Free Settlement Services In Canada For Immigrants
Immigrating to a new country can get quite overwhelming. Trust us - we know.
With so many new things to think of and with the acclimation to a new society, some details may just slip your mind such as the free settlement services that are available to you. A study was done on around 120,900 Canadian immigrants where it was found that 55,370 were settlement program clients and 65,527 were not.
In many situations, non-settlement program immigrants were simply underinformed of the services available to them.
As an immigration agency, we make it our responsibility to inform you of the useful services you have at your fingertips to make your immigration to Canada as seamless and efficient as possible!
Pre-Arrival Services
Great News! You don't have to wait until after you land in your designated Canadian destination to be enrolled and benefitting from settlement services!
If you are an approved Canadian permanent resident that is currently living outside of Canada, waiting to make your permanent migration to Canada, these services are available to you. Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) have an extensive and detailed list of the 1,259 settlement services available to you already listed on their website.
While the majority of these services have adapted to the virtual world as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, IRCC continues to offer services to help you prepare to live in Canada and become a permanent resident. Such services provide you with detailed information regarding the details of the daily life of a typical Canadian.
For example, such services may inform you on the healthcare, transportation services, and housing in Canada. If applicable, the IRCC may also choose to refer you to specific community services that are more tailored to your needs as a Candian immigrant.
Once you arrive in Canada, you will eventually need to begin working. The IRCC can not only help you find a job that is fitting for your skills and education but can also help you with basic skill development in the Canadian workforce. For example, such services may include helping you write your resume and cover letter as well as helping to get your credentials recognized so that you can work in your designated field.
Depending on your industry, there may be other resources that can help you find the perfect job that is waiting for you, here in Canada. Some of these industries include engineering, finance, trades, tech, nursing, architecture, and construction.
Further details regarding province-specific settlement services can also be found here.
Searching For The Right Settlement Services
You now know that there are tons and tons of settlement services that are available to you as a Canadian immigrant. But in a world of so many different options and opportunities, you may feel overwhelmed.
What now?
Now it's time to specifically pinpoint the free settlement services that are most suited to your needs as a Canadian immigrant. You may choose to take advantage of IRCC's available tool that will help you navigate the different settlement services.
Categories of Settlement Services In Canada
Simply, settlement services in Canada can be summarized into 6 distinct categories:
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Support Services
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Needs Assessments
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Information Services
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Language Training
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Employment Services
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Community Services
Support services are great tools to use for Canadian Immigrants who are facing challenges accessing IRCC Settlement Programs. In specific, these services include child care, transportation, translation services, etc.
Finding services based on your needs is an important step to your immigration process, and that is why Needs Assessment services are available for you to use. These services can help you handpick the services that you need to make your settlement in Canada as seamless as possible.
In addition to identifying your needs, you may also seek out supplemental information services that can help you learn more about the immigration and settlement journey in Canada. Such government-funded services can provide you with the most accurate and up-to-date information on settlement services.
Worried that your language skills will not suffice in Canada? Not to worry, there are services for that too! In fact, IRCC allocates quite a large budget towards providing language services to Canadian immigrants. Language training services will help you slowly but surely develop those language skills for your long-term growth as a permanent Canadian resident.
We would like to remind you that language training is absolutely crucial to your long-term success and development in Canada. Do not overlook this aspect. It may be difficult at first, but you will find the journey very rewarding in the long term. Between citizenship eligibility, finding employment, connecting with other Canadians, English and/or French fluency is important.
As mentioned previously, you may likely choose to seek employment services to help you get integrated into the Canadian workforce. Such services include work placements, mentorship programs, licensure and certification preparation, networking opportunities, job matching, and employment counseling services.
Finally, after all the logistics and administrative talk, you're going to want to get integrated into Canadian social life. Community services can help you do just that! Such settlement services can help you, as a Canadian immigrant meet new friends in your community, and find local activities to socialize and meet new people in. These may include religious, school, civic, cultural or sports, and recreation activities.
To Recap...
We hope that by now, you have a good understanding of the free settlement services that you have available to you at your fingertips!
We strongly encourage all our clients to take advantage of these services and make the most out of their immigration to Canada. After all, they are created to help you integrate into the Canadian environment and help Canada grow socially and economically in the long run.
Contact us today if you have any further questions and concerns regarding any aspect of your immigration to Canada, we are here to serve you!
