Evaluation of the Immigration Loan Program

However, the procedures required to assess a potential recipient’s ability to repay a loan at the time of loan issuance are not practical in the overseas refugee processing context, given limited information and time available to conduct the assessment; and refusing a loan could prevent the resettlement of the refugee. [...] Additionally, there is a risk that some refugee recipients do not fully understand the terms and conditions of the loan at the time of signing (due to various factors such as language barriers, a lack of time available to explain the loan, or the individual’s ability to understand the relative value of the loan), and that they do not know the amount of the loan prior to their departure for - v - C [...] In particular, given the context of overseas refugee processing, compliance with TB Directives requires policy and/or procedural changes to ensure: Adherence to the criteria established to assess ability to repay the loan; and Procedures for signing the loan agreement are clear and obtain free and informed consent from the client, including communicating the amount to be borrowed. [...] In particular, CIC should consider: Aligning the loan program policies with those of other refugee programming; Aligning the start of the repayment with the receipt of the first loan statement; Aligning the loan repayment schedule with the time needed to repay; Ensuring the use of interest and interest relief are appropriate to the financial situation of the client; Providing mechanisms [...] Purpose of the Evaluation This report presents the results of the evaluation of the Immigration Loan Program.