Pathways | Immigrant Settlement Services

Immigrant Settlement Services

Education, Employment, Family / Parenting, Financial, Immigrant and Refugee Services, Legal, Multicultural Services, and Services for Youth

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: Provides free support for adult learners through volunteer tutors and formal classes taught by professional instructors. Students can receive assistance with learning English, including reading, writing and speaking. Instruction is available from beginner to advanced levels. Instruction is also available in computer, math, and literacy skills. Who We Help:

Learners must be at least 17 years old and live in Abbotsford, Mission, and Aldergrove areas.
Tutoring Support – Canadian-born and all immigration statuses are eligible, except temporary visitors.
Formal Classes – Open to work permit holders, naturalized citizens, refugee claimants, and Ukrainian temporary residents (CUAET)
This free program typically runs from September to June, but intake is continuous.

Community Connections: Offers several components to support newcomers to Canada as they progress along their settlement processes within their new community. We offer educational classes, relationship building, social activities, and community events to help newcomers build connections in their community. Who We Help:

Adult newcomers to Canada, focusing on Permanent Residents.
We can also serve work permit holders, naturalized citizens, and refugee claimants in some of our classes and events. Please contact us to find out if you are eligible.

Career Paths For Skilled Immigrants: This program assists immigrants gain experience, find employment, or improve employment within their field, with an individual approach that is tailored to meet individual needs. Who is Eligible:

Permanent Resident within the last 10 years
Intermediate English proficiency
Have 1 year of skilled work experience prior to coming to Canada for Stream 1 and 2 occupations or 2 years of skilled work experience for Stream 3 occupations.
OR 1 year of pre-arrival work experience for Stream 3 occupations if you are 30 years old or younger.
Unemployed OR underemployed in a job that does not use the training or experience you obtained prior to coming to Canada

Diversity Education & Resource Services (DEARS): Promotes cross-cultural understanding and learning within our community through workshops and trainings, an extensive resource lending library, providing assistance and consulting in policy development & organizational change, and coordinating the Abbotsford Local Immigration Partnership and Fraser Valley Human Dignity Coalition.

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: Offers one-on-one employment coaching, training for job seekers, and professional mentorship, to explore opportunities for accessing the Canadian labour market. From providing employment readiness sessions, networking events and topical workshops the Employment Mentors program assists immigrants in gaining valuable knowledge and an understanding of Canadian workplace culture and employment pathways in Canada. Eligibility Criteria:

Permanent residents, naturalized citizens, temporary foreign workers, post graduate work permit holders, and refugees.
Employed, unemployed or underemployed

Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC): Students in the LINC program will improve their reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills in English. They will learn about Canada, becoming a citizen, politics, history, and geography. Students learn about working and living in Canada, rights and freedoms, housing, employment, and education. Classes run year-round with continuous intake. Part-time morning and evening classes are available. Qualifications: 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. People We Help:

Permanent residents of Canada
Individuals allowed to remain in Canada and to whom Citizenship & Immigration Canada intends to grant permanent resident status
Refugee claimants/Refugees
International students
Temporary foreign workers
Provincial nominees
Naturalized Canadian citizens

Immigrant Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS): Provides coaching, case management, and group workshops for youth, aged 15-30 who are new to Canada, as they explore their employment and education options. Youth get support from employment specialists with finding their first job in Canada, resume writing, job search help, interview preparation, building experience, upgrading skills, and deciding on and applying to career education programs.

Legal Advocacy for Agricultural Workers: Provides assistance to farm workers in Punjabi, Spanish, English, Hindi, Mandarin, and Vietnamese. We provide full representation on a variety of issues including employment standards/unpaid wages, residential Tenancy, employment Insurance, regular and sickness benefits, Canada Pension Plan Disability, Work Safe BC, social assistance, Canada Pension Plan, old age security pension, and human rights. Who We Help:

Clients must be a farm worker (poultry, berry, vegetable, mushroom) or work in a greenhouse, nursery, berry production, or other agricultural related work.
We can provide very basic information on other employment-related issues to immigrants.

Moving Ahead Program(MAP) Provides one-to-one support for immigrants or refugees who are facing multiple barriers to successful settlement into Canada. This program is NOT open to Refugee Claimants until their claim is accepted.

Parenting Life Skills for Immigrants: The life skills and education courses aim to enable clients to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of adaption and integration. The purpose is to provide clients with knowledge and skills necessary for successful living in a new environment. People We Help: Newcomers parenting children 12 and under

Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS): Provides settlement support to newcomer families and their children as they adjust to their new surroundings, including the local school system. Staff inform students and their families about schooling and community services in Abbotsford and British Columbia, and provide referrals to services and resources, while supporting families in the integration process. People We Help:

We serve parents of children from age 5 to 18.
Permanent residents of Canada
Individuals allowed to remain in Canada and to whom Citizenship & Immigration Canada intends to grant permanent resident status
Refugee claimants / Refugees
International students
Temporary foreign workers
Provincial nominees
Naturalized Canadian Citizen

Immigrant Youth Services: Offers a variety of programs to help newcomer youth integrate into life in Canada.

Culture Club runs weekly in seven middle and high schools during lunch hour, giving youth an opportunity to engage in some intercultural activities and connect with their classmates. Homework help may also be available at this time.
After-school programs run Monday – Thursday, offering homework support, life skills lessons, leadership training, and recreation opportunities. Please contact us if you would like to attend.
One-to-One Support from a youth worker is available for vulnerable youth to help them get their schooling back on track, find employment, housing, medical care, mental health supports, or whatever else they need to achieve their goals. Transportation may be available for Permanent Residents if needed.

604-859-7681(Abbotsford Community Services)

Public email: Hello@Archway.ca

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

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

604-768-6277 (Access2English)

Public email: A2E@archway.ca

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

778-345-6415 (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...

604-557-8132 (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...

604-859-7681 (Immigrant Settlement)

Public email: Settlement@archway.ca

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

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

Public email: immigrantyouth@archway.ca

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

604-743-0401 or 236-380-0937 (Legal Advocacy for Agricultural Workers)

Public email: LegalAdvocacy@archway.ca

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

604-308-1857 (Moving Ahead Program (MAP)

Public email: MAP@archway.ca

Website: https://archway.ca/program/moving-ahead

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

Public email: Rupinder.Padam@archway.ca

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

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

Public email: Settlement@archway.ca

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

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: