Category: Immigration & Settlement - innovation

The next IRCC national call for proposals is coming. It might be later this year. It might be next year. Funding could roll out as soon as 2024. It might be in 2025. I'm starting to hear rumblings of sector consultations. This call for proposals is crucial. It will indicate how serious IRCC is about sector digital transformation and hybrid services. So what we can we learn from past consultations?

I recently attended an IRCC consultation focused on “Client Service Excellence.” The background paper they shared referenced below is here (and embedded down below). I haven't been asked to not share it, so I'm sharing it here with my thoughts.

In this post I'm providing some background information about how the evaluation toolkit was created and why you should connect with the WESO team soon to learn more about and implement it in your organization.

How can we move past paralysis and anxiety to joy and innovation when it comes to cybersecurity in the nonprofit sector? In this conversation, Jason Shim (CCNDR) and Omar Yaqub (IslamicFamily) explore a model cybersecurity policy for nonprofits and share practical steps you can implement to support your team.

I realized that while many of the articles, research reports, and Good Ideas I share in the newsletter lead back here, not all do. And, maybe having weekly summary of posts on this site might make sense. Granted, it only took me 92 editions of my newsletter to realize that, but such is life. From now on I'm going to post my newsletters here. I hope you find it useful.

I was watching a video about Apple’s new Vision Pro, their Virtual Reality headset. The video talked about questions you might typically ask when creating a new product or technology. Specifically, what problem is this product trying to solve? Combined with tech stewardship questions such as can we build the solution, should we build it, how do we do it responsibly, I thought it would be useful to go through these questions when it comes to technology and the Immigrant and Refugee-serving sector.

How are technology and data are being used to enable innovative immigration systems? To ensure that Alberta continues to grow as an economic engine in Western Canada through COVID-19, the development of innovative immigration systems is critically important. This 2020 Civic Tech Calgary session provides an overview of Immigrant Services Calgary's new system for streamlining services for newcomers among multiple service providers in Alberta called Gateway Canada.

This February 2023 Pathways to Prosperity workshop highlighted several initiatives that address the need for online and hybrid language service delivery options for adult immigrants.

I read a good article that moves past AI and ChatGTP sensationalism and has lessons for our Immigrant and Refugee-serving sector. Focused on lawyers and AI in the law, the conclusion here makes sense for us as well. Throughout the text below, when you read "legal profession" think about "Settlement Practitioners."