Canadian Immigrant Resource Network

Guide to Immigrant Services

Canada

<The country>
You have come to live in one of the best countries of the world. For almost a decade (up to the year 2001), Canada was ranked number one among 175 countries in the United Nation's Quality of Life survey. According to the 2005 UN Human Development Index, Canada was ranked fifth.
See Canada - The World's Best Country to Live in. Click here for links to the official government Web sites of Canada's provinces and territories.

<Settlement>
It is advisable that you have someone who can help you with all the administrative and settlement tasks during your first days in Canada. It can be an advantage if you meet people who speak your language and who can tell you about their experiences.

The Going to Canada Immigration Portal has links to basic information and services for new residents of the country. Adapting to life in Canada helps with a series of publications for newcomers. A directory of immigrant-serving organizations, organized by province is offered in Finding Help in Your Community: Key Immigrant Serving Organizations Across Canada.

<Cost of living>
The cost of living varies from province to province. Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal are the most expensive areas; Charlottetown, Winnipeg and Edmonton are much cheaper. Use the link to calculate the cost of living in the area you are interested in.

<Employment>
Search wages and salaries in different occupations. Learn about Canadian private sector employment standards or about the present minimum hourly wages in Canadian provinces. Visit job search information or links to jobs, financial benefits, employment insurance, taxes.

<Health>
The Federal and provincial government plans provide basic hospital and medical care for residents. Many employers offer healthcare plans above and beyond the basic coverage, but often require that employees contribute. The health plans include vision and dental benefits, and are now extending health coverage to 'same-sex spouses'. See The Canada Career Guide. Immigrants are eligible for health care coverage under the Canada Health Act, although there are waiting periods of up to 90 days in some provinces. Health Canada's Health Care page has basic information on the system.

<Education>
Kindergarten to Grade 12 education is publicly funded and free to all Canadian citizens and permanent residents until the end of secondary school - normally, age 18. In Quebec, college level education is also free to Quebec residents, but tuition is charged for university education. All other Canadian students pay tuition fees to attend colleges and universities. See General Overview of Education in Canada.

<Foreign credentials>
Credential Evaluations for Licensing or Certification: Occupational regulatory bodies require a credential evaluation prior to determining eligibility to write exams for admission. A World Education Services (WES) evaluation can help expedite this process.

<TOEFL® - Test of English as a Foreign Language>
Academic English Test for future students of colleges and universities.

<Food and nutrition>
Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating

<Useful links>
The World Clock: Time zones around the world.
Conversion: Convert just about anything to anything else (currency, weights and measures, clothing sizes).
Mapquest: Find maps and directions on the Internet.

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How the Canadian Immigrant Resource Network can help you

The Canadian Immigrant Resource Network is an open resource forum. We collect and provide up-to-date information on the topic of immigrant settlement and integration. In addition to basic information sources as listed above, newcomers can find extensive lists of useful links in the Important links section of this website. Immigrants can also visit our discussion forums and submit inquiries. Membership is free.

<Resources>
Information on training programs, activities and cooperation for newcomers can be found in the Training and Support Programs section. It includes a listing of existing Canadian resources. New additions will be made as programs or services are created and implemented. See Settlement Skills | Learning English (ESL) | Career Help Programs.

<Forums>
The main objective of the Canadian Immigrant Resource Network is to serve as a centre for new ideas and for information exchange. The forums of the Canadian Immigrant Resource Network offer links among immigrants and also to stakeholders involved in immigration-related research, employment and service implementation.
Forums that help with work place integraton are the following:
Employment forum | Workplace Creation and Cooperation | Professional Support.
Forums to further community cooperation and support:
Health forum | Community Connect | Legal | Marketplace | Heritage Stage.
Short reports about important new achievements, results or emerging issues from the work of the different forums will be posted in the News and Comments section.

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How Canadians can help immigrants

Decision makers and policy researchers will find our forums useful for information input and exchange and as a tool for connecting with colleagues in related disciplines. See Skills management | Research integration | Career creation and cooperation | Virtual Academy.

The Employment forum is open for advertising job opportunities for immigrants. You can also sign up to participate in supporting and mentoring newcomers through the Community Connect or the Professional Support forums.

The Knowledge Forum on Immigration is being implemented to help educate Canadians about the challenges that newcomers face and about support that they can provide. Training programs will be developed and available for employers, service providers and for interested community members. Visit Immigration Studies, which includes links to existing programs and also information on Cultural Competency and Diversity Training.

It is the extent of participation and cooperation that will bring about the real success of this virtual centre. Please visit our website regularly and submit information that you consider important in any aspect of the immigrant settlement and integration process. We always welcome your suggestions as to how to enrich the Canadian Immigrant Resource Network initiative.

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