Immigration settlement services across Canada

Canadian organizations, along with federal, provincial and territorial governments, have consistently been making huge strides with the purpose of providing unmatched settlement services to newcomers in Canada. Whether you talk of libraries, community centers, educational institutions or online services, no stone has been left unturned for supporting immigrants. Some of the recent highlights have been stated below.

Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Canada (CIMC) has announced fresh funding from this month for immigrant settlement services in Alberta, Ontario, and British Columbia, with the aim to provide more opportunities to newcomers to succeed in Canada.

A new $1.9 million funding by the government in Ontario will be used in creating library settlement services in Kitchener, Richmond Hill, Brampton, London and Windsor. These libraries will be made similar to those in Toronto, Hamilton and Ottawa.

The libraries will serve as gathering place for recent immigrants and will also provide group orientation workshops that would assist newcomers in looking for local housing, transportation, and most important of all, employment opportunities for them. Community outreach programs are also there that will make immigrants aware of the different services and resources available in a particular region.

The British Columbia government has allotted $4.9 million towards programs and projects in various BC communities with the aim to assist newcomers facing settlement and language hurdles.

Murray Coell, BC Minister of Advanced Education and Labor Market Development, said that the government is committed towards providing special facilities to all aged immigrants who face hurdles and find it difficult to go to schools or get employment.

From April 2009, all types of support services will help young adult immigrants to determine their goals and make plans to accomplish them. These services will also aim at improving the education and work prospects of immigrants with the help of language training and employment services.

Four organizations in Edmonton, Alberta, have also been provided a funding of $2.3 million for immigrant settlement services by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

The services are extended online as well and the Canadian Immigration Settlement Online Community, LoonLongue.com, has now more than 20,000 members. Newcomers, Canadians and potential immigrants are getting connected and exchanging valuable information on the website.

Two new noteworthy entries to the website are the Virtual Canada Explorer and a quiz named “Yes! You can become a Canadian!”. The virtual Canada explorer is an interactive map and it gives visitors a detail picture of Canada informing important facts about each region.