Immigrants form an important and growing part of the Canadian population. Governments recognize the need to help new immigrants integrate into Canadian society by learning to speak either English or French, and therefore offer or support Language training programs. The federal Government, through the Department of Citizenship and Immigration, runs the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada Program (LINC). Three Canadian provinces (British Columbia, Manitoba, and Quebec), provide their own programs in lieu of LINC, and Quebec supports only the learning of French. Provinces and territories also have programs to provide access to English (or French) as Second Language Courses. Despite all these programs, figures from the 2003 "International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey" (IALSS) suggest that language training efforts have so far been insufficient and that immigrants, even when relatively well-educated, continue to face greater literacy challenges than do native-born Canadians. This literature review looks at the segment of the immigrant population who are not literate in their native language and who may require some combination of ESL and literacy education, or "ESL literacy" education. The literature reviewed includes discussions on definitions of literacy and who is an ESL literacy learner. It addresses issues such as the training and working conditions of teachers, instructional strategies, assessment, and policy. A bibliography is included.