The Newcomer Knowledge Hub (the K-Hub) is a partnership between Immigrant Services Calgary (ISC) and the University of Calgary (UCalgary), Faculty of Social Work.
The K-Hub aims to improve the settlement system in Canada by developing and piloting a way to translate data into knowledge to identify newcomer needs, track emerging trends, reduce program duplication, and improve support services for all newcomers.
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Featured Reads
Discover key highlights from our recent publication. Access full articles by clicking through the abstracts:
Navigating Integration Challenges in Canada’s Immigration Sector: Insights for Practitioners
Canada plans to increase its permanent resident admissions in the coming years. One of the challenges in integrating these new residents is access to settlement information. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is emphasizing a digital transformation in settlement services, encouraging organizations to utilize smartphone apps and digital platforms to assist newcomers…
The Value of Collaboration in the Newcomer-Serving Sector: The CEO’s Perspective
Immigrant Services Calgary’s (ISC) CEO reflects on Calgary’s previously fragmented settlement sector, where agencies struggled to monitor client progress post-referral due to a lack of standardized tracking, overlaps in service delivery, and sector wide competition. To address these issues, ISC launched the Gateway initiative in 2020 aiming to revolutionizing newcomer services in the region….
From Counselling to Planning: Supporting Newcomers to Achieve their Goals
Canada plans to increase its permanent resident admissions in the coming years. One of the challenges in integrating these new residents is access to settlement information. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is emphasizing a digital transformation in settlement services, encouraging organizations to utilize smartphone apps and digital platforms to assist newcomers.
Environmental Scan and Systems Mapping of Newcomer Services in Calgary
Immigration brings challenges, underscoring the need for local resources and support for newcomer integration. To evaluate Calgary’s situation, The Immigrant Education Society and the Calgary Local Immigration Partnership conducted a study funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. The study explored the landscape of Calgary’s immigrant-serving sector, focusing on inter-organizational dynamics to identify opportunities for collaboration and areas for improvement.
Settlement of Skilled Immigrants in Calgary: Lessons for Immigrant-Serving Agencies
Although Calgary attracts skilled immigrants, their successful integration into Canadian society presents both opportunities and challenges. Dr. Vibha Kaushik’s doctoral dissertation examines these issues and highlights the unmet settlement and integration needs and obstacles faced by skilled immigrants in Calgary. The study reveals that immigrants often struggle to obtain timely, accurate, and current information, leading to reliance on unreliable sources and uninformed career decisions
In Conversation with Dr. EllEn Perrault, Dean of the Faculty of Social Work
Dr. Ellen Perrault, Teaching Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary, has over 30 years of experience in education, organizational leadership, research, evaluation, and post-secondary educational development. She leads the faculty with charisma, strives for organizational improvement, and supports maximizing people’s potential.
A Celebration of the Newcomer Knowledge Hub’s Research Advisory Group
The Newcomer Knowledge-Hub (K-Hub) created a Research Advisory Group with members who have extensive experience in research, academia, practice, and funding to guide the evidence-based research being done at K-Hub. With the expert insight and recommendations of the Research Advisory Group, K-Hub aims to tackle the challenges faced by newcomers and to improve human service systems to enhance the settlement process of new immigrants.
Dynamic Collaborative Update: Standardizing Informed Consent and Information Sharing
Research on vulnerable populations, such as newcomers to Canada, requires stringent ethical standards for informed consent and information sharing. The Newcomer Knowledge –Hub (K-Hub) benefits from a collaborative working group of settlement sector leaders to address these complex issues. At the inaugural Dynamic Collaborative workshop on April 26, 2023, stakeholders—including funders, practitioners, policymakers, and researchers—discussed standardizing informed consent and integrating best practices
ABSTRACT Social isolation poses significant challenges for older immigrants, particularly those who face cultural and linguistic barriers in their country of settlement. Despite these challenges, little is known about how read more
As Canada becomes increasingly multicultural, understanding how newcomers integrate and participate in their new communities is more important than ever. To explore this topic, the Newcomer Knowledge Hub (K-Hub) hosted a Lunch & Learn session featuring experts from the Metropolis Institute: Paul Holley, Director of Research and Evaluation; read more
Cooking is one of humanity’s oldest and most universal practices still preserved by humankind. It serves as a vessel for knowledge, culture, and identity. At the same time, cooking has read more
By Wissam Shalaby When Amina (name changed for privacy) arrived in Calgary with her husband and their two-year-old daughter, she was four months pregnant and filled with hope. Having fled read more
In 2023, Canada was home to over 4.8 million individuals aged 15 to 24, representing more than 12% of the national population1. Despite their growing demographic presence, a troubling trend read more
By Jessica Park and Lindsay Bodrug The 27th Metropolis Canada Conference convened approximately 1,000 attendees on March 13 at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto, overlooking Lake Ontario. The three-day read more
In April 2025 session of the Lunch & Learn series, researchers Nellie Alcaraz and Yasmeen Khan traced the historical roots and ongoing implications of the Philippines’ Labour Export Policy (LEP), read more
By Thomas Tri and Dr. Ajwang’ Warria New UCalgary Social Work research sheds light on the journey to safety for LGBTQ+ newcomers in Calgary Many LGBTQ+ newcomers arrive in Canada read more
By Jessica Park, Megan Gill, and Dr. Jeff Halvorsen Against the backdrop of a rainy Vancouver skyline, over 500 professionals from across Canada gathered on October 30th for the 7th read more
According to Statistics Canada (2022), only 50% of adult newcomers who arrived in Canada between 2016 to 2020 accessed at least one type of settlement services. This limited uptake highlights read more
K-Hub Lunch & Learn Series
Welcome to the K-Hub Lunch & Learn Series! Join us each month for engaging virtual sessions featuring expert researchers and leaders in the settlement sector. Hosted by the Newcomer Knowledge Hub, these free Lunch & Learn events promote collaboration and knowledge-sharing to support newcomers.
Are you aware of a new exciting research or program enriching the Canadian settlement sector? The Newcomer Knowledge Hub (K-Hub) would love to promote it! Please fill out the form below and we will be in touch with more information.
The Newcomer Knowledge Hub is honoured to work on the traditional territories of the people of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta, which includes the Blackfoot Confederacy (comprising the Siksika, Piikani, and Kainai First Nations), as well as the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda (including the Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Goodstoney First Nations). The City of Calgary is also home to Métis Nation of Alberta, Region III.
