Contract - Upon Award - March 31st, 2027
Salary - $60 - $100 per hour (based on experience)


Objectives

The objective of this project is to answer to following questions regarding newcomers’ access to student financial assistance in Canada. Newcomers are defined as immigrants to Canada who have been here for less than 10 years.


Scope of Work

The contractor must complete the following tasks:

1. Develop research instruments: Draft and refine the survey questionnaire for newcomers and the interview guides for both focus groups and key-informant interviews.

1. Engage recruitment partners: Develop a list of partner organizations through which the contractor will recruit newcomers for the survey and focus groups.

• Identify interview participants: Compile a list of potential community organizations and post-secondary institutions through which the contractor will recruit key-informant interviewees (e.g., student recruitment/admissions advisors, student financial aid officials, and immigrant-serving organizations).

1. Conduct the following for data collection:

• Survey of newcomers: The contractor will conduct an online survey of 15-20 minutes with newcomers across four regions: Atlantic Canada, Ontario, the Prairies, and the West (including BC and Yukon). The contractor must recruit a minimum of 50 newcomers per region, for a total sample of at least 200 participants. The contractor must include participants from both larger urban centres and smaller communities. Survey respondents must be newcomers who have been in Canada for at least six months and under ten years, are 18 years of age or over, and have considered accessing or attempted to access post-secondary education for themselves or a family member (whether this was successful or not). The survey must be available in English and French. The survey will help address the following research questions from section 2 above: A, B, C, D, E, and G.
• Focus groups with newcomers: The contractor must conduct a minimum of four virtual focus groups with English-speaking newcomers, one each with newcomers from the four regions listed above. A fifth focus group must be conducted with French-speaking newcomers from across the regions. Each group must include at least 6 participants, and sessions will last between 1.5 to 2 hours. The focus groups will provide an opportunity to explore the survey themes in greater depth. The focus groups will address the following research questions from section 2 above: A, B, C, D, E, F and G.
• Key informant interviews: The contractor must conduct 10 to 15 (minimum 10) semi-structured interviews with professionals from community organizations and post-secondary institutions. Within the total of 10-15 interviews, the contractor will aim for the following breakdown by interviewee type: 5-8 from educational institutions (e.g., student recruitment/admissions advisors, student financial aid officials) and 5-8 from community organizations (e.g., immigrant-serving organizations). Interviews will be 1-1.25 hours long, conducted online, recorded (with consent), and transcribed for analysis. Interviews will be conducted in English or French. The interviews must address the following research questions from section 2 above: B, C, D, E, F, and G.

1. Analyze and integrate findings: Analyze the data from all three sources (survey, focus groups, and interviews), identify key themes, and draw connections across the methods to better understand newcomers’ experiences and barriers.
2. Prepare the final report, which must:
   • Summarize key insights and findings across the different data sources.
   • Provide recommendations on how student financial assistance programs can reduce barriers for newcomers and how to best communicate SFA information to them.
   • Respond directly to each research question, explaining what was learned about each issue and what further actions could be taken to improve understanding and inform policy development.

• Present and discuss the findings of the final report to CSFA Program and provincial/territorial officials at a meeting of the Diversity, Equity and Reconciliation Committee or the Intergovernmental Consultative Committee on Student Financial Assistance.