Newcomer Settlement
LMNHS has a history of providing settlement services to newcomers and immigrants to Canada for several decades. Currently, with funding from both Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the BC Newcomer Services Program (BCNSP) program, our settlement staff can provide a wide variety of free settlement services and programs to newcomers to Canada and their family members.
Our professional settlement team offers services in over 10 languages. You can book appointments directly with staff speaking your language, please refer to the table below to find out their phone numbers and email addresses.
Staff Directory
- Kim – French, Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese) – (236) 862-6695 –
- Silva – French, عربي (Arabic), հայերէն (Armenian) – (236) 862-5705 –
- Tetiana – Українська (Ukrainian), Русский (Russian) – (236) 862-8522 –
- Annie – 国语 粤语 (Mandarin/Cantonese) – (236) 862-0802 –
- Arely – Español (Spanish) – (236) 862-3485 –
- Alma – Tagalog – (236) 862-0750 –
Staff Member
Phone Number
(236) 862-6695
(236) 862-5705
(236) 862-8522
(236) 862-0802
(236) 862-3485
(236) 862-0750
One-on-One Newcomer Support
Our one-on-one settlement support includes but is not limited to the following topics:
Needs Assessments and Referrals: Assessing needs, assets, referral to resources and services and creating a plan to achieve settlement goals.
Employment: Job search, labour market information, and preparing resumes and interviews.
Health: MSP, Fair PharmaCare, Mental Health counselling support.
Education: school registration, child care, parenting, ESL classes.
Important Documents: PR card renewal, Canadian citizenship application and test preparation.
Benefits: Child Tax Benefit, Old Age Security (OAS), General Income Supplement (GIS), Senior’s Bus Pass program, subsidized housing, etc.
Group Workshops and Activities
Information and Orientation
We offer group Information and Orientation sessions to provide newcomers with the information, resources and knowledge needed to navigate the Canadian system, learn about cultures and life in Canada, gain general knowledge in topics like health, education, community resources, banking and more.
Our group sessions are offered in different languages. In-person sessions also provide free childminding and transportation support if needed.
Transition Orientation Workshops: Settlement Workers facilitate orientation and transition workshops that raise newcomer’s awareness about settling in Canada. Topics may include: Intro to Canada; Rights and Freedoms, Canadian Law and Justice, Culture, values/norms, Employment Standards, Finance and Banking, Health, Housing, Education Systems, Community resources.
New Country, New Culture, New Challenges: Workshops provide knowledge about raising a family in Canada and support for family adjustment issues. Topics are needs based and tailored towards mothers with an aim to reduce barriers to family integration. Focus is on practical information and discussion with differing perspectives.
Citizenship Test Preparation Classes: A group series of tutorial-based workshops help newcomers prepare for upcoming citizenship test. It is a preparatory class that encourages discussion and client engagement.
Community Connections
Community Connections programs are the ones that promote social integration and well-being. Activities will provide opportunities for newcomers to integrate and contribute to their new community as well as facilitate dialogue between newcomers and Canadians, including Indigenous peoples.
Community Kitchens for Newcomers: Meet new people in a fun and friendly cooking class. Learn new recipes while building English skills with other newcomers and mentors in the community. Participants will increase food knowledge in a Canadian context and be supported to make healthy food choices. Registration required, for more information, please contact Tetiana.
Newcomer Women’s Art Therapy Workshops: The program helps women work through mental health issues they experience in adapting to their new community. Art expression bridges the gap between a newcomer’s old and new life. Art facilitates self-reflection on the many challenges and hopes for the future and builds capacity to solve problems related to settlement adjustment process. The Art Therapy workshops are offered in three different languages.
Stories of Little Mountain/Riley Park: This dialogue project will foster understanding between newcomers and Indigenous peoples with an aim of greater inclusion and advocacy towards reconciliation, forging new dynamics/relationships/partnerships. The project will explore ways to imagine a world beyond colonialism and fear that hinders communication between communities where meaningful dialogue and change to take place. For more information, please contact Wen.
Digital Literacy
We offer group sessions and one-on-one support to those who need to learn more about the basic functions of electronic devices, accessing information, setting up accounts and getting things done online, utilizing various digital tools, etc. You need no prior knowledge to join. Please contact Silva (silvaa@lmnhs.bc.ca) for more information.
For more information on IRCC funded settlement programs, please visit:
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/new-immigrants.html
For more information on BCNSP, please visit:
https://www.welcomebc.ca/Start-Your-Life-in-B-C/Settlement-Services
Our Funders and Partners
