CANADIAN NEWCOMER 1

Pre- and Post-Arrival Support

6 min readJun 10, 2020

Hello! Are you interested in moving to Canada? Or are you a recent arrival? I can share advice that will make your immigrant journey smoother!

Who am I?

I’m Garry, and after 15yrs living in Japan, I moved to Canada in late 2019.

What can I share?

I learned a lot from friends, great mentors and advisors, pre- and post-arrival services, and good old-fashioned internet research! Earlier this year I talked about these things in a LinkedIn article and a webinar with NewCanadians. I will expand on those points and share more, through a series of stories that can help you on your Canada journey.

All entries in this series are available at the following links:

The first topic to cover are pre and post-arrival services.

1) Be Organised!

Photo by Startup Stock Photos from Pexels

Before I left my previous country, I collected key information to make an action plan for a) Before I left my country, b) When I landed at the airport, and c) The first few weeks in Canada.

Take advantage of all the resources shared below and make your own action plan before you arrive in Canada.

2) Before You Leave Your Home Country

Depending on your route to Canada, you will be eligible for assistance from organisations funded by Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC); IRCC Pre-arrival Services

These pre-arrival services are based not only in Canada, but all around the world. They offer online advice & webinars, and can be a great source of information before you leave your country.

I took advantage of Pre-arrival Services. Canada wants you to arrive here and quickly become a tax-paying member of society, so they make support and guidance available to you ASAP.

I signed up for every pre-arrival service I could find, joined the seminars, and had Skype meetings with their advisors.

Why use Pre-arrival services?

I wanted advice from experts about making an action plan for what to do before/after landing.
I wanted to connect with people already working in my field in Canada (this is known as pre-arrival mentoring).
I wanted advice to help adapt my resume to the Canadian style.

In this way, I knew what to work on before and after landing, I had contact info for several newcomer organisations that I could use upon arrival. I connected with 2 pre-arrival mentors for informational interviews.

I planned to live in Toronto, so I researched potential companies I could work for there. I polished my LinkedIn profile and asked my connections to introduce me to anyone they know in Canada. I connected with a few people in this way, and in informational interviews I learned about their stories.

This helped me be better-informed before making the journey to Canada. Below are some of the organisations I used:

Planning for Canada: In-person services in India and the Philippines, and online services globally. General information about living in Canada, orientation to education, health care, housing and transportation, and more. I joined webinars with their Manila office
OCISO: Provided a Pre-Arrival Mentor
Canada InfoNet (Also known as JVS): Online services globally. Help you prepare for work, employer-interactive webinars, job matching platforms, find a mentor with experience in your sector, and learn about Canadian workplace culture. I also took a group mentoring course after landing
BuildON: Online services globally. If you will live in Ontario, BuildOn is focused on construction, skilled trades, and engineering. I received a personalised action plan full of helpful links and advice for early life in Canada

3) After Landing in Canada

Of course, the work doesn’t stop when you arrive in Canada. It just moves to the next level!

Don’t just start blindly applying for jobs!!

Take advantage of the several organisations offering post-arrival assistance to new arrivals.

A great help for me after arriving was ACCES Employment

They offer industry-specific job services, including one-on-one coaching, to help prepare you to look for jobs, known as Bridging Programs.

The employment counselor running my Engineering course was excellent. In a class of ~20 newcomer students from all over the world, she led a boot camp help us understand cultural differences and barriers we might face as job-seekers in Canada. She also shared a lot of practical advice on how to adapt to the Canadian market, which helped my job search immensely.

My course was delivered through Ryerson University’s Chang School of Continuing Education. I was able to put this on my LinkedIn profile; having a hometown university really helps to localize your profile and resume.

I joined events run by TRIEC

TRIEC is an umbrella organisation based in Toronto, bringing together several groups which help newcomer professionals.

They also offer an excellent mentoring program which connects you with an experienced newcomer that can guide you via one-on-one sessions. This helps you learn from the experience of those who have walked the same path you are now on.

LINC Programs will help you improve your English ability, if that is something you need to work on (Ontario)

You can study part-time or full-time, with some evening and weekend classes also possible. Care for Newcomer Children is also provided if you are a parent attending classes. LINC classes are offered in several locations across Ontario, in places like the YMCA.

Summing Up

These are just some of the available tools and resources that are available for newcomers to Canada. Get organised, make time and sign up for as many as possible, and work on your action plan. Take advantage and set yourself up for success before you even set foot here!