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Our Programs: Impacts & Outcomes

W

hile we served over 24,000 clients, this number illustrates only a limited part of our impact. This year presented challenges with changes across the immigration sector and the uncertainty it presented to newcomers in British Columbia. However, we continued to welcome and support our clients, including immigrants, refugees with or without legal status, temporary foreign workers, and international students who arrive in BC with different migration experiences, skills and assets, backgrounds and needs.

Below, we share highlights about the newcomers we supported. These numbers incorporate all ISSofBC programs including our Language and Career College (LCC) social enterprise.

We also share the data about the services received by clients and their unique intersections with us. Some clients may enter ISSofBC to pursue a specific program, while other clients may then choose to follow through with another service or program dependent upon their eligibility.

Kathy Sherrell

Chief Program Officer, Settlement and Refugee Services

Carla Morales

Chief Program Officer, Language and Career Services
1

Unique clients who receive one or more service, including LCC 5

⁵ # of clients served across all programs.

Unique Client Immigration Status at time of service for clients
who received one or more services in any ISSofBC program, including LCC
1
Permanent Residents (PRs)
1
Temporary Residents (all)
1
Naturalized Canadian Citizens (NCCs)
1
Other
1
TOTAL
1
Protected Person as defined in S.95 of IRPA
1
Government Assisted Refugees (GARs)
1
Privately Sponsored Refugees (PSRs)
1
Other

Top five (5) client languages

Farsi (Persian)16%
16%
Arabic11%
11%
Dari11%
11%
Mandarin9%
9%
Spanish8%
8%

Client genders

Male55%
55%
Female45%
45%
Not Collected0.1%
0.1%
Preferred not to disclose0.29%
0.29%

Client ages

0-16 years old8%
8%
16-18 years old1%
1%
19-64 years old84%
84%
65+ years old6%
6%

Below we share data about the services received by clients and their unique intersections with us. Clients may pursue a specific, single program with us, while other clients access other services or programs dependent upon their eligibility.

Settlement & Refugee Services

Our Settlement and Refugee Services division’s goals are to support newcomers and naturalized Canadian citizens successfully settle in BC, navigate government systems, and contribute to inclusive communities.

Settlement Services offers information on life in BC, leadership training, peer support, informal language practice, and volunteer opportunities. We also provide targeted programs for women, youth, seniors, and refugees to strengthen leadership and peer networks.

Refugee Services support newly arrived refugees in assessing their needs, understanding local systems, and, for Government-Assisted Refugees (GARs), securing their first home in BC.

Notable achievements this year:

  • Renewed focus on curriculum development, including health and mental health, English conversation circles, and peer-led professional development to enhance client service delivery.
  • Strengthened collaboration with Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) through the opening of a new on-site medical clinic for newly arrived GARs, and continued partnership with Fraser Health Authority.
  • Expanded services for refugee claimants—including settlement, employment, and language support—through the new all-in-one BC SAFE HAVEN.
  • Created multilingual climate readiness resources through a VCH grant.
  • Empowered newcomer youth to develop and share information on youth programs.
  • Launched a partnership with the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, deploying staff to provide wraparound services at their Vancouver site.
  • Partnered with Ribbon Community to train staff on demystifying Human Auto Deficiency Virus (HIV) and promoting inclusive service delivery.

To ensure high-quality service delivery, we prioritized staff well-being through group debriefings and training on cultural competency, trauma-informed care, conflict management, and mental-health response.

Our Impact

1

Total # clients who received settlement services

1

Total # clients who received refugee services

1

Refugee claimants served in Settlement Orientation Services (SOS) and other programs

1

Government Assisted Refugees (GARs) supported by the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP) and other programs

1

of GAR arrivals

1

GAR families supported to find housing

1

Youth seniors and women participating in leadership training and peer support groups

1

Clients accessing Moving Ahead Program (MAP) case management

1

Clients who reported an increase in knowledge of life in Canada

*The number of providers in Metro Vancouver and BC increased so ISSofBC served less refugee claimants in 2024-25. In addition, we served only those in Vancouver and Burnaby, when previously we served all of Metro Vancouver.                

Please note: Detailed data on GAR arrivals is published quarterly on the ISSofBC hosted BC Refugee Hub.
This data, up to and including March 2025, is critical in helping understand the trends that impact client flows and outcomes.

