The Evolving Landscape of Immigration in Canada
Canada is recognized as a multicultural country known for its inclusion-driven approach, actively inviting people from diverse backgrounds to contribute to its economic, social, and cultural development. According to a new Statistics Canada report, in 2023, Canada was one of the fastest-growing countries in the world, with immigration being the main driver of population growth (Government of Canada, Statistics Canada 2023). Every year, the government of Canada sets targets for each immigration category, including economic programs, family reunification, and humanitarian programs. Additionally, a large population of temporary residents migrate to Canada every year to work or study.
Canada’s immigration process is implemented in three main steps: 1) Selection, which aims to distribute the benefits of immigration across the country; 2) Screening, which ensures newcomers do not pose a risk to Canada, are in good health, and haven’t committed a serious crime or violated any laws or human rights; 3) Settlement and Integration, which provides services to help newcomers adapt to life in Canada and contribute to its prosperity (IRCC 2024a).
As shown in Figure 1, immigration is governed by multiple levels of international and national actors (Bakhtawar 2022). International organizations, such as the International Organization for Migration (IOM), set broad policies and frameworks, facilitating cooperation across borders. Further, national stakeholders, such as Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), craft and implement national policies, provide funding, and oversee the integration of migrants into the country’s social fabric. Moreover, community-based and government-funded Service Provider Organizations (SPOs) are on the frontline, directly engaging with migrants to provide personalized support and services. In this work, we focus on the potential implications of AI technologies in the settlement sector.
The Challenges Facing the Settlement Sector
The Canadian government recognizes that in order to realize the economic, social, and cultural benefits of immigration, newcomers must integrate successfully and in a timely manner into Canadian society. Hence, government-sponsored settlement programs assist immigrants and refugees in tackling the challenges unique to them (IRCC 2022). Settlement services are delivered by SPOs and help newcomers learn about life in Canada, improve their language skills, enter the job market, and make connections, all of which require timely access to accurate and complete information (Allard 2022).
Despite significant investments, the Canadian settlement sector faces operational bottlenecks due to the government’s increasing immigration targets (IRCC 2023c). With growing demand, the Canadian settlement sector is evidently stretched and needs enhanced efficiency. Settlement services, by nature, are information-heavy, requiring extensive data processing to evaluate the assets and needs of newcomers and refer them to the appropriate resources. Therefore, reliable AI solutions tailored to the needs of newcomers might ease the pressure on the sector. Furthermore, these solutions can be integrated into online platforms, which are preferred by clients seeking Information and Orientation (I&O) services and have shown stronger knowledge outcomes (IRCC 2023b).
Exploring the Potential of AI in the Settlement Sector
Motivated by the significance of successful newcomer integration and the increasing demand for efficient information processing in the settlement sector, we aim to explore the potential and limitations of AI solutions in this space. For that, we engaged with a broad spectrum of stakeholders in the sector through interviews, participated in national conferences and events, and identified categories of needs that could be alleviated through the integration of reliable AI tools.
We then scanned research works that applied AI tools to immigration. Notably, we observed a significant gap in AI research on settlement processes. To address this gap, we mapped the tasks performed by this sector to well-established AI tasks and applications. We also provide recommendations for the responsible integration of AI tools into the settlement sector.
Specifically, we underscore a significant gap in multidisciplinary studies that merge AI capabilities with other domain-specific expertise to develop reliable and customized solutions for this critical sector. We call on AI researchers to develop responsible AI tools that can be integrated into pre-existing service structures in a safe and inclusive manner.
Identifying Gaps in AI Research for Settlement Processes
Through engaging with multiple stakeholders, including community organizers, SPOs, and academics, we identified the settlement sector as a prime candidate for responsible AI applications. Through reviewing the AI literature, we identified gaps in AI research related to the settlement sector.
Guided by the service types provided by Canadian SPOs, we mapped the needs of the settlement sector to AI applications and core tasks. We found that while AI has been extensively applied to enhance immigration governance at the international and national levels, the settlement sector remains largely underexplored.
Most AI research in the immigration domain has focused on optimizing administrative processes, such as selection, screening, and forecasting. These applications primarily serve to empower government authorities and international organizations, raising concerns about their reliability and impact on immigrants’ lives.
In contrast, the settlement phase, where access to information is crucial and service providers are overburdened, remains an underutilized area for AI applications. This phase is particularly ripe for AI-powered solutions that can directly empower and support newcomers in their integration journey.
Mapping Settlement Sector Needs to AI Applications
Through our multidisciplinary approach and engagement with stakeholders, we identified several areas within the settlement sector where AI applications can potentially alleviate challenges and enhance service delivery:
Language Assessment and Training
With 30% of the total settlement funding, these programs provide clients with English and French language training. Intelligent Computer Assisted Language Learning (ICALL) tools and techniques can be leveraged to identify errors, provide feedback, and assess language skills, creating a personalized, flexible, and inclusive educational environment.
Information and Orientation
Despite accounting for the second-largest amount (19%) of settlement funding, these services are the most accessed in terms of unique clients (IRCC 2023a). Integrating core NLP tasks such as information retrieval, question-answering agents, conversational agents, and recommendation systems can enhance the effectiveness of these services and streamline information provision.
