Immigrant organizations in Canada: where they are located and how they can help

The immigrant journey is full of challenges — only a few newcomers feel at home right after moving. More often, people who move to Canada experience stress, culture shock, or simply go through a difficult adjustment due to the new place, language, mentality, culture, and other factors.

Adaptation is something every immigrant faces. Canada, being a country that constantly welcomes new residents, has developed an excellent support system for newcomers. In this article, we've gathered addresses, emails, and phone numbers of organizations where you can get the following services:

• free food;
• free housing;
• help with paperwork;
• help opening a bank account;
• help with adaptation, job search, etc.

Free Food

Canada has over 5,500 food banks and community organizations where those in need can get free food. To use these services, you can contact a food bank directly. Sometimes, other social services refer people to them.

In theory, anyone in need can get food, but food bank staff may ask for income documents and ask a few questions. According to recent data, over 2 million Canadians visit food banks monthly, with a significant portion being immigrants and refugees.

Food banks typically offer items like pasta, instant breakfast cereals, rice, ketchup, baby food, canned, fresh, and frozen fruits and vegetables, milk, eggs, and meat.

Food banks operate in all Canadian provinces. You can find the nearest one using the website

Foodbankscanada.ca.

Free Housing

Those who find themselves in a difficult life situation can turn to The Salvation Army for housing for 30-90 days. Canada has several dozen temporary shelters run by this organization in almost all provinces. Besides a place to sleep, The Salvation Army provides hot meals, computer access, and referrals to other organizations if needed. Not everyone can use these services, only those who have become homeless.

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You can find a temporary shelter on The Salvation Army website.

Help with Adaptation and Job Search

Canada also has organizations that provide future immigrants with "pre-arrival services": help with job search and paperwork, as well as information support.

These institutions are funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), and services are free for those who can confirm their immigration status with one of the following documents:

• invitation letter from IRCC for pre-arrival services;
• Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR);
• IRCC request for the permanent residence applicant to get medical assistance;
• Single Entry Permanent Resident Visa;
• notification letter of receiving a Permanent Resident Visa.

Organizations helping immigrants find jobs and get information support are available throughout Canada. You can contact these institutions directly at their offices or online from outside the province where they're located. According to IRCC statistics, 95% of newcomers who received settlement services find them helpful.

Across Canada

Canadian Orientation Abroad (COA)

Address: 116 Albert St. Suite 801, Ottawa, ON K1P 5G3, Canada.

Email: coa-oce@iom.int.

Phone: 1 613-237-0651.

You can contact them online or in person at their office in Ottawa, in English.

The organization provides these services:

• information about life in Canada;
• help for refugees with integration and job search.

Pre-Arrival Supports and Services (PASS)

Phone: 1 416-226-2800, extensions 234, 223, 222.

Emails: mwankel@care4nurses.org, nghadiri@care4nurses.org, bdesir@care4nurses.org.

Skype: passprogram.

You can contact them online in English.

The organization works with immigrants who have nursing education and provides these services:

• individual consultations;
• referrals to other Canadian organizations;
• online nursing courses in English;
• webinars about working in Canadian healthcare;
• mentoring.

Planning for Canada

Email: info@planningforcanada.ca.

You can contact them in person in India and the Philippines or online from any country, in English or French.

The organization provides these services:

• information about work, education, housing, finances, culture, and life in Canada;
• creating an immigration and adaptation plan for Canada;
• referrals to other Canadian organizations.

Alberta

Centre for Newcomers

Main office: #125 565 — 36 Street NE (Northgate Mall), Calgary, AB T2A 6K3, Canada.

Email: info@centrefornewcomers.ca.

Phone: 1 403-569-3325.

You can contact them offline, online, in English.

The organization provides these services:

• help with employment;
• English language courses;
• counseling support;
• preschool education services.

Immigrant Services Calgary

Address: #1200, 910 7th Avenue SW, Calgary, AB T2P 3N8, Canada.

