History & Purpose of LIP

Local Immigration Partnerships signify a new form of multi-level governance involving municipal, provincial and federal partners. The long-term vision for LIPs is to support the development of multi-sectoral partnerships at the local community level.

The overall objective is to engage groups that will coordinate and enhance the current settlement and integration service delivery network, while avoiding duplication. Strategic partnerships between many stakeholders are encouraged to improve dialogue and information sharing between sectors, identify gaps, and align services

History of the LIP

The LIP initiative began operations in Ontario in 2008 as part of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s Community Connections program. The program expanded to other provinces in 2012 and is expected to continue to grow. Currently there are more than 60 LIP’s across Canada, including five in Atlantic Canada.

Vision for Local Immigration Partnerships

The vision for LIPs is to support the development of self-sustaining multi-sectoral partnerships at the local level to integrate newcomer needs into the municipal planning process, while influencing provincial and federal priorities and processes. Local Immigration Partnerships symbolize the two-way street approach to integration, which regards all newcomers and members of the host community to be equal and important agents of change.

Purpose of the LIP

The purpose of the LIP is to provide the community with a collaborative framework to:

1. Raise awareness around newcomers’ needs and engage a wide range of local actors in fostering welcoming communities.
2. Support community-level research and strategic planning.
3. Improve accessibility and coordination of services that facilitate newcomer settlement and integration, such as, improving newcomer labour needs and helping newcomers build more social supports within the City. The LIP is different from other existing organizations and services in that it is not a direct service provider.