Huron and Perth Counties want to know what immigrants think about living in the area.
Local Immigration Partnership Manager Mark Nonkes said the Huron Perth Immigration Survey is open to all immigrants, refugees, international students, temporary workers, refugee claimants, and their families.
He said it is an opportunity for newcomers to share experiences of living, working and studying in the region.
"The immigration survey wants to hear from people who move to Canada and settled in either Huron or Perth County communities and learn about their experiences, the struggles they face, the strengths that they brought to our communities and contribute," said Nonkes. "And we want to hear about suggestions on how they thought we could improve our communities."
Nonkes added the survey will help them make the region more attractive to immigrants. He said they noticed a trend that a lot of immigrants settled in the area from another country, but only stayed for a few years before they left.
"We want our Huron and Perth to be welcoming inclusive, diverse communities," he continued. "And to do that we need to talk to people who are from diverse backgrounds and this one strategy to do that."
Nonkes works with immigrants and pointed out there are unique issues that immigrants face.
"We are talking to immigrants every day about things that are going well and things that maybe they think could be strengthened," he explained. "So for instance, we heard last year a lot at the end of COVID that immigrants or people who are new to Canada were feeling quite isolated."
Nonkes said they shared information about service clubs and activities so newcomers could get more involved in their community.
"Not only were they locked down, but they were new to the community and they didn't have the connections here. Sometimes English was their second, or third, or fourth language," continued Nonkes. "So there were some barriers. So we starting hosting regular events to bring people together so that we could decrease the isolation.
Nonkes revealed the survey idea comes from Waterloo Region.
"Waterloo Region actually has been doing a survey of immigrants for probably ten years and it provides a lot of strong data to guide organizations into what they should be focusing on and how they can improve services for people who are moving to Canada and settling in their communities, said Nonkes."
More than 11,000 people in Huron and Perth are immigrants.
Nonkes said they contribute a lot to the community, such as essential work skills, entrepreneurial spirit, and volunteerism. He added immigrants are also key to help address the labour shortage.
Immigration now accounts for 80 per cent of population growth and all labour force growth in Canada.
The 2023 Immigrant Survey will be available to newcomers until November 24.
Nonkes would like to hear from over 200 respondents through 2023 Immigrant Survey which will be available to newcomers until November 24. More than 25 immigrant and community service, business, municipal and post-secondary partners across Huron-Perth’s communities will use the results to inform policies and programs that better serve, support and empower immigrants and other community members to reach their full potential.
Survey topics include education, housing, employment, health, belonging, discrimination, community building, and demographic questions. People can find the survey on the Immigration Partnership’s website: https://www.huroncounty.ca/ImmigrantSurvey/
Individuals who complete the survey can enter a draw for one of 13 prizes that include a $200 prepaid credit card, $100 prepaid credit cards and $10 Tim Horton's gift cards.
The survey is available online, but email, phone or paper participation can be accommodated if needed. It is available in four languages: English, Arabic, Spanish, and Ukrainian and takes approximately 10 to 20 minutes to complete.