Changing Faces, Changing Neighbourhoods : Government Assisted Refugee Settlement Patterns in Metro Vancouver January 2005 – December 2009

Over 4,000 government assisted refugees were resettled to British Columbia between 2005 and 2009 from close to 50 different countries. Although these refugees have tremendous life experiences and resilience, since the new Immigration and Refugee Protection Act was passed in June 2002, an increasing number arrive in Canada with significant settlement and adjustment challenges due to protracted refugee camp situations, various medical conditions, illiteracy, lack of family support, lack of English or French language skills, etc. The purpose of this report is to highlight some of the settlement patterns and trends of government assisted refugees settling in Metro Vancouver, based on the mapping of a snapshot of their postal codes taken in April 2010. It is our hope that this information will both increase the level of knowledge of government assisted refugees in the broader community as well as assist community based agencies, public institutions, and the three levels of government to explore the need for enhanced supports to this refugee population in British Columbia.