The Issue: Barriers to Accessing Canada Child Benefits for Newcomers
For many newcomer families in Canada, accessing the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) is a critical step toward achieving financial stability. The CCB provides eligible families with tax-free monthly payments to help cover the costs of raising children. However, many newcomers face significant challenges when trying to apply for and access this benefit.
Language barriers, unfamiliarity with the tax system, and lack of access to accurate information often prevent newcomer families from applying or cause delays in receiving their benefits. Additionally, families with complex immigration statuses, such as refugee claimants, or those awaiting permanent residency, frequently encounter confusion about their eligibility. These barriers leave many struggling to meet their children’s basic needs without the financial support they are entitled to.
AHC’s Response: Bridging the Gap with Tailored Support
Recognizing this gap, Action for Healthy Communities (AHC) stepped in to provide dedicated support services to help newcomer families navigate the CCB application process. Through a combination of one-on-one assistance, group information sessions, and tax clinics, AHC ensures that families understand their eligibility, complete the necessary forms accurately, and avoid common pitfalls that can lead to delays or denials.
AHC’s multilingual staff and volunteers play a vital role in delivering these services, offering support in languages such as Arabic, Tigrinya, Ukrainian, Somali, Oromo and Amharic, Spanish and more. This cultural and linguistic accessibility is instrumental in helping break down communication barriers, ensuring that clients clearly understand the process and their entitlements.
Overcoming Obstacles: Tailored Assistance for Complex Cases
In addition to standard applications, AHC also provides specialized support for families with unique cases. For instance, some newcomers may struggle with incomplete immigration documentation or lack a Canadian bank account, making it difficult to meet CRA’s verification requirements. AHC works collaboratively with these clients to gather the necessary documents, liaise with government agencies when needed, and advocate on their behalf to resolve issues. Moreover, AHC’s tax clinics offer direct assistance with tax filing, which is a crucial prerequisite for receiving CCB payments. By helping low-income families file their taxes on time, AHC reduces the risk of delays or missed payments and even poor outcomes during to financial instability or families lacking financial resources.
The Impact: Improving Financial Stability and Well-being
Through its initiatives, Action for Healthy Communities (AHC) has empowered hundreds of newcomer families to successfully access the Canada Child Benefit (CCB). This financial support plays a transformative role in helping families cover essential expenses such as childcare, school supplies, and food security, reducing the risk of financial instability and its associated hardships.
Client Testimony
An Afghan father of seven children, who moved to Canada in May 2023, shared his family’s struggles with applying for the CCB.
“Despite seeking help from a friend, a language barrier left us unclear about the CCB application steps. After waiting 14 months, we received a request from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for extensive documentation, which caused further confusion.”
Feeling disheartened by the complexity and lack of support, the family gave up on pursuing the CCB and instead resorted to borrowing money from friends to meet their basic needs—further straining their already fragile financial situation.
In September 2024, while attending NorQuest College, the client was referred to Action for Healthy Communities (AHC), where Mina connected with them to assess their needs. The client received step-by-step guidance, starting with a clear explanation of the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) and its role in supporting families. Mina helped the client contact the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), interpret their conversation, and clarify their situation.
Thanks to Mina’s timely and consistent support, the CRA extended their deadline and assured the family that their application would not be declined if they submitted the required documents.
Beyond CCB support, Mina continued to assist the family by interpreting at medical appointments, drafting letters to the children’s school, and connecting them with other organizations to address their challenges. Her dedication and advocacy provided the family with much-needed stability and access to essential resources.
While Action for Healthy Communities (AHC) has successfully supported many newcomer families in accessing the Canada Child Benefit (CCB), there is still much work to be done. The recent changes [2025-fiscal year], in Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) policies have reduced agency capacity to meet the growing demand for client support and case management services. With fewer resources available, providing individualized assistance has become increasingly challenging, making it harder for vulnerable families to navigate the complex application processes for benefits like the CCB.
