Within the scope of the ACS-Metropolis project “Envisioning the Future of the Immigrant Serving Sector” funded by the WES Mariam Assefa Fund, this review seeks to outline past and present trends which will impact future outcome scenarios for newcomers and the settlement sector. The critical trends analyzed include migration patterns and newcomer demographics, the housing crisis, technological advancements, capacity issues in the sector, IRCC funding and the use of alternative funding models, knowledge sharing in the sector, as well as labour market trends including employer discrimination and workers rights.

With support from the WES Mariam Assefa Fund, ACS-Metropolis Institute began leading a two-year national action research project entitled Envisioning the Future of the Immigrant-Serving Sector. In January 2021 ACS-Metropolis began conducting nationwide research to discover how to strengthen the sector so that can be more responsive, collaborative, innovative and sustainable. We identified actionable solutions by engaging service providers, newcomers, policymakers, employers and other settlement sector stakeholders through a mixed-method research approach.