Finding a Settlement Worker

Before you start

Newcomers looking for practical support. If one funding program excludes you, other community services may still help.

• List the two or three most urgent questions rather than trying to solve every settlement task at once.
• Ask the provider to confirm eligibility, fees if any, language support, documents and appointment format before attending.
• Keep official referral details in your own notes. This site does not collect your status, documents or appointment information.

Program rules: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Preparation questions are suggestions, not extra eligibility requirements.

Steps

1. Choose the right service finder

   Outside Quebec, use IRCC’s newcomer-services finder to locate federally funded providers. It does not list Quebec providers. Provincial and territorial programs and 211 can help you explore other local options, including when you do not qualify for federal services.
2. Confirm access rather than assuming it

   The IRCC finder lists permanent residents, approved-in-principle applicants, protected persons and certain other groups, with conditions. It also flags limits on the eligibility period for economic-class permanent residents starting April 1, 2026. Ask the provider to check the current rules for the specific service you need.
3. Tell the provider your most urgent needs

   Describe the help you want: housing information, employment support, language assessment or navigating everyday services. Ask which needs they can address directly and which need another provider. You do not need to solve every task before asking for help.
4. Plan the first appointment

   Ask whether booking is required, whether you can meet remotely and whether interpretation or accessibility support is available. Confirm any documents needed through the provider’s official contact channel. Do not upload identity documents to an unfamiliar link or to this website.
5. Leave with a clear next step

   Write down the referral, the person or office to contact and anything to prepare. Ask whether you should book the next appointment yourself and how to follow up if you do not hear back. If a service cannot help, ask for an alternative rather than assuming there is no support.

What to expect—and where people get stuck

IRCC-funded services are free for eligible clients, but the provider must check current program rules. Quebec is not included in the federal service finder.

A worker may refer you onward rather than provide every service directly. Ask who makes the next booking and what to do if the referral cannot help.