Women in immigrant families could be among those more affected by a new federal time limit on settlement services, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) own gender-based analysis.
IRCC told New Canadian Media that its Gender-based Analysis Plus assessment found introducing a length of eligibility for economic-class permanent residents “could have a slightly greater impact on spouses and dependents.”
The department says the five- to six-year window still gives spouses and dependants enough time to access services. But the finding raises questions about how the new rule could affect women who arrive as accompanying spouses and may enter the labour market later because of caregiving, language barriers, family responsibilities, underemployment or delayed credential recognition.
As of April 1, economic-class permanent residents can access federally funded settlement services for up to six years after obtaining permanent residence. Starting April 1, 2027, that window will narrow to five years.
The limits apply to current and new economic-class permanent residents, including principal applicants, accompanying spouses and dependants. They do not apply to family-class immigrants, government-assisted refugees or other eligible newcomers, according to IRCC.
Publicly available IRCC GBA Plus data shows women make up a majority of clients using several settlement supports. In 2024–25, women accounted for 54 per cent of all Settlement Program clients, 65 per cent of clients receiving language training, 56 per cent of those receiving employment-related services and 73 per cent of those accessing childcare support services.
In a statement to NCM, IRCC said clients experience the best settlement outcomes when they access services within the first six to 12 months after admission, and that this remains true when gender and other client characteristics are taken into account.
“By focusing the program on this window for economic clients, we aim to encourage early access,” IRCC said. “Economic clients would still have an eligibility period of five to six years, providing spouses and dependents with sufficient time to access services even if they are unable to do so immediately after arrival.”
The policy change comes alongside a reduction in federal settlement funding outside Quebec. An IRCC funding document shows total settlement allocations falling from $1.03 billion to $935.7 million in 2026–27.
Warning from settlement organizations
Sector groups have warned that settlement funding cuts could weaken services for newcomers. In a March open letter, OCASI and other immigrant- and refugee-serving umbrella organizations representing more than 500 community organizations called for a review of the effects of 2024–2027 cuts before further cuts are implemented in 2027–2029. The groups said the measures would negatively affect immigrants and refugees and undermine Canada’s economic goals.
The department has framed the eligibility change as part of a move toward sustainability and “value for money.” In an earlier statement, IRCC said funding for the Settlement Program is tied to the number and mix of permanent resident admissions in the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan, which it described as a return to sustainable immigration and “a shift to more economic immigrants, who tend to use settlement services less intensively.”
But immigrant-employment experts say lower-intensity use does not mean integration follows a short or simple timeline, particularly for internationally trained professionals and accompanying spouses who may spend years navigating licensing, credential recognition, language learning, caregiving and underemployment.
Simon Trevarthen, chief executive officer of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council, said Canada’s economic future depends on its ability to fully use the talent of internationally trained professionals — and that requires time, investment and the right supports.
“At TRIEC, we regularly hear from professionals who spent their first three to four years simply navigating credential recognition and licensing before they could even begin rebuilding the networks and sector knowledge that career-level employment depends on,” Trevarthen said.
He pointed to an Iranian engineer TRIEC worked with through its Mentoring Partnership program. The engineer had trained in oil and gas and later pivoted to aerospace project management in Ontario.
“That kind of transition does not happen overnight,” Trevarthen said. “It takes mentorship, the right connections, and an employer willing to see potential beyond the resume.”
The timeline described by TRIEC reflects a long-running issue New Canadian Media has covered: Canada selects many economic immigrants for their education and experience, but those credentials do not always translate quickly into Canadian careers. Previous NCM reporting on foreign-credential barriers in Ontario and foreign-trained doctors has shown how licensing delays, Canadian-experience requirements, limited residency spots and slow recognition of experience gained abroad can keep skilled newcomers from working in their fields for years.
For some families, the principal applicant may enter the labour market first while a spouse manages caregiving, language learning, children’s schooling or the broader work of family settlement. By the time that spouse seeks employment support, credential guidance, language training or help rebuilding a career, several years may already have passed.
That is where the federal timeline becomes a practical question. IRCC says five to six years is sufficient time for spouses and dependants to access settlement services. But its own gender analysis found they could face a slightly greater impact from the new limit, and its public data shows women are disproportionately represented among clients using language training, employment-related services and childcare supports.
Centre for Immigrant and Community Services executive director Alfred Lam said in an email that the concerns raised about changing settlement rules and reduced funding are “pressing issues” facing the sector, but he was unavailable for an interview.
New Canadian Media also contacted Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI), COSTI Immigrant Services, Newcomer Women’s Services Toronto and ACCES Employment for comment on how the eligibility change and settlement funding reductions could affect newcomer women, but did not receive responses before publication.
For Trevarthen, the question is not only how long newcomers should be eligible for services, but whether Canada’s settlement, employment and employer systems are aligned with the full arc of an immigrant professional’s integration journey.
“As the settlement landscape evolves, it becomes even more important that employer-led and community-based supports align with the full arc of an immigrant professional’s integration journey,” he said.
The debate now is whether “sufficient time” on paper reflects how settlement unfolds for women in economic-immigrant families — especially those whose need for language, employment, childcare-related or credential support emerges after the first years of rebuilding life in Canada.
Shilpashree Jagannathan is a Toronto-based freelance journalist, copywriter, and content strategist whose work has appeared in CBC News, New Canadian Media, Business Insider, TRT World, and Mint, among others. She has reported on immigration, labour, elections, housing, climate impacts, and social justice across Canadian and international contexts. With roots in business journalism in India and a strong investigative and research background, she approaches her reporting with investigative depth and empathy, tracing how policy and power shape lived experience.