Email: info@immigrantservicescalgary.ca.

Phone: 1 403-265-1120.

You can contact them offline, online, in any language.

The organization provides these services:

• help with employment;
• housing advice;
• English language lessons;
• information about schools, starting a business, getting a driver's license, banks;
• help finding doctors and hospitals;
• translation from various languages.

British Columbia

Archway Community Services

Address: 2420 Montrose Ave., Abbotsford, BC V2S 3S9, Canada.

Email: hello@archway.ca.

Phone: 1 604-859-7681.

You can contact them offline, online, in English and Russian.

The organization provides these services:

• help with employment;
• English courses;
• information about schools, business, banks, getting a driver's license.

AEIP Pre-Arrival Settlement Services

Address: 228-181 Keefer Place, Vancouver, BC V6B 6C1, Canada.

Email: AEIPVan@success.bc.ca.

Phone: 1 604-893-8222.

You can contact them in person, online, in English, French, Chinese, and Korean.

The organization provides these services:

Here is the English translation:

• Assistance with preparing to move to Canada
• Information about relocation and employment
• Needs assessment
• Personalized adaptation plan for Canada
• Referrals to other Canadian organizations

British Columbia Construction Association

Address: 401 — 655 Tyee Road, Victoria, BC V9A 6X5, Canada

Phone: 1 250-475-1077

Services available in-person and online, in English.

This organization works with people looking to work in construction in Canada and provides the following services:

• Assessment of chances and needs
• Career guidance for the British Columbia construction market
• Resume writing assistance
• Consultations on various issues related to working and living in Canada
• Providing contacts of Canadian employers before arriving in the country

Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society

Address: 101-319 Selby Street, Nanaimo, BC V9R 2R4, Canada

Phone: 1 250-753-6911

Services available in-person and online, in English.

This organization provides the following services:

• Employment assistance
• English language courses
• Information support

Quebec

L'Hirondelle

Address: 4652, rue Jeanne-Mance, Montréal, QC H2V 4J4, Canada

Phone: 1 514-281-5696

Services available online and in-person, in French and English.

This organization provides the following services:

• Training workshops on job search and resume writing
• Assistance with filling out forms

SolutionsEmplois.ca

Phone: 1 800-267-2483

Services available online, in French and English.

This organization hosts virtual job fairs in real-time with potential employers for French-speaking and bilingual immigrants.

Manitoba

Immigrant Centre

Address: 100 Adelaide Street, Winnipeg, MB R3A 0W2 Canada

Phone: 1 204-943-9158

Services available in-person, online, in various languages.

This organization provides the following services:

• Employment assistance
• English language courses
• Citizenship test preparation
• Assistance with filling out forms

Nova Scotia

Settlement Online services Pre-Arrival (SOPA)

Services available online, in English.

This organization provides the following services:

• Job search skills development
• Improving cultural communication skills for the Canadian workplace
• Needs assessment
• Personalized adaptation plan
• Referrals to other Canadian organizations

Ontario

ACCES Employment

Address: 489 College Street, Suite 100, Toronto, ON M6G 1A5, Canada (offices also in several other Ontario cities)

Phone: 1 416-921-1800

Services available in-person or online, in English.

This organization provides the following services:

• Job listings and job search information
• Career counseling
• Mentorship programs
• English language learning assistance
• Introduction to Canadian workplace culture

Build On: Pre-Arrival Trades in Ontario

Services available online, in English and French.

This organization provides the following services:

• Assistance in finding skilled trade jobs in Canada
• Information about working in engineering and construction
• Individual consultations
• Online learning materials
• Employment webinars
• Professional mentorship

Centre for Immigrant & Community Services

Address: 2330 Midland Avenue, Toronto, ON M1S 5G5, Canada (offices also in other Ontario cities)

Email: info@cicscanada.com

Phone: 1 416-292-7510

Services available in-person, online, in English.

