Get help before arriving in Canada – Pre-arrival services
There are free in-person and online services that we fund to help you better prepare and adjust to life in Canada. These services can help you with:
- living and working in Canada
- getting your education, work experience and professional licenses/certificates recognized in Canada
- connecting with employers and with free support services when you arrive in Canada
We strongly recommend that you use pre-arrival services to better prepare you for life in Canada.
If you have been selected to immigrate to Canada, you and your family can find services to help before you immigrate.
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| Project and Service provider | Services | What do you need help with? | Do you want online or in-person services? | What country are you in right now? | What language would you prefer to have service in? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AEIP Pre-Arrival Settlement Services - Provided by S.U.C.C.E.S.S. | Helps prepare newcomers for moving to Canada. Provides settlement and employment information and orientation. Clients can do a needs assessment and get a personalized settlement plan with other links to in-Canada resources. In-person services are also available in Chinese and Korean, depending on location Tags: Online, In-person, English, French |
Preparing for life in Canada,Working in Canada | Online,In-person | China,South Korea,Taïwan,Australia,Hong Kong,India,Indonesia,Japan,Malaysia,Singapore,Thailand,United States of America,Vietnam | English,French |
| Build On: Pre-Arrival Trades in Ontario - Provided by YMCA-YWCA | Provides newcomers with help on how to find employment in the skilled trades in Canada. Tags: Services available across Canada, Online, English, French |
Working in Canada | Online | English,French | |
| Canadian Employment Connections - Provided by Accessible Counselling and Community Employment Services (ACCES) | Helps internationally-educated newcomers find jobs in their field. Targeted sectors include IT, finance, engineering, sales, marketing, supply chain, and human resource professionals. Tags: Online, English, French |
Working in Canada | Online | English,French | |
| Canadian Orientation Abroad (COA) - Provided by International Organization for Migration (IOM) | Supports refugees to be resettled to Canada with three to five days of information and orientation in their mother tongue, including tailored information and resources for refugee youth participants. In addition to receiving multiple handouts (handbook, workbooks, factsheets, etc.), participants can access support services on-site (childminding, translation, interpretation and transportation). Tags: Online, In-person, English |
Preparing for life in Canada | Online,In-person | Colombia,Ecuador,Egypt,Ethiopia,Ghana,Jordan,Kenya,Lebanon,Malaysia,Pakistan,Russia,South Africa,Sri Lanka,Sudan,Thailand,Turkey | English |
| CanPrep - Provided by Jewish Vocational Service of Metropolitan Toronto (JVS Toronto) | Provides employment preparation, employer interactive webinars, access to job matching platforms, occupation-specific mentoring, and Canadian workplace culture support. Tags: Services available across Canada, Online, English |
Working in Canada | Online | English | |
| Pre-arrival services for francophone newcomers - Provided by Réseau de développement économique et d'employabilité (RDÉE Canada) (available in French only) | Offers a variety of pre-arrival tools and services to facilitate economic integration to francophone newcomers. Tags: Services available across Canada, Online, French |
Working in Canada,Information on French speaking communities | Online | French | |
| Facilitating Access to Skilled Trades in British Columbia (FASTBC) - Provided by Immigrant Employment Council of BC Society (IEC-BC) | Helps newcomers in the Automotive Service Technician, Carpentry and Power Engineering trades to obtain jobs in British Columbia. Tags: Online, English |
Working in Canada | Online | English | |
| Francophone Pre-arrival settlement services - Provided by Fédération acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse (FANE) (available in French only) | Provides information and services to Francophone newcomers before arrival in order to meet their settlement needs. Clients can do a needs assessment and get a personalized settlement plan with other links to in-Canada resources. Tags: Services available across the Atlantic provinces, Online, French |
Preparing for life in Canada,Working in Canada,Information on French speaking communities | Online | French | |
| Francophone Pre-arrival settlement services in BC - Provided by Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique (FFCB) | Provides information and services to Francophone newcomers before their arrival in order to meet their settlement needs. Clients can do a needs assessment and get a personalized settlement plan with other links to in-Canada resources. Tags: Online, English, French |
Preparing for life in Canada,Working in Canada,Information on French speaking communities | Online | English,French | |
| GO Talent Canada - Provided by Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) of Canada Inc. | Provides newcomers with information and services specific to the information and communications technology (ICT) sector. Tags: Online, In-person, English, French |
Working in Canada | Online,In-person | Philippines | English,French |
| In-TAC Pre-Arrival Services - Provided by Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre (OCCSC) | Helps new immigrants to prepare for life in Canada and connect them with employment opportunities. Clients can do a needs assessment and get a personalized settlement plan with other links to in-Canada resources. In-person services are also available in Mandarin and Cantonese, depending on location. Tags: Services available across Canada, Online, In-person, English |
