Speaking to an audience of new Canadians in suburban Toronto, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that Canada will make it easier for parents to obtain Canadian citizenship for children they adopt overseas. He further announced that the budget would also provide over $300 million in additional settlement funding over two years as well as funding to address the assessment and recognition of foreign credentials, in consultation with provinces and territories.

The settlement funding will support services that immigrants require as they settle into their new lives in Canada while the earmarked funding for credentials assessment and recognition will help newcomers achieve their full potential in Canada.

"The goal for all of us will be to get those who are trained and ready to work in their fields of expertise into the workforce more quickly," said the Prime Minister.