Language & Career Services (LCS)

Our LCS division enables newcomers to achieve their language, job search, career, training, and re-qualification needs. The division includes the Language and Career College of BC (LCC) that delivers high-quality English and co-op programs for domestic and international students at affordable prices. We saw an increase in client demand, new partnerships, and innovative new programming within LCS.

English language training, Language Instruction for Newcomers (LINC)

Recognized for its quality, excellence, and leadership in the sector, our LINC Program achieved the following:

  • Delivered 83 hybrid and online English language classes across six locations in the Lower Mainland, Squamish, Sea to Sky Corridor, and Sunshine Coast.
  • Established itself as a leader in online learning, offering online classes through Moodle, supported by a skilled team to maintain high-quality Portfolio Based Language Assessment (PBLA) aligned instruction and effective student assessment.
  • Operated LINC preschools that serve as model learning environments for new Early Childhood Education (ECE) teachers, building their experience in supporting newcomer children and families in inclusive settings. Supported high-needs immigrant children, modelling support to parents and preparing children to integrate more smoothly to the public school system.
  • Hosted digital literacy workshops at our LINC locations, receiving highly positive feedback from both learners and facilitators and enabling clients to more effectively participate in LINC classes and in the wider community.
  • Earned a reputation amongst LINC teachers for highly supportive and effective onboarding process to the LINC program.
  • Delivered high-quality professional development workshops internally, provincially and nationally to LINC and English as a Second Language (ESL) professionals. 

Our Impact

1
Clients who enrolled in LINC classes at any level
1

LINC students who received childcare support through our pre-schools

1

LINC program enrollment

1

LINC program attendance

1

Clients who reported their English has improved

1

Clients who reported that they can use English to function in Canadian society

Career Services

Whether supporting newcomers in securing meaningful work, launching a business, or pursuing credential recognition, our Career Services remained grounded in client-centric, personalized guidance and support, and a strong belief in the potential of every individual we serve.

Our employment and entrepreneurship programs supported newcomers across the immigration journey—from refugee claimants and temporary foreign workers to permanent residents and citizens. We offered tailored services at different stages of job searching, focusing on outcomes such as job readiness, employment, qualification recognition, trauma recovery, and business development.

This year, we launched two new programs: BC Newcomer Services Program (BC NSP) and BC SAFE HAVEN. BC NSP offers personalized career services to work and study permit holders, naturalized Canadian citizens and refugee claimants, while BC SAFE HAVEN provides trauma-informed support refugee claimants and asylum seekers facing complex employment barriers. Both reflect our commitment to dignity, trust, and inclusion.

Other programs continued to create meaningful pathways. Gateway to Tourism and Hospitality, Spark, Ignite, Job Quest and Business Quest supported job seekers and entrepreneurs until their funding ended in March 2025. B-Hired and Skills Hub continue to strengthen employability, while E-Connect equips temporary foreign workers with workplace knowledge. Internationally trained professionals pursued re-entry into their fields through Career Paths and Global Talent Loans. As a subcontractor, we delivered WorkBC employment services to a wide range of job seekers.

Newcomers often face persistent challenges, including unrecognized credentials, urgent settlement needs, and greater vulnerability in a shifting economy. Despite these challenges, BC is projected to have over one million job openings over the next decade, with high demand in construction, healthcare, education and technology. Supporting newcomers to fill these roles requires coordinated action to streamline qualification recognition, address systemic barriers, and build more inclusive hiring practices.

Our Impact

Over the last year,

1

Clients received career services support

Many of these individuals were still working towards their goals at the end of the year, but over the last 12 months:

1

Clients found new employment in a range of industries and job types.

1

Clients received skills training to support them achieve their career goals.

1

Clients who received career loans

6 Higher numbers due to stronger client engagement.
7 Large increase compared with last year, driven by full-year implementation of programs like Skills Hub.
8 Decrease compared with 2023-24 as clients delayed loan applications due to economic insecurity and preference for survival jobs.

38

Clients who
launched a business
1
Clients who reported increased knowledge, skills, and connections to prepare for a job

Language & Career College (LCC)

The Language & Career College of BC (LCC) continued to thrive, upholding its commitment to quality assurance and maintaining accreditation from the BC Ministry and Languages Canada.

Our Impact

1

Clients supported by LCC services.

1

Students enrolled in language programs.

1

Students enrolled in skills training.

Students who completed LCC programs90%
90%
Students who found work because of the co-op program80%
80%
Satisfaction rate of all students98%*
98%*

*Percentage of students who reported that they would recommend LCC to others.