Preparing for life in Canada,Working in Canada | Online,In-person | China | English |
| Integrating Newcomers - Provided by British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA) | Helps newcomers find jobs in construction in British Columbia. Tags: Online, English, French |
Working in Canada | Online | English,French | |
| Next stop Canada - Provided by YMCA of Greater Toronto | Provides settlement information and services to all newcomers. Clients can do a needs assessment and get a personalized settlement plan with other links to in-Canada resources. Tags: Services available across Canada, Online, English |
Preparing for life in Canada,Working in Canada | Online | English | |
| Settlement Online services Pre-Arrival (SOPA) - Provided by Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS) | Helps newcomers develop job search skills and improve cultural communication skills for the Canadian workplace. Clients can do a needs assessment and get a personalized settlement plan with other links to in-Canada resources. Tags: Services available across Canada, Online, English |
Preparing for life in Canada,Working in Canada | Online | English | |
| Planning for Canada (including Canadian Immigrant Integration program (CIIP) & Canadian Orientation Abroad (COA)) - Provided by Colleges and Institutes Canada (CiCan) & International Organization for Migration (IOM) | Prepares economic and family class immigrants for economic and settlement success in Canada with a full-day orientation session, an individually-tailored planning session specific to your occupation and province of destination and related/complementary referrals to over 40 Canadian partners offering more pre-departure help. Tags: Services available across Canada, Online, In-person, English, French |
Preparing for life in Canada,Working in Canada,Information on French speaking communities | Online,In-person | Bangladesh,China,Dubai,India,Korea,Malaysia,Nepal,Philippines,Singapore,Vietnam,Colombia,Lebanon,Mexico,Nigeria,Pakistan,Philippines,Sri Lanka,Ukraine,Haiti,Moldova,Poland,Romania,Russia | English,French |
| Pre-arrival Food Safety Management Training Program - Provided by Food Processing Human Resources Council | Provides newcomers with knowledge of the food industry in Canada and program certificates recognized by employers. Tags: Online, English |
Working in Canada | Online | English | |
| Pre-Arrival Supports and Services (PASS) - Provided by CARE Centre for Internationally Educated Nurses | Helps internationally educated nurses connect with sector specific practices, institutions, processes and regulatory bodies. Tags: Online, English |
Working in Canada | Online | English | |
| Preparing to Work in Canada (PWC) - Provided by Quality Continuous Improvement Centre for Community Education and Training | Online services that provide initial employment needs assessment, orientation to employment in Canada, help finding a job, resources for official language development, and more. Tags: Online, English |
Working in Canada | Online | English | |
| SmartPathways E-Mentoring & Other Supports for Pre-Arrival Internationally Trained Professionals (ITPs) - Provided by Calgary Region Immigrant Employment Council (CRIEC) | Provides newcomers moving to Calgary with links to Calgary employers and mentors. Tags: Online, English |
Working in Canada | Online | English | |
| SolutionsEmplois.ca - Provided by La Cité collégiale (available in French only) | Offers virtual job fairs in real time with potential employers for new francophone and bilingual newcomers wishing to settle in French. Tags: Online, French |
Working in Canada,Information on French speaking communities | Online | French | |
| Step-up Pathways to Canada - Provided by Multicultural Helping House Society (MHHS) | Provides information on life in Canada including what you need to get a job, education options, settlement challenges, housing and transportation, and more. Clients can do a needs assessment and get a personalized settlement plan with other links to in-Canada resources. Tags: Online, In-person, English |
Preparing for life in Canada,Working in Canada | Online,In-person | Philippines | English |
| Take Off: India to Canada - Provided by Abbotsford Community Services Society | Provides settlement information on Canadian culture, customs and daily life, housing, employment, education, banking, and healthcare to newcomers coming from India. Clients can do a needs assessment and get a personalized settlement plan with other links to in-Canada resources. Tags: Online, In-person, English |
Preparing for life in Canada,Working in Canada | Online,In-person | India | English |
| The Pre-Arrival Centre (PAC) - Provided by Immigrant Centre Manitoba Inc. | Provides clients with information about the Winnipeg region. Also connects clients to Manitoba-based stakeholders. Tags: Online, English |
Preparing for life in Canada,Working in Canada | Online | English | |
| Youth Pre-Arrival Learning Site (YPALS) - Provided by YMCA of Greater Toronto | Provides settlement information, e-learning opportunities and peer mentorship to pre-arrival youth (12 to 19 years old). Tags: Services available across Canada, Online, English |
Preparing for life in Canada | Online | English |
To use pre-arrival services
To access these free in-person and online services, you must be outside Canada, and you must have one of the following documents:
- An IRCC invitation letter to obtain pre-arrival services,
- A Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) letter,
- A passport request letter that indicates Permanent Resident visa issuance,
- An IRCC request that an applicant for permanent residence complete medicals,
- A Single Entry Permanent Resident Visa, or
- A Permanent Resident Visa pick up notification letter
These services are for Permanent Resident applicants only. Temporary Residents are not eligible for the services.
