Take the Right Steps
You are about to become a permanent resident. You have done your research and you may think that you have everything you need to start life in a new country. But you can never be prepared enough. This is why services like Planning for Canada exist to support your life-changing move. Between 60% to 70% of newcomers over the last few years did not use settlement services. They later found that they could’ve done so much more to be ready. Don’t make the same mistake.
Pre-arrival services are a key source of support that will help you become aware of the expectations, challenges and opportunities you will have in your new home. In this section you will learn about our three-step process and how we can help you prepare for your move, settlement and employment.
Step 1
Group Orientation
Get a well-balanced and reliable overview of life and work in Canada. The group orientation (GO) session gives you the opportunity to clarify your expectations, make informed decisions and start networking.
The GO is offered in person in India and the Philippines. Each session is delivered in one day (7 hours). Sessions are also offered online worldwide, delivered over two consecutive days (3.5 hours each).
In a GO session, you will add to what you may already know through research, family and friends on topics like:
- Living in Canada (important documents, housing, health, education, finances, weather, opportunities in small and larger centres, cultural adaptation).
- Working in Canada (labour market, skills required, job search strategies, credential recognition, licensure, work culture).
The GO session will also enable you to identify next steps so you can go deeper into your settlement and employment priorities during your personalized planning session.
Step 2
Personalized Planning Session
Prepare for personal and professional success during the personalized planning session (PPS). We will pair you with a trained facilitator who will help you create a custom action plan based on your needs.
The PPS will last one hour and you will:
- Discuss your settlement and employment journey.
- Discuss your needs, skills and priorities for your new life in Canada.
- Identify important actions you can take immediately before your departure and upon arrival.
- Define what further settlement and employment needs we can help you address.
By the end of this session, you will have a personalized action plan that will help you make further important decisions and take steps to better prepare. We will also put you in touch with local advisors in Canada for additional settlement and employment support before your departure.
Step 3
Connections to Organizations
Engage with advisors in Canada to put your plan into action. We will help you find additional support through organizations and establish local connections based on your priorities, destination and occupation.
Prior to your arrival in Canada, our advisors will:
- Respond to your additional settlement questions specific to your province and city of destination. Questions can include topics like housing, schooling, education, language training, finances, etc.
- Offer you orientation on the labour market, opportunities and support in your sector.
- Give you pre-arrival employment support based on your needs, skills and occupation sector. This additional support may include specific online mentoring and short-term programs, such as job search e-learning courses, and connections to employment opportunities when relevant.
- Offer guidance for regulated occupations, including licensing process and referrals to regulatory bodies, as well as exploring related careers options.
- Provide other referrals within your province and city of destination.
Before you arrive, you will have clear options for support and taken the right steps toward your settlement. You will also know what you’ll need to do upon arrival.
Success Stories
Pramod Bhargav
“I wanted to know more about what to expect when I landed in Canada. Planning for Canada answered all my queries and created a personalized plan for me to follow. It has worked wonders.”
Pramod moved from India in October 2019.
Olubukola Abdul
“Planning for Canada’s services covered mostly everything that I wanted to ask about Canada. I learned about education, settlement, and associations and bridging programs that I could join.”
Olubukola’s family moved from Nigeria in December 2019.
Vivek and Shweta
“The action plan had a lot of information about jobs and settlement. Pre-arrival services exposed us to real information about Canada and [allowed us to] settle down in an organized way.”
Vivek and Shweta moved from India in October 2017.
Find Out If You’re Eligible
We offer pre-arrival services to approved permanent residents (or those who are very close to becoming one) under two immigration streams: economic and family class, and the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP). In this section you will learn if you are eligible for our services under one of these streams.
If you’re an economic or family class immigrant
You are eligible for our pre-arrival services if:
- you are not currently in Canada;
- you have applied for immigration to any part of Canada as a principal applicant, spouse or adult dependant; and
- you have received at least one of the documents on this list:
- IRCC invitation to obtain pre- arrival services
- Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) letter/document
- Passport request letter that indicates Permanent Resident Visa issuance
- IRCC request that an applicant for permanent residence complete a medical examination
- Single Entry Permanent Resident Visa
- Permanent Resident Visa pick- up notification letter
If you are a francophone immigrant moving to a province outside Quebec, including under the Atlantic Immigration Program, please contact Connexions-Francophones.
If you’re an Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) immigrant
You are eligible for our pre-arrival services if:
- you are not currently in Canada, and
- you or your spouse or parent have received a Completed Job Offer Form to a Foreign National from an employer in one of the four Atlantic provinces—New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, or Newfoundland and Labrador.
