Desi News Corp - Index

Desi News Corp - Desi News - May 2009 - Index

cies across Ontario, funds the
Host program. This program
matches community volunteers
and newcomers, who
spend time together in friendship
and mutual learning.
The Canadian volunteer or
the host is someone who lives
in the same area and can help
the newcomer find his or her
way around their new community
and share their knowledge
about Canadian customs and
traditions, about what life is really
like in Canadian communities.
In the process, volunteers
learn about other cultures and
gain a better understanding of
what immigrants contribute to
Canada and have the opportunity
to practice English or
French.
The Host program, like all
other programs funded by
CIC to help newcomers, is
available to permanent residents
of Canada for free.
• For more info on the Host program,
visit www.host ontario.org.
Need to find a service
provider agency in your
community?
Service provider agencies,
including groups, institutions
and community organizations,
help newcomers adjust
IN IN YOUR YOUR FIRST FIRST FEW FEW WEEKS
WEEKS
• Exchange your money for
Canadian currency
• Find accommodation
• Have some identification
(ID) with you
• Get a map of the area and
find out about transportation.
• • Get your phone book
• Contact an immigrantserving
organization
• Fill out the forms for a
to life in Ontario by helping
them settle in their new
community.
They help find housing and
help newcomers to learn about
their new environment.
Many of these services are
also provided by school boards,
colleges, universities and private
businesses.
The settlement services
offered by these organizations
are funded by CIC. The services
are at no cost to newcomers
and always confidential.
The services offered include:
• Interpretation and translation
of documents.
• Help finding places to live,
English classes, job search
assistance, training programs or
places to buy food, clothes or
furniture at low cost.
• Help filling out forms and
applications.
• Information about other helpful
resources in the community.
• For more info on settlement
agencies in your community, visit
www.settlement.org/site/REGIONS/
home.asp
• If you have a question about
your permanent resident card,
or how to apply for citizenship,
visit www.cic.gc.ca, or call 1-
888-242-2100 (in Canada only).
– INFORMATION COURTESY
CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION CANADA
CHECKLIST
First things first
Social Insurance Number card
and a Health Insurance card
(see facing page for details).
IN IN YOUR YOUR FIRST FIRST FEW FEW MONTHS
MONTHS
• Find permanent housing
• • Get a telephone installed
• • Enrol children in school
• Get a family doctor
• Have your children immunized
OPPORTUNITIES ONTARIO
A win-win situation
for newcomers and employers
• A manager signs the paperwork left for her approval and
smiles with satisfaction. She is trained in her profession and
has established herself as talented and dependable. She is
a ‘temporary foreign worker’.
• A business owner has put in another long day. The
business he started since arriving in Ontario over 10 years
ago is doing well. His business revenue exceeds $1 million,
but he is concerned about staffing. He has vacancies for
highly skilled individuals he has been unable to fill.
• An international student stands on the steps of the
university. Her degree in hand, she is eager to put her
knowledge to use in Ontario.
• A South Asian businessman looks over his plans to
expand. He has earmarked $3 million for his investment in
Ontario and has identified the five permanent jobs that will
be created. He has just received an endorsement by an
Ontario ministry.
The Ontario government has a program that can help each
of these individuals. Opportunities Ontario: Provincial Nominee
Program facilitates the immigration process so that employers
can attract and retain highly skilled workers. The worker is
“nominated” to Citizenship and Immigration Canada for permanent
resident status. It creates a win-win situation for employers,
foreign workers, international students and investors alike.
It’s easy. It’s fast. The starting point is a job.
The employer must have a job in the high skills category
(managerial, professional or skilled trades occupation). If the
job is approved by Opportunities Ontario, the nominees receive
priority processing and are on their way to permanent resident
status in nine to twelve months.
• For more info on Opportunities Ontario: Provincial Nominee Program,
contact Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration at 416-327-
0374 or 1-866-214-6820, or visit www.ontario.ca/immigration.
• Open a bank account
• • Look for a job
• Join the Host Program
• Register at a LINC centre.
• • Apply for the Canada Child
Tax Benefit:1-800-387-1
1-800-387-1
1-800-387-1193.
1-800-387-1 193.
• Apply for the GST/HST
credit. Call 1-800-959-1953
1-800-959-1953.
1-800-959-1953
• Get your driver’s licence
• Improve your language skills
IN IN YOUR YOUR FIRST FIRST YEAR
YEAR
• Register for adult continuing
education classes
• • Take time to relax and participate
in community activities
• Understand your rights
and responsibilities
under Canadian law.
– INFO COURTESY
CITIZENSHIP AND
IMMIGRATION
CANADA
iMIGRATE