Organisations helping immigrants in Canada (outside Quebec): free IRCC services, Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta and francophone networks

Information checked on 2 November 2026.

Outside Quebec, organisations helping immigrants in Canada are found first through the official tool of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC): « Find free newcomer services near you ». Just enter a postal code or a city. These services, funded by the federal government, are free for eligible people. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. If you speak French, the Réseaux en immigration francophone (francophone immigration networks) point you to French-language services in your province.

This page is part of our series on organisations helping foreigners in Europe and the Americas. Quebec has its own network, presented in our guide to organisations helping immigrants in Quebec.

The essentials in one table

Hours and addresses change: go through each organisation's contact page and call before you go. IRCC recommends this too.

Free services funded by IRCC

IRCC's tool lists the organisations that receive federal funding to welcome newcomers. They cover four kinds of services:

• work: help finding a job, help getting a licence or certification in a regulated profession;
• language: assessment, English or French classes, job-related language training, conversation groups; LINC/CLIC classes in French are for francophones in minority communities;
• settlement: resources, a settlement plan, citizenship test preparation, connections with the local community;
• specific groups: children, youth, women, seniors, families, refugees, 2SLGBTQI+ people, persons with disabilities, people affected by gender-based violence.

Who is eligible. According to IRCC: permanent residents (including resettled refugees), people whose permanent residence application is approved in principle, protected persons with a positive decision from the Immigration and Refugee Board, and certain temporary residents in specific employment programmes (for example the Atlantic Immigration Program). The page does not mention asylum claimants whose claim is still pending.

A change to know about. IRCC states that from 1 April 2026, economic class permanent residents can only access these services for a limited period. The page refers to a separate page for the exact length: check it if this applies to you.

Quebec is not covered by this tool: the province runs its own integration services.

Ontario: OCASI, COSTI, FCJ Refugee Centre

OCASI and Settlement.org. The Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, founded in 1978, brings together more than 200 community organisations in the province. It runs Settlement.org, an information site for newcomers funded by IRCC and the province, online since 2000. Its « Find Services Near Me » tool searches by region and type of service: community health centres, community legal clinics, English classes, help with the health card (OHIP). The French version is called Etablissement.org.

COSTI Immigrant Services. In the Greater Toronto Area, COSTI helps people find a job, learn English and settle in, with 17 offices and online support: housing, job search workshops, training, family services and mental well-being.

FCJ Refugee Centre. In Toronto, this centre supports refugees and people whose immigration status is at risk. It states that all its services are free: immigration information and support and refugee protection, temporary shelter for women and children, a primary health clinic, English classes, food security, school enrolment for youth, support for migrant workers and trafficking survivors. The centre specifies that it does not work with agents or intermediaries, and that it supports people already in Canada. It also publishes a refugee hearing preparation toolkit (2026).

British Columbia and Alberta

ISSofBC (Immigrant Services Society of BC). Present across the province, with its main office in Vancouver, the society welcomes newcomers to settle, learn English, study and work. Settlement and employment services are free. Its free BC SAFE HAVEN programme is for asylum seekers: guidance with the claim, English, employment, urgent help with the housing search (Vancouver and Burnaby). LINC English classes are free for eligible people. Offices see people by appointment.

MOSAIC. In Metro Vancouver, MOSAIC helps immigrants and refugees settle and find work: settlement, employment, English classes and tests, health and counselling, families, information on rights, violence prevention, interpretation. The organisation says it serves around 33,000 people a year, in 70 languages.

Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS). In Calgary and southern Alberta, CCIS commits to serving newcomers « of all religions, races, ethnic and national origins ». Programmes cover settlement, integration, employment, pre-arrival and arrival support, and resettlement of government-assisted refugees. It reports more than 30,000 newcomers served in 2024-2025.

The national network: the Canadian Council for Refugees

The Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) is an umbrella of around 200 organisations that defends the rights of refugees and vulnerable migrants. It does not see individuals: it works with ministers, publishes analyses and brings its members together. Its member list, sorted by province, is however useful for finding a refugee organisation near you, including in the smaller provinces.

You speak French: the francophone networks

Outside Quebec, services exist in French. The 13 Réseaux en immigration francophone (RIF) coordinate francophone reception in their province or territory. With IRCC and the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne, they lead the Welcoming Francophone Communities initiative: 24 communities outside Quebec (14 at first, 10 added in August 2024) where reception in French has been strengthened. The government publishes their list under the title « Choisir une communauté accueillante qui offre des services en français ».

In Ontario, Etablissement.org provides information in French. In IRCC's tool, also look for CLIC classes, reserved for francophones in minority communities.

Asylum seekers and legal aid

IRCC's tool does not list asylum claimants among the eligible groups. Several organisations still see them: FCJ Refugee Centre in Toronto, ISSofBC's BC SAFE HAVEN programme in British Columbia, and CCR members in each province.

Legal aid is provincial. In Ontario, Legal Aid Ontario helps with refugee claims: deadlines, the Basis of Claim form, preparing for the hearing, appeals to the Refugee Appeal Division, judicial review. It can be reached on 1-800-668-8258 (toll-free), with help in more than 300 languages, and eligibility depends on financial criteria explained on its website. In other provinces, look for the province's legal aid service, or ask a settlement organisation to refer you.

Who may charge for your file

IRCC is clear: you do not need a representative. Forms and guides are free, and a representative does not draw special attention to your application or guarantee its approval.

If you pay someone, in any form, they must be authorised:

• a lawyer in good standing with a provincial or territorial law society (or a paralegal who is a member of the Law Society of Ontario, in Ontario only);
• a notary who is a member of the Chambre des notaires du Québec;
• a consultant in good standing with the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC).

A friend or relative may help you for free. IRCC will not deal with unauthorised paid representatives, and an application submitted through one may be returned or refused. You can check online: the CICC register, the provincial law society, the Chambre des notaires directory.

Beware of scams

No serious organisation promises a visa, a permit or permanent residence. IRCC-funded services are free for eligible people. Be wary of an « agent » who asks for money without being registered with the CICC or a law society, of offers received through social media, and of any guaranteed result. Never hand your original documents to an intermediary.

Students will find the traps specific to scholarships in our article on scholarship scams, and those weighing up the United States can read our guide to organisations helping immigrants in the United States.

Compatri: your compatriots in Canada

An organisation helps you with the paperwork. Your compatriots know where to live in Toronto, which office answers quickly in Calgary, how to get through the first winter in Ottawa. On Compatri, find the community of your country in your city (communities in Canada), and read how mutual help between compatriots works.

Coming to study? The guide to scholarships to study in Canada and Quebec lists verified funding, our comparison IELTS, TOEFL or Duolingo helps you choose an English test, and volunteer mentors from the diaspora share their journey. Compatri's directory of associations mainly lists, for now, diaspora associations in Belgium.

Compatri is not linked to any of the organisations mentioned: we present them to help you find the right contact.

Sources

• IRCC: find free newcomer services near you
• Canada.ca: Welcoming Francophone Communities initiative
• Canada.ca: check if your representative is authorised
• Canada.ca: learn about representatives
• Canadian Council for Refugees
• CCR: members by province
• OCASI
• Settlement.org
• COSTI Immigrant Services
• FCJ Refugee Centre
• ISSofBC
• MOSAIC
• Calgary Catholic Immigration Society
• Legal Aid Ontario: refugee law