Canadian Multicultural Organizations

There are hundreds of immigrant-serving organizations in Canada. Many are staffed by former newcomers to Canada, who understand the challenges that immigrants may face. They usually have people available who speak your language and can accompany you as interpreters. Citizenship and Immigration Canada supports many of these organizations financially, helping newcomers adapt to life in Canada.

Settling in will be much easier if you contact an immigrant-serving organization as soon as you arrive. The people who work for these organizations can help you find a place to live and can answer your questions about shopping, education for your children, transportation, language training and other important matters.

Immigrant-serving organizations can help you find a place to live, get your Social Insurance Number and health-care card, enrol your children in school, get language training, find a family doctor, tell you about about government and community services for newcomers, look for a job, develop a realistic budget, and get emergency food aid, if it is needed.

The Host Program is a federally funded program that matches newcomers with a Canadian family or individual. Host volunteers help you overcome the stress of moving to a new country, learn about available services and how to use them, practice English or French, prepare to look for a job, and find and participate in community activities. Your local immigrant serving organization can direct you to a Host Program organization in your community.

In Quebec, the Ministère de l’Immigration et des Communautés culturelles is organized into different regions. Each region has a local office, called a Carrefour d’intégration, which works with the immigrant-serving organizations to help newcomers adapt to life in Quebec.