Background: In response to the Syrian refugee crisis, between 2015 and 2018, Canada welcomed over 54,000 Syrian newcomers. Of these, more than 10,000 newcomers settled in Ontario, the majority of whom were women and children.

Methods: A community-based, qualitative study was conducted to explore the effectiveness of the three refugee sponsorship programs: Privately Sponsored Refugee, Government Assisted Refugee, and Blended Visa Office-Referred, for Syrian newcomers resettling in Canada. Focus group discussions took place with a total of 113 Syrian newcomers in three key arrival cities in Canada: London, Ottawa, and Toronto. Discussions were conducted in Arabic, audio-recorded with participants’ consent, translated into English and transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. This presentation focuses on Syrian newcomer women and their (re)settlement experiences.

Findings: Participants explained how their pre-migration experiences shaped their expectations of (re)settlement in Canada. The majority of participants had come to Canada through countries such as Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey. Those who came through Turkey received government financial and social support and felt relatively more prepared than those who had came from refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon. As such, at the time of arrival, the needs of newcomers differed. When participants were asked about where they expected to see themselves five years after their arrival, their responses varied from obtaining Canadian citizenship, completing credential equivalency and finding employment, improving English level, learning to drive, and opening their own businesses. Newcomers needs, expectations and goals demonstrate the importance of avoiding generalizations about women’s experiences across spaces, places, time, class, and racialized status.

Implications: Practice and policy recommendations about how the sponsorships programs could be improved in order to enhance the settlement experience, included: training for sponsors to help understand the needs of sponsored families, combining learning English with employment opportunities, enhanced financial support, and improved complaint system for newcomers about sponsors.

Sepali Guruge, RN, PhD, is Professor and Research Chair in Urban Health in the Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing at Ryerson University. Dr. Guruge’s research with immigrant communities pays particular attention to the health inequities resulting from socio-economic marginalization; lack of/limited access to healthcare, education, employment, and language training; housing insecurity; racism and discrimination; and the interactive effects of these issues. Since 2008, within this larger program of research, she has focused on elder abuse in immigrant communities. Her research findings have been disseminated in various formats in over 15 languages, making her work accessible beyond English-speaking audiences. Dr. Guruge has received numerous awards in recognition of her work. In 2014, she was selected to be part of inaugural cohort of the College of the New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists of the Royal Society of Canada. Her work can be found at: www.ImmigrantHealthResearch.ca

Mia Hershkowitz, PhD(s), Ryerson University, mia.hershkowitz@ryerson.ca