Canada needs to rethink the Immigration Loans Program (ILP) if the country truly wants to achieve its objectives of humanitarian intervention and support for settling newcomers.

That's Public Policy master’s student Hope Caldi’ recommendation in her winning paper at the fourth annual Blueprint 2020 National Student Paper Competition on the Future of Public Service.

Caldi’s paper, “Offering a Warmer, Wiser Welcome: Recommendations for Reforming Canada’s Immigration Loan Program,” analyzes the key issues facing loan recipients, as well as the program’s shortcomings. Her findings suggest that the strain of repaying outstanding loans can end up delaying newsomers' economic integration.

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