Settlement help - BC

[wyho007]

Will be moving to Vancouver in a few months, which settlement agencies is good to sign up with? There are quite a few (SOPA, nextstopcanada, prepcan, YMCA), seems they are providing similar services and not sure who to sign up with.

 

[steaky]

What are the pros of signing up with above settlement agencies versus this forum?

Btw, if your sponsored partner want to get free (government paid) English classes for new immigrants, I suggest signing up with ISS of BC.

 

[foodie69]

What are the pros of signing up with above settlement agencies versus this forum?

Btw, if your sponsored partner want to get free (government paid) English classes for new immigrants, I suggest signing up with ISS of BC.

I would second Steaky's comment.. my wife used to do volunteer work for ISS of BC. They do a good job. Even Work BC has interesting help on offer.

 

[wyho007]

I would second Steaky's comment.. my wife used to do volunteer work for ISS of BC. They do a good job. Even Work BC has interesting help on offer.

So, for BC... ISS and Work BC are better than SOPA/PrepCan/Nextstopcanada?

 

[NetMecca]

Yep ISS

ISS of BC - http://www.issbc.org/

 

[wyho007]

What are the pros of signing up with above settlement agencies versus this forum?

Btw, if your sponsored partner want to get free (government paid) English classes for new immigrants, I suggest signing up with ISS of BC.

Seeking to get some employment help mainly. No need for English classes, my spouse has a 6 in IETLS. Not sure if we can get some housing help as still not sure how to go about renting without credit history and a job.

 

[abegailgilo]

Will be moving to Vancouver in a few months, which settlement agencies is good to sign up with? There are quite a few (SOPA, nextstopcanada, prepcan, YMCA), seems they are providing similar services and not sure who to sign up with.

Hi!

NextStopCanada.ca is a great way to find out about life in Canada, how to prepare for your move, what you need to do before you leave your home country and how you can bring your belongings tax free when you land in Canada.

It is a CIC funded program to help people from allover the world who are in the process of coming to Canada or have done a short landing.

They focus on the needs of the entire family, youth, adults and elders; and though they are focused on Ontario, they are offering Canada wide resources.

They are a team of immigrants themselves who speak many different languages and want to share their insider knowledge which is extremely important to know before arriving in Canada. It can save you money, time and bring you on a clearer road to success.

These services are free, as the Canadian Government funds them especially for you!

Ask them everything you want to know! Contact them as many times as you need answers.

You can contact all the pre-arrival services funded by CIC, you have the right to use all of them for free. If you dont like a service , you may move on to the next one until you find a good fit for you.

You need one of these documents to register:

Medical Examination or Security request letter
Letter requesting for passport submission
IRCC invitation letter to obtain pre-arrival services
Canadian Permanent Resident Visa
Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) letter

 

[steaky]

Hi!

NextStopCanada.ca is a great way to find out about life in Canada, how to prepare for your move, what you need to do before you leave your home country and how you can bring your belongings tax free when you land in Canada.

Why don't you comment if your website can provide any help on renting without credit history or job?

Not sure if we can get some housing help as still not sure how to go about renting without credit history and a job.

Like in HK, many renters offer to give prepaid rent (up to 6 months) to landlords and some had secured. Since you have relatives in town, you can ask them to be your guarantor which waives the credit history and job consideration.

 

[Alexand]

Will be moving to Vancouver in a few months, which settlement agencies is good to sign up with? There are quite a few (SOPA, nextstopcanada, prepcan, YMCA), seems they are providing similar services and not sure who to sign up with.

Hello!

Hello and congratulations on moving to Canada soon!

To answer your question:

First keep in mind there are different types of settlement agencies. SOPA, NextStopCanada and PrepCan are pre-arrival services and they each offer unique and similar services. Pre-arrival services means that you can sign up with them before you arrive in Canada. With NextStopCanada you can sign up as soon as you receive your medical request letter during your immigration process. Remember that you can sign up with all of them, it is encouraged to sign up with a different services if you are not satisfied or you are curious for what you can gain from another service. They are all CIC funded programs and you may choose as you like.

SOPA prepares you for employment in Canada. They offer courses on how to prepare a Canadian resume, interview preparations, and informs you of the best job search strategies. SOPA and Next Stop Canada are partners in helping immigrants before they arrive.