Needs and Asset Assessment and Referral Services (NAARS)
Receiving 11% of settlement funding, assessment services are crucial for determining clients’ specific assets and needs and providing targeted referrals to appropriate supports. While the complexity of these services necessitates expert judgment, there are promising opportunities to augment NAARS services through automating routine data processing tasks, analyzing client information to predict needs, and generating referral options.
Support Services
With 9% of the settlement funding, these services address the day-to-day challenges faced by newcomers, including childcare, transportation, disability services, translation and interpretation, digital solutions, and short-term counselling. AI-coordinated scheduling systems, adaptive technologies for persons with disabilities, and automated translation and interpretation systems can enhance the efficiency and accessibility of these services.
Employment-Related Services
Receiving 9% of the total settlement funding, these services prepare newcomers for the labour market. Automated job matching systems, writing assistant tools, and personalized skill development pathways can optimize the job search and training processes, while human oversight ensures culturally and contextually appropriate recommendations.
Responsible Integration of AI in the Settlement Sector
The successful integration of AI tools into the settlement sector requires a human-centered, responsible approach that addresses the unique challenges and sensitivities of this domain. Principles of responsible AI, such as ethical design, data privacy, fairness, and transparency, are particularly crucial in this context.
Principled AI Design
The Montreal Declaration for a Responsible Development of Artificial Intelligence and the Directive on Automated Decision-Making in Canada provide frameworks to guide the development of AI solutions for the settlement sector. These guidelines emphasize the importance of well-being, autonomy, justice, democratic participation, and the need to mitigate potential biases and unintended consequences.
Preventing Information Hazards
Given the sensitive nature of settlement data, robust data protection measures and explicit consent mechanisms are essential to prevent the misuse or exposure of individuals’ personal information. Data minimization and secure data management infrastructures are crucial to reduce the risk of harm.
Fairness and Non-Discrimination
Ensuring fairness and non-discrimination is paramount when developing AI tools for the diverse population served by the settlement sector. Intersectional considerations and the avoidance of perpetuating biases are critical to providing equitable access and support.
Trustworthy AI Deployment
Transparency and accountability are key to building trust among settlement service providers and the newcomer community. AI solutions should be designed with human supervision and clear explanations of their capabilities and limitations to avoid over-reliance on the technology.
Fostering a Collaborative, Multidisciplinary Approach
To address the significant gap in AI research related to the settlement sector, we call on AI researchers to engage in a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach. This includes:
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Fostering a Research Community: AI researchers should recognize the settlement sector as a crucial area of application and dedicate resources to support this domain, organizing technical workshops and building research communities.
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Designing AI to Empower Newcomers: AI tools should be designed to directly empower newcomers rather than reinforce systemic power dynamics, engaging with settlement service providers and the newcomer community to understand their needs and priorities.
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Collaborating with Social Scientists: Experts in fields such as political science, sociology, and psychology can provide invaluable insights to develop comprehensive and culturally sensitive AI solutions for the settlement sector.
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Leveraging AI for Improved Efficiency: Settlement service providers should actively embrace new technologies to enhance their operations and outreach, collaborating with AI researchers to prototype, test, and deploy tailored solutions.
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Investing in Data Infrastructure: Secure and standardized data collection, storage, and sharing systems are essential to enable collaboration between settlement organizations and AI researchers, while respecting privacy and ethical concerns.
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Promoting AI Literacy: Settlement service providers and newcomers alike should be empowered with AI literacy programs to understand the potential and limitations of AI technologies, fostering responsible adoption and use.
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Preserving the Human Touch: AI should be integrated into the settlement sector in a way that augments and enhances the personal, empathetic support provided by human service providers, rather than replacing this essential element.
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Coordinating Research and Innovation: Governments play a crucial role in promoting innovative AI ecosystems, providing the necessary computational infrastructure, data access, and policy environment to foster responsible AI development and deployment in the settlement sector.
By embracing this collaborative, multidisciplinary approach, AI researchers can contribute to the successful integration of newcomers and the realization of the economic, social, and cultural benefits that immigration brings to Canada.
Conclusion
In this article, we have highlighted the significant potential of AI technologies to transform the settlement sector and empower newcomers in their integration journey. By engaging with stakeholders, reviewing the existing AI research landscape, and mapping settlement sector needs to AI applications, we have identified numerous opportunities to enhance service delivery and support newcomers more effectively.
However, we have also emphasized the critical importance of responsible AI development and deployment in this sensitive domain. Principles of ethical design, data privacy, fairness, and transparency must be at the forefront of AI integration, ensuring that these technologies empower rather than disempower the vulnerable population served by the settlement sector.
To address the significant gap in AI research related to settlement processes, we call on the research community to embrace a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach. By working closely with settlement service providers, social scientists, and policymakers, AI researchers can develop customized, reliable, and inclusive solutions that directly benefit newcomers and contribute to the overall success of Canada’s immigration system.
As AI continues to advance and transform various aspects of our lives, it is essential that we leverage these powerful technologies to support and empower the most vulnerable members of our society. The settlement sector represents a prime opportunity to demonstrate the positive impact of AI when applied with a human-centered, responsible approach. We are confident that through this collaborative effort, AI can play a pivotal role in facilitating the successful integration of newcomers and strengthening the social, economic, and cultural fabric of Canada.
