address the long term resettlement needs of GARs.