Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and the BC Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training (JTST) are pleased to provide this sixthJoint Settlement Transition Update on the transition of responsibility for federally funded settlement services in BC to CIC on April 1st, 2014.

Update on Information Systems – July 2013

We are writing to provide an update on iCARE implementation, JTST’s Student Tracking and Reporting System (STaRS) and to provide an outline of the functions to be made available to CIC funded language assessment and language training providers under the iCARE system as of April 1, 2014.

JTST will continue to use STaRS to capture clients served and services delivered under provincial ELSA contracts until March 31, 2014. ELSA SPOs will have data entry capability up to May 1, 2014 to ensure that all ELSA SPOs are able to meet their contractual obligations and fulfill their final deliverables. ELSA SPOs will have read only capability after May 1, 2014 until the system’s decommission date of June 30th. This will help assist with student validation and procedures around student transfer. JTST will provide further communication and direction on these issues in the near future; ELSA SPOs are encouraged to direct any questions they have regarding STaRS to Jim Cowan, Manager, Finance and Administration, JTST at .

As of April1, 2014, CIC will introduce iCARE for Contribution Agreement reporting by any organizations which receive federal funding for settlement services, including language assessment and language training. iCARE will ensure consistent and efficient data collection and reporting.

Among the services iCARE will track are:
- Needs Assessment and Referrals
- Information and Orientation

-Language Assessment and Training
-Employment-related Services

-Community Connections
-Support Services

CIC has started to compile frequently asked questions and responses (FAQs) about iCARE, and will continue to provide timely updates as changes are implemented. The FAQs are provided below.
As well, you will find here the link to the Immigration Contribution Agreement Reporting Environment presentation that CIC presented on January 23, 2013 to the settlement sector:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. What is iCARE?
A. iCARE stands for Immigration Contribution Agreement Reporting Environment.
Q. Who will be required to use iCARE?
A. All agencies providing direct settlement services to clients with CIC funding must use iCARE to report services and clients.

Q. Why should we use iCARE?
A. iCARE will enable SPOs and CIC to support effective project and program monitoring, performance measurement, evaluation and research.
Q. Are there any costs associated with using iCARE?
A. iCARE is provided to the SPOs at no cost. The only costs to the user will be the costs in obtaining criminal record checks for all iCARE users (for those sector workers tasked with inputting data into the system) and for some limited security related upgrades to IT systems, including hardware/software changes.

Q. Will any training on iCARE be provided and if so, who will be eligible to have this training?
A. Those organizations which sign Contribution Agreements will receive training on iCARE, likely in January 2014. As well, ongoing assistance will be available via help desk staff, user manuals and a training environment provided (sandbox).

Q.Will JTST support current SPOs which have been approved for CIC funding as of April 1, 2014 to attend iCARE training in January 2014 while under contract with the province?

A. JTST is supportive of SPO attendance at CIC iCARE training while under provincial contract; SPO’s are encouraged to contact their contract managers should they have further questions.

Q. How will language assessment be captured in iCARE?
A. All language assessment organizations will have access to the following functions:
- Ability to record the tool used for assessment
- Ability to record client assessment results
- Ability to record client support service needs
- Ability to use a searchable database of all CIC -funded language courses recorded in the system by language training providers.
Q. What about scheduling of language assessments functionality, which was available in STaRS?
A. This functionality is still under review by CIC and further information will be made available prior to the implementation of iCARE in BC.
Q. What about language training organizations?
A. All language training organizations will have access to the following features:
- Setting up language classes (CLB levels, number of CIC seats, topics covered, support services provided)
- Ability to share course information with language assessment organizations, including language of the course, course location, places available, CLB levels, support services available, and additional topics covered
- Ability to record client’s progress through levels, use of support services, and attendance
- Ability to view client assessment results and latest course results for new and returning clients.
Q. How will iCARE support evaluations and planning?
A. The main purpose of iCARE is to support evaluation and planning. Robust data collection will aid in future evaluations of the settlement program on a five-year cycle, allow CIC to conduct meaningful research, and aid in planning of future services, in terms of addressing demographic shifts, service patterns, needs frequencies, etc. Reporting language information also supports assessment of immediate language outcomes for clients.
Q. What if we have further questions about iCARE?
A. CIC will provide more information on iCARE as part of its implementation in BC as of April 1, 2014. In the interim, if you have any questions please direct them .

CIC and JTST thank you for your continued support and cooperation as we work through this transition.

Please direct transition inquiries to:

Sophia Lee, Director, BC and Yukon Integration Programming, Western Region, CIC at and

Lily Grewal, Program Manager, Sector Relations, JTST, at

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