Chanchal Sidhu

Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan)

Chanchal Sidhu is from British Columbia. After working in various not for profit organizations in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley Chanchal was inspired to pursue work in the settlement sector after personally observing the struggles her husband, an immigrant from the former USSR, faced in Canada after sponsoring him as a family class applicant. She spent several years working as a manager of settlement and community programs at a leading high-volume settlement agency in Surrey, British Columbia, not only supporting diverse newcomers integrate socially and economically but also supporting communities to better welcome and integrate newcomers.

In 2018, Chanchal accepted a manager role with Planning for Canada, a global pre-arrival settlement program, funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, designed to best support newcomers with social and economic integration outcomes prior to their move to Canada. Planning for Canada is one of the few organizations contracted to offer in person services overseas. Currently these services are in India and the Philippines. As a regional manager in India, this position has allowed Chanchal to not only connect with clients from around the world personally, but also observe and contribute to the continuum of services the settlement sector offers future Canadians, from the moment the visa is approved, to initial years in Canada, to the citizenship ceremony service where, at last, one becomes an official Canadian.

Chanchal Sidhu would be an ideal fit for the National Settlement and Integration Council (NSIC) due to her experience in the settlement sector both pre and post arrival. More recently, these past 5 years, she has worked exclusively on pre-arrival programming at Planning for Canada which operates in person services overseas in addition to extensive live online programming. Through these years she has been able to note the significant differences, needs, and gaps between the pre-COVID, COVID, and post-COVID periods and made substantial improvements to the service delivery.

Chanchal has extensive experience working in the field due to Planning for Canada’s in person and live operations and can offer a unique global perspective to the NSIC. Further to her above noted work, Chanchal was co-chair of a Local Immigration Partnership in BC and headed a working group specifically on pre-arrival services which investigated the relationship between pre and post arrival and identified significant related gaps, needs, and actions to pursue.

Chanchal has an in-depth understanding of the settlement sector and various stakeholders involved. We are confident in her ability to explore and encourage collaboration and build strong relationships in order to ensure clients better meet expected outcomes. We thank you for considering Chanchal as a potential candidate to join the NSIC.

Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) has received funding from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canadas (IRCC) to offer pre-arrival services since 2007. The Planning for Canada program has helped over 60,000 clients since its inception. The expertise and awareness of the settlement and employment sectors we have gained over the years makes our program and staff great resources to inform and discuss with other partners on ways to improve the service delivery.

Over the years, CICan’s program has evolved to reflect the needs of newcomers to provide the support they need to make informed decision about life and work in Canada. Being one of the few service providers with in-person services, we have built strong operational teams in India and the Philippines. The teams interact directly with clients and have a strong understanding of their needs. The regional managers are extremely knowledgeable of the settlement sector and are able to recommend program improvements and implement adjustments as required to ensure clients receive the best services possible.

Pre-arrival services are a key source of support that help newcomers become aware of the expectations, challenges, and opportunities they will have in their new home. CICan offers a flexible three-step process focused on settlement and employment. We have built partnerships with employment partners as well as local advisors to provide additional support based on the client’s priorities, destination, and occupation. This makes Planning for Canada a very thorough program centered on the success of clients worldwide.