NextStopCanada is the only family settlement focused pre-arrival service. It focuses on connecting you to free agencies that will benefit you and your family before you arrive and after you arrive in Canada.( they will encourage you to register with other agencies like SOPA and PrepCan and more, if you ask them for employment information) They also provide step by step information about every aspect of life in Canada. They even offer information about youth life in Canada which is open to pre-arrival clients 12 years old to 19 years old.

For example:
- what forms you need to transport your furniture, car etc. to Canada
- what you need to do in the first weeks in Canada
- connecting you with regulatory bodies before you arrive, to speed up your certification process if your profession is regulated in Canada
- tax, health, fun, education, housing, benefits, child programs and daycare ... everything you may need

PrepCan is a pre-arrival employment service which provides one-on-one consultation in which you receive information about the Canadian labour market and advice on what professional options and opportunities are available for you to begin a successful career in Canada.

YMCA is a inland, non-profit organization which offers many different community services like Child minding, Physical education and Recreation center, Youth leadership programs, Settlement services etc. and NextStopCanada is their pre-arrival service program actually.


I hope this is a complete answer for you. ;D

 

[Alexand]

Why don't you comment if your website can provide any help on renting without credit history or job?

Like in HK, many renters offer to give prepaid rent (up to 6 months) to landlords and some had secured. Since you have relatives in town, you can ask them to be your guarantor which waives the credit history and job consideration.

Hey,

When it comes to renting a place as a newcomer to Canada you could be taken advantage of and one of the ways is the example Steaky mentioned above. Paying up to 6 months of rent is a tremendous amount of money for many newcomers; and paying this deposit up front could force you to live there even if you do not like the place and want to move.

Legally a landlord is only allowed to ask for a first and last month's rent (2 months of rent) in most provinces. Rent, terms and conditions of the renting contract may be negotiated depending in every situation. Not all landlords will turn you down because you do not have a job or credit history. It is best to keep in contact with a settlement service and ask for Tenant & Landlord Board information and other sources that help protect yourself. And yes, NextStopCanada does offer search websites to find housing, tips on what to consider when searching, legal information and who to contact in case you need inland help with accommodation issues.

 

[steaky]

and paying this deposit up front could force you to live there even if you do not like the place and want to move.

Why would anyone pay upfront if they don't like the place? In addition, if the tenant wants to move afterwards, if the landlord agrees, she or he can find another person to takeover the lease. No one is force to live there.

 

[wyho007]

Why would anyone pay upfront if they don't like the place? In addition, if the tenant wants to move afterwards, if the landlord agrees, she or he can find another person to takeover the lease. No one is force to live there.

Looks like there are more listings for rentals since the empty home tax announcement. Hopefully a month a good for finding a good place to live that will take tenants with no job and credit history.

 

[Alexand]

Why would anyone pay upfront if they don't like the place? In addition, if the tenant wants to move afterwards, if the landlord agrees, she or he can find another person to takeover the lease. No one is force to live there.

Dear Steaky,

Are you an immigrant? Do you know how it is to rebuild your life in a new country?

It is so important that you have a stress free accommodation in order to be able to focus on finding a job and building your network.

If you pay $7,000 for 6 months rent, and find that your neighbor is making noise every night, not letting you sleep and you choose to move after 2 months; the landlord might not want to give you back the remaining balance of $4,666... and what do you do then if there is none that will take the lease from you?

My point is that you have rights.

And you can read about them in this blog written by the Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation.

http://nextstopcanada.ca/know-rights-before-renting/

 

[foodie69]

Alex..Read Steaky's post again..it helps.

 

[Alexand]

Alex..Read Steaky's post again..it helps.

Foodie69 ;D

I am glad you find it helpful. I hope those options work for you.

From my own experience I have learned that it is so important to know the information directly from the source. And researching The Tenant and Landlord Board of the location you are moving to in Canada will provide the at most correct and up-to-date information of what your options are in terms of renting... because they are the ones who enforce the law(rights and responsibilities)

Maybe when Steaky came to Canada this is how things were done, but today In Ontario it is illegal for the landlord to ask for more than 2 months rent;
As well as it is illegal to refuse to rent to newcomers because they do not have a Canadian credit history or a guarantor.