Settlement Services

Settlement agencies offer services, often in many languages, to help you settle in Ontario.

Settling in nicely
The municipal immigration portals featured in the Cities & Towns section provide a great source of information for the newcomer. The portals for the cities of Kingston, Ottawa, Sudbury and Timmins are in both English and French.

You will find on OntarioImmigration.ca a section devoted to your first days in your new country as well as giving you all the information you need after you arrive.

Tip: Settlement agencies can help you with the translation of documents or refer you to an agency offering that service. You can also search the 211Ontario directory for 'Translation of documents' to find organizations offering translation services across Ontario.

Additional resources:

Welcome to Ontario, a Guide to Programs and Services for Newcomers to Ontario offered in several languages.
Newcomer’s Guide to Canadian Housing, Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation
In My Language, settlement information in 11 languages to help you settle in Ontario.
Services Near Me, Settlement.org
News and Updates, Settlement.org
Key French settlement agencies in Ontario (in French)

Note: The Centre francophone de Toronto (in French) is the gateway for all francophones in Toronto.

Employment Services

Settlement agencies in your community will provide you with or give you information about employment services available to you such as:

Job search workshops providing you with essential skills to succeed on the Canadian job market including résumé and cover letter writing as well as interview skills.
Mentoring programs helping you adapt to the Canadian market by meeting someone in your profession
Paid Internship programs allowing you to get Canadian work experience
Bridge Training programs upgrading your skills in order to quickly move into your profession

In English please
The French tool Travailler au Canada (in French) can help you write a resumé and prepare for an interview in English. You first enter your occupation. Find the Classification Nationale des Professions (CNP) (in French) Select your occupation according to the CNP. You will be provided with the French description, main tasks and required skills of your occupation. Finally, choose "English" to get the equivalent page.

Many of these free employment services are funded by Employment Ontario, an initiative of the government of Ontario to provide training programs and other employment services to help you find a job and meet your career goals.

You can find programs and services close to you by using this search tool. Use Getting Started to identify the program or service you need.

Tip: Use the National Occupational Classification (NOC) to assess where your occupation fits in the Canadian economy as well as the skills, knowledge and education required.

The Working in Canada tool provides you with a detailed report based on your occupation in relation to a specific location.

Driver Examination Services

Your foreign driver’s licence is valid for 60 days after arriving in Ontario but you will afterwards have to get an Ontario’s driver license.

Note: You can ask to take the written test in French. Call your local DriveTest Centre at 1-888-570-6110 to ensure that the French version of the test you require is available on the premises. You can also do your road test in French at designated French Driver Examination Centres.

Find the Service You Need

The Directory of community and social services 211Ontario.ca helps you find the service you need anywhere in Ontario.

You can also get free information as well as being referred to the appropriate program or service by simply dialling 211 in many regions of Ontario (Perth, Huron, Kingston, Lennox, Addington, Frontenac, Ottawa, Niagara, Toronto, Windsor-Essex, Halton, Peel, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Simcoe, Bruce, Grey, Muskoka, Haliburton, Kawartha Lakes, Peterborough, Northumberland, Algoma, Rainy River, Hamilton, Oxford and Durham region).

Use ServiceOntario Service Location Finder to find a wide range of services in your community offered by the government of Ontario.

Tip: Keep abreast of new programs, developments and other government initiatives affecting Francophones in Ontario with the Announcements section of the Office of Francophone Affairs.

Do you have a question? Ask OntarioImmigration.ca.