Canada helps immigrants for free, but many people don't know about it
More than half of the immigrants in Canada do not benefit from government assistance.
It is no secret that the Canadian government provides great support to newly arrived immigrants. Newcomers can get free help with finding a job, choosing a place to live, enrolling in language courses, sending their children to school, and more. But not everyone knows about this.
Immigration and Citizenship Canada has released its first-ever report on aid outcomes, interviewing more than 120,000 immigrants. Of those, only 55,000 had benefited from government assistance, while 65,000 had not. 70% of people who did not use assistance did not know about it. As for those who had received assistance, most of them responded that the services had been helpful.
Help before you come to Canada
Many support measures are available before you come to Canada. For example, you can get information on living in Canada: housing, transportation, health care. Depending on your needs, you may be referred to specialist services.
Special attention is paid to the employment of new immigrants. The state offers a list of services that help prepare for work in the new country: e.g. assistance in finding an employer, job fairs in online format, online courses. There is also highly specialized support for workers in certain fields.
Help after immigration
When an immigrant comes to Canada, other services are also available to them. A list of the assistance available in each province is on the official Government of Canada website. Similar information about the province of Quebec is available in French.
Such service as needs assessment helps newcomers determine what services they need and how to get them. Only 23% of newcomers use it, but the Ministry of Immigration advises not to neglect it.
Support services include transfers, child care, transportation and more. This is especially important for those who face some kind of barriers to receiving help from the state.
Language training is also available for immigrants, in which the Ministry of Immigration invests a large part of its budget. Language classes help immigrants interact with locals and improve their chances of getting a job. In addition, English or French skills will be needed for Canadian citizenship in the future.
Employment services help immigrants get a job. Services include employment counselling, mentoring, assistance in obtaining a license if needed, and so on. 78% of immigrants who used these services said it helped them find their place in the Canadian labour market.
Social organisations are responsible for the social side of life. With their help immigrants make friends, attend events, participate in social and religious activities and take part in sports.
