Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization

Community services centre for immigrants and refugees

• assists newcomers, refugees and ethno-cultural groups to become equal participants in social, economic and political life
• creating community and safe spaces
• visiting programs include Legal Aid, Housing Help
• free citizenship test classes for eight weeks, three hours per week
• requirements Canadian Language Benchmark 4

Community Economic Development:

• delivers career mentoring and networking programs to support newcomers
• supports newcomers to obtain employment in their field and build networks
• develop an understanding of the workplace culture
• develop strategies for employment maintenance and advancement

Multicultural Liaison Officer Program: Multicultural Liaison Officer (MLO) partnering with the English Public and English Catholic school boards of Ottawa to:

• provide settlement services to newcomer families in schools and summer programs
• provide assessment of needs and building of a settlement plan
• provide information and orientation on education, employment, social services, financial literacy, housing, health system, legal system, and more
• help with leadership development
• foster civic engagement opportunities
• help create a welcoming school environment for newcomer students
• help youth gain the necessary skills to achieve their goals and develop a positive mindset to overcome the challenges they may be facing so that they can contribute to Canadian society
• offered both at the elementary and high schools levels for immigrant and refugee youth, ages 13-24

Settlement and Integration Program:

• multilingual and multicultural services to facilitate successful adaptation and integration processes
• information and orientation sessions for individuals, families and groups
• supportive counselling
• settlement consultation
• client advocacy
• community referrals

YOCISO:

• offers academic, life skills, counselling, and arts-based support in a fun and interactive way

Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC):

• provides full and part English classes at various levels from literacy to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7
• open to all landed immigrants and convention refugees over the age of 18
• classes are offered in the South region of Ottawa
• child care for children 6 months to 5 years old

Refugee Sponsorship: private sponsorship of refugees by any group of five or more Canadian citizens or permanent residents 18 years of age and older who live in the expected community of settlement

• group must collectively commit to provide the necessary support for their sponsored refugee for the full duration of the sponsorship
• refugee must qualify as refugee according to Canada's refugee and humanitarian resettlement program