Bedrettin Al Muhamad and his wife, Mariam, have been taking English classes and making every effort to immerse themselves in Canadian culture since arriving here from Turkey in February

The Syrian refugees have ventured out to explore Toronto Island, visited Niagara Falls, joined in the fun of Halloween, and even started the ritual of coupon-clipping for good deals like other Canadians do.

But the honeymoon will soon be over, as the Mississauga couple ponders quitting their English classes and starting to look for jobs to support their five children, Hanan, 13; Hasan, 11; Azzam, 9; Mohammad, 8; and Rahaf, 6.

“We are scared we are not going to find jobs. It’s a cause of stress. How are we going to pay for our ($1,735) rent when money stops coming in?” asked Al Muhamad, 37, whose family’s monthly government refugee resettlement assistance ends on Feb. 12.

“But we feel Canada has already given us enough. We don’t want to take more handouts. We are ready to go to work.”

For many of the 35,000 Syrians who have arrived in the country — 15,000 in Ontario — since Canada started bringing in planeloads of newcomers last Dec. 9, what is commonly known in the refugee resettlement circle as “Month 13” is looming.

After a year of being warmly welcomed into local communities across the country, the 12-month financial commitment to these refugees by Ottawa and private sponsorship groups will start to come to an end.

Many of the adult Syrian newcomers will be faced with the reality of choosing between quitting English classes, working or living off provincial welfare — an income that is less than the meagre resettled refugee assistance they currently receive from the federal government.

Officials estimated half of the privately sponsored refugees and 10 per cent of those supported by the government would have employment income in their first year.

Immigration Minister John McCallum said successful integration and self-sufficiency for refugees does not happen over night.

“That is not a job that ends in one year. One thing we always must be aware of is, with refugees, they come from horrendously difficult situations. You have to give them time. You have to be patient. Over time, past waves of refugees have settled successfully and done well in Canada. I’m confident the Syrians will as well,” McCallum told the Star.

“Provinces understand that after the first 12 months, the federal income support ends. Those who are not supporting themselves would go on social assistance. This will happen and this has always happened. That transition is going to go smoothly. This is not going to be a surprise.”

Ontario Immigration Minister Laura Albanese has invested an additional $10.5 million in the province’s $100 million annual budget for immigrant settlement services such as skills training and English classes for refugees.

“We know that some of the Syrian newcomers will need extra help with social assistance, maybe Ontario Works and ODSP, once the federal support runs out,” she told the Star. “We are working closely with the federal and municipal governments to make sure the transition is streamlined.”

The province has already introduced information sheets and an introductory video in Arabic to inform and assist Syrian newcomers on how to access those supports, said Albanese, adding the information is included in letters sent to government-assisted refugees by Ottawa toward the end of its one-year financial commitment.

Experts say the newcomers should not see a big difference in their income as they will still receive child tax benefits — which vary based on other incomes, number of kids and their ages. (Adult single refugees supported by the government receive $822 a month. Their income will fall to $706 on Ontario Works.)

“Month 13 is a concern in terms of folks losing the social support they have had in the first year and falling through the cracks because of the expectation that our obligation to these families is over. The labour market entry is also a continued concern,” said Debbie Douglas of the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

“People need to know integration is not a one-year process. It’s a lifelong process. We need to ensure the kind of support the newcomers need to have a successful new life in Canada.”

While the highly skilled Syrians — most of them resettled under private sponsorships — may encounter problems in professional licensing and employers’ demands for Canadian work experience, those with lower education may have difficulty finding manufacturing and service jobs.

The transition would be tougher for the government-assisted refugees than for those supported through private sponsorship groups because families supported by Ottawa are generally much larger in size (53 per cent with three to six kids), with lower education and skills, and speak little English.

“My worry is the public has unrealistic expectations of how quickly these newcomers can find jobs and become independent,” said Mario Calla, executive director of COSTI, which settles government-assisted refugees in Toronto.

Brian Dyck, chair of the Council of the Sponsorship Agreement Holders Association, said many private groups have already started to prepare their sponsored families for the transition.

“With proper planning and discussion, a lot of problems will be avoided or at least managed,” said Dyck. “I think one worry is that a lot of people will be making that month 13 transition at the same time, so the provincial systems will need to be ready for that and gear up for it.”

Bringing in and settling a Syrian family is just the beginning. Moving forward, said Janet Dench of the Canadian Council for Refugees, Canada must also take into consideration reuniting the newcomers with the families they left behind when they fled their war-torn country.

But Canada’s annual immigration targets are being reduced next year, with Ottawa set to admit 40,000 refugees in 2017, down from 55,800 this year.

“Groups that have come here are most worried about their parents, brothers and sisters. They feel they are personally responsible for them,” said Dench.

“But there are no good solutions for them right now. The opportunity for more privately-sponsored refugees will be very limited. It will take years for them to be reunited. There are also family members still in Syria and there is no provision to allow them to come to Canada directly.”

Although the uptake of private sponsorship has slowed down since March, Lesley Brown of Toronto’s Lifeline Syria said the Syrian resettlement project will leave a legacy just like Canada’s resettlement of 60,000 Indochinese refugees from Vietnam in the late 1970s.

“This has been a life-changing, meaningful experience for many Canadians. It will be passed on through generations,” said Brown.

Read more about: