Are you new to Canada?

AHC supports people new to Canada to successfully transition and integrate into life in Canada. We offer a wide range of settlement and integration supports to:

  • permanent residents
  • naturalized citizens
  • international students in the process of becoming permanent residents
  • temporary foreign workers in the process of becoming permanent residents
  • others

We work with people in Greater Edmonton and also provide regional supports in other Alberta locations.

Our scope of supports include:

  • one-on-one counselling and guidance, to help people transition and integrate into their new communities
  • group activities and programs, to support personal development, participation in society and knowledge about Canada
  • stakeholder engagement and partnerships, to build community connections and foster welcoming, inclusive environments for all

We offer our supports in English and French.

Types of Support

We work in collaboration with many stakeholders locally, regionally and nationally, to connect people to various settlement and integration supports and resources, as outlined in the eight broad categories below.

For more information about any of our supports, please contact us.

Do you want to learn more about life in Canada?

To help people learn about their new community and life in Canada, we provide counselling, guidance and assistance with accessing various supports and resources.

 

Health and Wellbeing

Orientation and supports to help you understand provincial healthcare services and how to access health and wellbeing services in your community, such as:

  • finding family doctors
  • assistance when accessing specialized health supports, such as
  • hospital visits and surgeries
  • pregnancy/post natal services for mothers
  • pediatric care (children’ health)
  • dental and vision care
  • disabilities, other impairments and critical illness

Housing and Utility Services

Supports to help you:

  • find appropriate housing
  • deal with your landlord
  • understand your tenancy rights and responsibilities
  • get access to utility services (e.g., gas/heat, power/electricity, water)

Income Supports and Social Services

Orientation to government income supports, social services and access to resources for basic life needs.

Banking, Taxes and Other Financial Services

Orientation to expand your knowledge about banking in Canada and assistance to help you access various financial services, such as setting up your basic daily banking accounts, savings, RESP, RRSP, and more.

Community and Government Services

Orientation and connections to government services from all three levels of government (municipal, provincial, federal)

Canadian Laws and Legal Services

Orientation to Canadian legal systems. Other assistance to access legal services, e.g., access to lawyers; traffic court services; other court cases/services including domestic/children and family cases; other cases in relation to conflict with the law.

Driving in Canada

Orientation to Alberta’s driving regulations, permits and other resources.

Community/Neighborhood Connections

Orientation and connections to various community or social services, such as connections to faith, cultural, and other community support groups.

Recreation and Leisure Attractions

Orientation to recreation and leisure opportunities, access to recreation and leisure facilities and information about available subsidy programs.

Civic Engagement/Duties

Orientation to civic engagement, citizen rights and responsibilities, voting, and more.

Citizenship Preparation

Supports to assist you with preparation for the Canadian Citizenship process.

Applications and Referrals

We also help people with application processes/forms and can go with people to various referral meetings with service providers.

Interpretation and Translation

We also strive to assist our clients with interpretation and translation supports in other languages, when available. The supports may be provided by an AHC staff member or a volunteer from AHC or the community. We have provided assistance in many languages, such as English, French, Arabic, Amharic, Cantonese, Hindi, Kurdish, Mandarin, Nepali, Spanish, Swahili, and Tigrinya.

We can also assist clients in finding other related supports, such as legal assistance or notarization of translated documents.

Please ask one of our staff members if you need supports relating to a specific language; we may have a staff member who can assist or we may be able to source a local volunteer who knows that language.

Do you want to improve your skills?

To enhance the skills of people we serve, we offer many supports that help to boost personal growth and capacity development. This type of support helps people to participate actively in Canadian society.

Here are some examples our training sessions, workshops and skill development topics:

Do you want more information about finding work or starting a business?

For more information, refer to Employment Supports and Entrepreneurship Supports.

Also check out our free, drop-in, self-serve Community Resources Hub which offers a range of settlement and employment supports to community members.

Do you have questions about education? We can help!

We offer one-on-one and group supports to help people understand the educational system in Alberta and Canada, including local schools, training and education programs, career opportunities and skills development.

We also help by facilitating tours at educational institutions, informing people about program orientations, referring people to programs or options, and helping people with program/entrance applications.

Some of the general topics we assist with include:

  • pre-school, elementary, junior high and high school education in Canada
  • post-secondary education (e.g., college, university, technical training, other)
  • higher education, e.g., graduate programs and specialized courses
  • trades apprenticeship programs and other vocational training
  • foreign credential assessments and licensure

Looking to get involved in the community?

AHC offers different supports to connect people with opportunities to get involved in their community, access resources, interact with Canadians, and actively participate in society. Some examples include:

  • engagement in small, community-based projects and groups
  • opportunities for social and cultural networking
  • volunteering in the community and with other organizations
  • annual resource fairs (e.g., diversity health fair) and multicultural events
  • community field trips

Such supports and activities help people to build meaningful connections in their communities and successfully integrate into life in Canada.

To learn more about other types of supportive, community-based activities and events, refer to Upcoming Events, AHC Community Blog and Community Capacity Building.

Are you a parent or part of a family?

AHC offers a number of supports to help families maintain healthy family relationships, as they adapt to life in Canada and adjust to new roles and responsibilities for family members. Examples of such supports include:

  • family dynamics forums
  • family wellness supports
  • information on parenting in Canada

Our parenting supports are designed to help parents adapt to Canadian parenting practices and support the wellbeing of children as they adjust to a new life and community settings.

Each year, AHC undertakes a number of special projects, in support of successful settlement and integration. Some examples include:

  • Networking and Empowerment for Women (NEW) Program
  • Sewing Program
  • Multicultural Cuisine Healthy Cooking
  • Seniors Mental Wellbeing

AHC offers a range of settlement and integration supports at several northern Alberta locations.

This includes:

  • Beaumont
  • Bonnyville
  • Camrose
  • Cold Lake
  • Leduc

To learn more about settlement and integration supports in these locations, please contact Lisa de Gara, Rural Small Centres Manager. Email: lisa.degara@a4hc.ca | 780.944.4687

To learn more about our Afghan Community Outreach Support, please contact Tulin Sadouzai. Email: tulin.sadouzai@a4hc.ca | 780.944.4687

To learn more about our Ukrainian Outreach Support, please, email: communications@a4hc.ca

Have you been approved for the Family-Based Humanitarian Pathway for Colombians, Haitians, and Venezuelans?

Register for our Pre-Arrival Services here!

Are you a newcomer to Canada looking for housing? Watch the video below to learn more!