In response, AHC remains committed to expanding its financial literacy opportunities through informational conversation circles to empower newcomers with the knowledge and tools needed to independently manage their tax obligations and access government benefits. Through tailored workshops, multilingual resources, and ongoing support, AHC aims to enhance clients’ financial independence, reducing their reliance on case management services.
Additionally, AHC will continue to advocate for equitable access to financial support by collaborating with policymakers and community partners. By highlighting the barriers faced by newcomers and the impact of reduced funding. Additionally, Action for Healthy Communities (AHC) will continue to advocate for equitable access to financial support by collaborating with policymakers, community partners, and sector organizations. Through active participation in policy discussions, roundtables, and advocacy campaigns, AHC aims to raise awareness about the systemic challenges faced by newcomers, particularly in accessing benefits like the Canada Child Benefit (CCB).
By highlighting the barriers newcomers encounter—such as language difficulties, complex documentation requirements, and limited digital literacy—AHC will push for policy adjustments that simplify application processes and enhance accessibility. Furthermore, AHC will emphasize the far-reaching impact of reduced funding on service delivery, showcasing how resource limitations hinder the agency’s ability to provide vital case management support and meet the rising demand for services.
Through ongoing collaboration with settlement networks, government representatives, and advocacy groups, AHC will strive to influence policy reforms that promote fairer access to financial benefits, ensuring that vulnerable newcomer families are not left behind.
Looking Ahead: Expanding Financial Literacy and Advocacy amid Policy Changes
While Action for Healthy Communities (AHC) has successfully supported many newcomer families in accessing the Canada Child Benefit (CCB), there is still much work to be done. The recent changes [2025-fiscal year], in Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) policies have reduced agency capacity to meet the growing demand for client support and case management services. With fewer resources available, providing individualized assistance has become increasingly challenging, making it harder for vulnerable families to navigate the complex application processes for benefits like the CCB.
In response, AHC remains committed to expanding its financial literacy opportunities through informational conversation circles to empower newcomers with the knowledge and tools needed to independently manage their tax obligations and access government benefits. Through tailored workshops, multilingual resources, and ongoing support, AHC aims to enhance clients’ financial independence, reducing their reliance on case management services.
Additionally, AHC will continue to advocate for equitable access to financial support by collaborating with policymakers and community partners. By highlighting the barriers faced by newcomers and the impact of reduced funding. Additionally, Action for Healthy Communities (AHC) will continue to advocate for equitable access to financial support by collaborating with policymakers, community partners, and sector organizations. Through active participation in policy discussions, roundtables, and advocacy campaigns, AHC aims to raise awareness about the systemic challenges faced by newcomers, particularly in accessing benefits like the Canada Child Benefit (CCB).
By highlighting the barriers newcomers encounter—such as language difficulties, complex documentation requirements, and limited digital literacy—AHC pushes for policy adjustments that simplify application processes and enhance accessibility. Furthermore, AHC will emphasize the far-reaching impact of reduced funding on service delivery, showcasing how resource limitations hinder the agency’s ability to provide vital case management support and meet the rising demand for services.
Through ongoing collaboration with settlement networks, government representatives, and advocacy groups, AHC will strive to influence policy reforms that promote fairer access to financial benefits, ensuring that vulnerable newcomer families are not left behind.
Despite the growing challenges, AHC remains steadfast in its mission to promote the long-term financial stability and well-being of newcomer families, ensuring they have the resources and support they need to thrive.
Summary and Key Takeaways
Action for Healthy Communities (AHC) continues to play a transformative role in helping newcomer families access the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) and achieve greater financial stability. By leveraging its unique advantages, AHC effectively reduces language and financial literacy barriers, guiding clients through complex application processes and preventing vulnerable families from missing out on essential benefits.
The client testimony highlights the importance of culturally responsive and hands-on support, exemplified by AHC staff dedicated assistance. Walking Clients through a step-by-step process that included education, capacity building and development around CCB eligibility, to advocating with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), enabled the family to overcome bureaucratic challenges and successfully secure their benefits.