This organization provides the following services:

• Employment assistance: resume writing, interview preparation, job fairs
• Children's programs
• Computer access

New Canadians' Centre — Peterborough

Email: info@nccpeterborough.ca

Phone: 1 705-743-0882

Services available online in English.

This organization provides the following services:

• Employment assistance
• Housing search assistance
• Information about schools, business, driver's licenses, banks
• Form filling services

Next Stop Canada

Address: 2200 Yonge St., Unit 300, Toronto, ON M4S 2C6, Canada

Phone: 1 416-928-3362, ext. 22915

Services available online, in English.

This organization provides the following services:

• Settlement information
• Needs assessment
• Personalized settlement plan
• Referrals to other Canadian organizations

Canada InfoNet

Address: 74 Tycos Drive, Toronto, ON M6B 1V9, Canada

Phone: 1 416-787-1151

Email: services@jvstoronto.org

Services available online, in English and French.

This organization provides the following services:

• Online employment preparation
• Professional mentorship connections
• Interactive webinars with employers
• Access to job search resources
• Introduction to Canadian workplace culture
• Referrals to services in your chosen province

Community Organizations for Diaspora Groups

There are also organizations in Canada founded by members of the Ukrainian and Russian diaspora communities that provide assistance in Ukrainian and Russian. These organizations offer information support and help with finding housing.

Russian-Speaking Residents of Manitoba Association

Email: russianmanitoba@gmail.com

Phones: 1 204-488-4864, 1 204-694-4728

This organization provides the following services:

• Information provision
• Assistance in obtaining support letters for immigration
• Free notary services

Ukrainian Canadian Congress

This is an organization representing the interests of Canadian Ukrainians to the Canadian government and helping develop the Ukrainian community in Canada. It includes six provincial councils that provide services to immigrants in individual provinces in Ukrainian, assist with housing searches, and provide information about schools:

• Ukrainian Canadian Congress — Alberta Provincial Council: Address: #8, 8103 – 127 Avenue Edmonton, AB T5C 1R9, Canada, Email: uccab@shaw.ca, Phone: 1 780-414-1624.
• Ukrainian Canadian Congress — British Columbia Provincial Council: Email: uccvancouver@gmail.com.
• Ukrainian Canadian Congress — Quebec Provincial Council: Email: helen.holowka@tretiakholowka.com.
• Ukrainian Canadian Congress — Manitoba Provincial Council: Mailing address: Box 3567 Redwood Postal Outlet, Winnipeg, MB R2W 3R4, Canada, Email: info@uccmb.ca.
• Ukrainian Canadian Congress — Ontario Provincial Council: Address: 130 Albert St #500, Ottawa, ON K1P 5G4, Canada, Phone: 1 613-232-8822.
• Ukrainian Canadian Congress — Saskatchewan Provincial Council: Address: 4 — 2345 Avenue C North, Saskatoon, SK S7L 5Z5, Canada, Email: uccspc@ucc.sk.ca, Phones: 1 306-652-5850, 1 888-652-5850.

Russian Humanitarian House in Canada

Mailing address: Russky Dom, succ C, 1695 St-Catherine, CP 452, Montreal, QC H2L 4K4, Canada.

Phone: 1 514-528-4369.

Email: we@russkydom.org.

The organization provides the following services:

• assistance in opening a bank account;
• help with filling out forms;
• assistance in obtaining certificates;
• providing information support.

Ukrainian organization "Zustrich"

Address: 405 Avenue Fairmount O, Montreal, QC H2V 4B4, Canada.

Email: zustrichinfo@gmail.com.

The organization provides information support to Ukrainian immigrants in Montreal.

Canadian Ukrainian Immigrant Aid Society

Address: 2383 Bloor St. W, Toronto, ON M6S 1P6, Canada.

Email: cuias@cuias.org.

Phone: 1 416-767-4595.

The organization offers the following services:

• assistance in finding housing;
• providing information about schools and banks;
• advice on obtaining a driver's license;
• help with resume writing and interview preparation;
• English language courses.