General Topics and Information - Central East

Information for newcomers to Ontario with or without language barriers.

Available in their native language, the following websites can answer many questions about moving or being new to Ontario and settling into a new community.

The Ontario government offers services in English and French, https://www.ontario.ca/page/immigrate-to-ontario

www.settlement.org offers information in more than 30 languages about immigration and citizenship, housing, health, employment, education, legal services. It also offers "Find Services Near Me" which helps find community services, such as Settlement Agencies in a specific area or city in Ontario. Settlement agencies in Ontario provide services in several languages. Some agencies offer interpretation services to help newcomers use government and other community services.

https://settlement.org/translated-information - This website has settlement information in more than 30 languages to help you settle in Ontario.

The Federal Government's Client Support Centre can answer questions, in English and French, about Citizenship and Immigration (CIC) services and programs, or applications in process. Client Support Centre telephone number 1-888-242-2100

Citizenship and Immigration Canada maintains a listing of organizations that can assist newcomers to the country.

Centre for Immigrant & Community Services - https://www.cicscanada.com/en/content/25/settlement-services: The settlement services are provided to newcomers, immigrants and refugees in addition to specialized and customized services to women, youth and seniors. Settlement supports include the following services:

• Needs assessment
• Orientation to local environment
• Completing forms
• Interpretation and translation
• Information and referral
• Group sessions for social and networking support
• Linkages with the community and resources

Legal Aid Ontario's toll free number connects low-income Ontarians to legal aid services, assistance and information in over 300 languages, Mon-Fri 8 am-5 pm, call 1-800-668-8258

Also refer to Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO). www.cleo.on.ca - produce materials in various formats and languages to meet diverse needs of communities across Ontario, CLEO works with other Community Legal Clinics. CLEO has a new initiative (2008) for immigrants and new Canadians that makes text and audio materials available on six high-need legal topics in Arabic,American Sign Language (ASL) Chinese (Mandarin and Simplified Chinese), Farsi, Somali, Spanish, Tamil and Urdu.

CLEO Connect, cleoconnect.ca -- provides public legal education and information to help community workers assist clients with legal problems

• free training, tools and resources including webinars, podcasts, and research
• ESL resources for teachers

Housing for Newcomers, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation , https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/buying/newcomers-housing-information, the Government of Canada national housing agency providing housing information available in 8 different languages. The Newcomer's Guide to Canadian Housing is an CMHC publication offered free to help new immigrants have a smooth transition to Canada is available on their website.

• Newcomers - Immigration / Sponsorship
• Newcomers - Refugees
• Newcomers - Settlement Services