Especially since the economic crisis in Greece, we are solicited on a daily basis, in person and by internet, for advice and referral regarding pre-migration, the immigration process, about housing and about the job market in Montreal, Québec and Canada, French courses and about how to successfully integrate in Québec society.
If you are a housing owner and have access to lodging or an employer and are interested in hiring residents with work permits please let us know by registering with our service so we can keep track of your needs and at the same time help new comers settle here as quickly as possible.
If you are seriously considering coming to Canada, please refer to the following information and links below:
1) You can find contact information for immigrant-serving organisations across Canada at www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomers/map/services.asp
2) It is also important to know about credential recognition. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) recommends that you review the resources on the Foreign Credentials Referral Office’s website to learn about the steps you need to take to get your credentials and qualifications assessed and recognised in Canada. (www.credentials.gc.ca)
3) Service Canada offers access to a wide range of government programmes and services. www.servicecanada.gc.ca
4) Newcomers come to Canada with different levels of French or English. If you do not already speak one of Canada’s official languages at an advanced level, we encourage you to take steps to improve your French or English as soon as possible before you arrive in Canada.
If you already speak one of Canada’s two official languages at a high level, you should consider making an effort to learn the other one. In many parts of Canada, (eg. Quebec) the ability to speak both English and French is a major asset for finding a good job and participating fully in all aspects of society.
French Courses are also available abroad. Two types of services are available: French courses offered at academic institutions, and French courses offered on line. For more information, you can visit the following website: http://www.immigration-quebec.gouv.qc.ca/FR/langue-francaise/index.html
Upon arrival in Quebec, you can take beginner and advanced French courses, which are available on a full time or part time basis, according to your needs.
5) For information on employment in Canada below are Key sources of information on working in Canada. There are many useful starting points for information and support when you begin your search for a job in Canada.
• www.workingincanada.gc.ca is a website that contains detailed information on all aspects of working in Canada. It includes the Working in Canada tool which provides specific information (about skills and qualifications requirements, licence and certification, wages, job opportunities and much more) on over 500 occupations available in Canada.
• Service Canada is a federal government department that provides information on many topics, including information on searching and applying for jobs. It also maintains a large database of jobs currently available across Canada. These resources are available online at www.jobbank.gc.ca or by calling or visiting a Service Canada Centre in your city or town (for telephone numbers and locations, consult the Blue Pages or visit www.servicecanada.gc.ca). There are also some nongovernmental sites where you can search for jobs such as LinkedIn, monster.com, jobboom.com,
• Immigrant-serving organisations can guide you in all aspects of searching for employment in Canada and help you with any step in the process. You can find addresses and contact information for immigrant-serving organisations across Canada at www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomers/map/services.asp.
• Your future Canadian province and territory have their own specific website for newcomers and is another good source of employment information. You can find a list of provincial and territorial websites for newcomers in the section on Sources of information.
A more general way to find out how you can immigrate to Canada, how to protect yourself from fraud and what to expect after you arrive in Canada is by reading the following link http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/pub/welcome.pdf