COSTI Immigrant Services
COSTI Settlement Services
COSTI's settlement services in Ontario are free. They cover orientation, forms, interpretation, referrals, and employment guidance, including credential recognition.
Last checked October 19, 2026
Immigrant Services Society of BC
ISSofBC
ISSofBC is a large B.C. settlement agency. It says its settlement, employment, and language services for newcomers in the province are free.
- Last checked
- October 19, 2026
- Source
- ISSofBC
- Audience
- Permanent residents, Refugees and protected persons, Temporary workers
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What we could verify
- ISSofBC says settlement, employment, and language services for newcomers living in British Columbia are free.
- Settlement help includes orientation, first-language support, guidance on schools and medical care, referrals, and information on the housing market.
- Language services include free in-person and online English classes for beginners and intermediate learners at locations across Metro Vancouver, including LINC.
- Employment services include free help to retrain, get Canadian qualifications, or find a job in B.C.
- The agency also delivers the provincial BC Newcomer Services Program. WelcomeBC lists a Burnaby line at 604-684-2561.
ISSofBC is one of the organizations you will actually sit down with, as opposed to a government search tool. The free language classes are the LINC program. The agency is careful to separate those from its Language and Career College, which it describes as short English courses at affordable prices. Affordable is not the same as free. Ask which stream you are being enrolled in.
Employment help here can include the long process of returning to a regulated job. They do not grant the licence. They help you see the steps. For the licence itself, use the foreign credential tools in the jobs section of this directory.
Who it is for
Newcomers living in British Columbia. Which program you can use depends on status: IRCC-funded services and the BC Newcomer Services Program have different rules. The agency will sort that out.
How to act on it
Start at issbc.org and contact the office for your city. In Burnaby, WelcomeBC publishes 604-684-2561 for the provincial program.
Also in settlement services
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
IRCC pre-arrival services
If your permanent residence is approved and you are still outside Canada, you can register for free online settlement services before you fly. Temporary residents are not eligible.
Last checked October 19, 2026
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
IRCC settlement service finder
The federal government funds free settlement help outside Quebec: job search, language classes, help getting licensed, and someone to build a settlement plan with you. A postal-code search finds the agency.
Last checked October 19, 2026