Pathways | Immigrant Settlement Program

Immigrant Settlement Program

Education, Employment, Family / Parenting, Financial, Immigrant and Refugee Services, Multicultural Services, Social / Recreational, and Youth Services

Provided by Archway Community Services

Provides settlement services to new immigrants, refugees, refugee claimants, and permanent residents

Abbotsford Community Services offers the following programs to allow newcomers to Canada a successful transition:

Access2English: Program pairs trained community volunteers with adults who want to improve their reading, writing, speaking or math skills, but who are unable to access literacy or ESL classes or programs. Learners include adults whose native language is English as well as immigrants and newcomers for whom English is an additional language.

Community Connections: Program offers several components to support newcomers to Canada as they progress along with their settlement and integration processes within their new community. Educational classes, relationship building, social activities, and community events are integral aspects of the Connections Program.

Career Paths For Skilled Immigrants: Assists you to gain experience, find employment or improve employment within your field, with an individual approach that is tailored to meet your needs. Who is Eligible:

Permanent resident of Canada within the last 5 years
Have intermediate English speaking abilities
3 years of international work experience (applicants under 30 years of age only require 1 year of international work experience)
Unemployed or working in a job that is unrelated to your expertise
Reside in Abbotsford, Mission, Chilliwack or Hope

If you meet one or more of these criteria, you may be eligible!

Diversity Education & Resource Services (DEARS): Provides workshops and training, through an extensive resource lending library, providing assistance and consulting in policy development & organizational change.
Ongoing workshops are facilitated for businesses community organizations, school classes, youth & adult programs. Topics include these and more:

racism
anti-racism response training
stereotypes & biases
diversity awareness
anti-homophobia & challenging heterosexism
responding to discrimination
diversity in media, marketing, and communication
hiring for diversity

Employment Mentors: Connect newcomers with professionals of similar vocational or skilled backgrounds for coaching and advice in accessing the Canadian labour market. From providing informational interviews to attending networking events, our mentors assist our newcomers in gaining valuable knowledge and an understanding of Canadian workplace culture and employment pathways in Canada.

English Classes - Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC): Provides free ESL classes (CLB1 - CLB8) to new immigrants. Classes are offered morning and evening in Abbotsford and a morning class in Mission. On-site childminding is available for morning classes at some locations.

Qualifications: You must be 17 years old or older and have Permanent Resident status in Canada.

Immigrant Settlement: Provides settlement and adaptation process for immigrants and refugees by providing: information, orientation, assessment, supported referrals, education workshops, and short-term adaptation counseling.

Immigrant Youth & Young Adults: For Immigrant Youth:

Ages 12-18
Interested in better opportunities in life, employment or education
Looking for help with literacy training and ESL/COMPUTER/LIFE SKILLS
Looking for help with or alternatives to public school

Offers:

Workshops
One-to-one Support
Resume Help, Referrals/Personal and Career Planning

Job Connections for Immigrants (JCI): Program trains participants to gain skills and experience that can lead to employment opportunities and success in the retail industry. By the end of the program, participants are better equipped to enter the workforce with experience, insight into workplace culture and job connections that may otherwise have been challenging to gain.

Legal Advocacy for Agricultural Workers: Provides assistance with legal issues related to their employment, tenancy and CPP disability concerns.

Moving Ahead Program(MAP) Program is designed to assist immigrant individuals and families with multiple needs and significant integration barriers.

Parenting Life Skills for Immigrants: In these classes, newcomers to Canada gain confidence and make positive connections. The purpose is to provide participants with the knowledge and skills necessary for successful living and parenting in their new environment. The goal is to equip parents with our Canadian cultural ways of parenting.

Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS): Settlement support and liaison are offered between schools and the home of immigrant students and their families:

To provide settlement support to all newcomer families and their children as they require assistance in adjusting to their new surroundings
To provide information to students and their families about schooling and community services in Abbotsford and British Columbia and/or provide referrals to the services and resources and supporting families in the integration process
To assist the newcomer students and their parents in adapting to the local school system

Youth Buddy: Program encourages new immigrant youth to build friendships with Canadian youth in grades 6 - 12. The weekly lunchtime club includes recreational activities, guest speakers and fun educational experiences related to the variety of cultures represented in the group.

604-859-7681(Abbotsford Community Services)

Website: https://archway.ca/programs/#newcomers

2420 Montrose Avenue, Abbotsford, British Columbia, V2S 3S9

604-217-5841 (Access2English)

Public email: A2E@archway.ca

Website: https://archway.ca/program...

604-866-0257 (Career Paths for Skilled Immigrants)

Public email: CareerPaths@archway.ca

Website: https://archway.ca/program/career...

604-217-2299 (Community Connections)

Public email: connections@archway.ca

Website: https://archway.ca/program/community...

604-859-7681 (Diversity Education) ext. 270

Public email: Diversity@archway.ca

Website: https://archway.ca/program/diversity...

604-217-0444 (Employment Mentors)

Public email: EmploymentMentors@archway.ca

Website: https://archway.ca/program/employment...

604-859-7681 (English Classes) ext. 216

Public email: LINC@archway.ca

Website: https://archway.ca/program/language...

Some classes are held at Mission Community Services 33179 2nd Avenue. Tuesday and Thursday 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

604859-7681 (Immigrant Settlement)

Public email: ISP@archway.ca

Website: https://archway.ca/program/immigrant...

604-859-7544 (Immigrant Youth & Young Adults)

Public email: immigrantyouth@archway.ca

#5, 32700 George Ferguson, Abbotsford, British Columbia, V2T 4V6

604-743-0401 or 604-743-0399 (Legal Advocacy for Agricultural Workers)

Public email: LegalAdvocacy@archway.ca

Website: https://archway.ca/program/community...

778-809-4411 (Moving Ahead Program (MAP)

Public email: MAP@archway.ca

604-866-5233 (Parenting Life Skills for Immigrants)

Public email: Rupinder.Padam@archway.ca

604-859-7681(Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS))

Public email: ISP@archway.ca

Service is available in Albanian, American Sign Language, Arabic, Bosnian, Cantonese, Croatian, English, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Pashto, Punjabi, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Swahili, Taiwanese, Turkish, Urdu, and Vietnamese.

Cost: Fees may apply

Referral options: