Citizenship and Immigration

Alberta Network of Immigrant Women (ANIW) is a provincially-based network of immigrant women’s organizations. ANIW provides a forum for member organizations to discuss relevant issues and facilitate the development of solutions for issues that face immigrant women and their families.

This online resource is provided by the Government of Alberta and includes information you’ll need before you arrive and after you get here. This website is designed to help make Alberta immigrant’s arrival easier. The before you depart section has information on any documents one may require, as well as on jobs, professional associations, and cities and towns across Alberta. The after you arrive section gives information on schools for children, housing, training for employment opportunities and settlement agencies.

Apathy is Boring is a national non-partisan project that uses art, media and technology to encourage active citizenry, outreaching to a broad demographic of youth about how to be more involved in their communities and the democratic process.

Free help on Canadian refugee law and procedures. This resource aims to provide brief, high-level guidance for lawyers and settlement agencies, or asylum seekers themselves entering from the U.S., in need of preliminary guidance on Canadian refugee law and procedure. It also provides more general information about the Canadian immigration and refugee determination procedures regardless of the country of origin, and about other options for legally entering the country. Included in the toolkit are tips on filling out your immigration application.

Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS) is a non-profit organization which provides settlement and integration services to all immigrants and refugees in Southern Alberta. With 29 years of solid experience in the design and delivery of comprehensive quality resettlement and integration services to refugees and immigrants, CCIS offers a wide variety of specialized services that were designed to aid and enhance the integration process.

The Calgary Chinese Community Service Association is an ethnocultural community service agency. CCSA offers four core programs: Children and Youth, Integration and Civic Engagement (ICE), Health Program, and Legal Program. Their Law and Advocacy Program is funded by the Alberta Law Foundation and provides a range of services including: basic legal information and referrals, Commissioner for Oaths and Notary, a free legal outreach clinic.  and free Wills & Estates Document Drafting Services (CCCSA provides free drafting services for Personal Directives, Enduring Powers of Attorney, and Wills for low-income seniors (ages 65+). Asset screening will be conducted for eligibility. and will and estate documents drafting services.)

The Calgary Chinese Community Service Association is an ethnocultural community service agency. CCSA offers four core programs: Children and Youth, Integration and Civic Engagement (ICE), Health Program, and Legal Program. Their Law and Advocacy Program is funded by the Alberta Law Foundation and provides a range of services including: basic legal information and referrals, Commissioner for Oaths and Notary, a free legal outreach clinic and will and estate documents drafting services.

Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association (CIWA) is a non-profit organization established in 1982 as a registered charity. CIWA is a culturally diverse settlement agency that recognizes, responds to, and focuses on the unique concerns and needs of immigrant and refugee women, girls and their families.  The organization’s website details their service areas including legal services, crime prevention education, and civic engagement services.

Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association (CIWA) is a non-profit organization established in 1982 as a registered charity. CIWA is a culturally diverse settlement agency that recognizes, responds to, and focuses on the unique concerns and needs of immigrant and refugee women, girls and their families.  The organization’s website details their service areas including legal services, crime prevention education, and civic engagement services.

Calgary Legal Guidance offers legal advice and assistance to newcomers who are looking for help in various immigration law matters.

If you would like help with Immigration Law, please email immigration@clg.ab.ca. CLG staff will tell you if they can help with your case, tell you more about our clinics with volunteers trained in immigration law, or how you can find a private lawyer skilled in immigration law.

The Canadian Council for Refugees is a non-profit umbrella organization committed to the rights and protection of refugees in Canada and around the world and to the settlement of refugees and immigrants in Canada. The membership is made up of organizations involved in the settlement, sponsorship and protection of refugees and immigrants. The CCR site provides basic information about immigration and refugee issues, policy documents, public education materials about refugees and immigrants, as well as statistics and links to other sources of statistics.

Catholic Social Services is a multi-function social service agency that serves people of all faiths and cultures throughout central Alberta. Founded in 1961, the agency has grown to deliver more than 100 programs.CSS is divided into Service and Program areas offered in five distinct Regions throughout central and northeast Alberta

If you are a current or potential immigrant to Calgary this website will connect you to resources to support your success in a new life in Canada.  Services are provided by a large staff of multi-cultural professionals, who understand and have experienced the settlement process. The Centre offers a full suite of services, including: English language training for adults, supports for finding and retaining employment, and first-language settlement supports for individuals and families.

Founded in 1984, Changing Together is a nonprofit, charitable organization operated by immigrant women for immigrant women. The mission of Changing Together is to help Edmonton and area immigrant women and their families overcome personal and systemic barriers that keep them from participating fully in Canadian Society.

Created by the BC Civil Liberties Association, the overall theme of The Citizenship Handbook is citizenship, and its rights and responsibilities. It is hoped to encourage citizens – both individually and in groups – to become more involved in the democratic life of their communities.

Classroom Connections is a non-profit organization which produces educational materials which are innovative in content and pedagogy and designed to engage and motivate youth. Many of their resources deal with citizenship and diversity.

This guide was design for parents to prepare them for the conversations they may need to have with their kids when they first start using digital devices, as they grow and their online activities change, and when things go wrong. The guide is divided into three sections that each deal with a different aspect of digital citizenship:  Respect People’s Feelings, to Respect Privacy and to Respect Property online.

The Edmonton Immigrant Services Association is a registered non-profit organization incorporated in 1976. EISA exists in order to provide programs and direct services relating to Integration, Settlement, Adaptation and Education for new immigrants, refugees and first generation Canadians in Edmonton and surrounding areas regardless of age, gender, religion, nationality or ethnic origin to assist them make a smooth transition into Canadian life. They have a language bank and provide translation services.

The Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers (EMCN) is a community agency that seeks to assist immigrants and refugees, coming to the Edmonton area, achieve full participation in the community, contributing their experiences and skills to strengthen and enrich the lives of all Canadians. EMCN have a wide range of programs and services that include English as a Second Language (ESL), employment services, settlement counselling, personal counselling, community development and community economic development, advocacy, and education.

This website of the Government of Canada provides information on how to apply for refugee status from within Canada, how to come to Canada as a refugee, and how to sponsor a refugee or find refugee services in Canada. Additonal resources provided are; forms (applications, sponsorship, and publications such as a Guide to the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program as well as links to relevant legislation (Immigration and Refugee Protection Act)

Government services and information on helping syrian refugees to settle in Alberta. Information covers resettlement, funding and other supports.

The mandate of the Immigrant Access Fund (IAF) is to relieve poverty by providing micro-loans to needy immigrants in order to assist them in obtaining Canadian accreditation, upgrading or training that will allow them to obtain employment in their specified field. IAF offers Alberta individuals and corporations the opportunity to join other interested citizens who are establishing a fund to provide micro-loans for skilled immigrants.

Immigrant Services Calgary is a comprehensive immigrant settlement agency. ISC provides information on housing, education, the Calgary school systems, employment, health care, documents, citizenship and immigration, accreditation and general help in adjusting to life in Canada. Services provided also include offering advice in immigration law for permanent residents and Canadian citizens.

Immigrant Services Calgary is a comprehensive immigrant settlement agency. ISC provides information on housing, education, the Calgary school systems, employment, health care, documents, citizenship and immigration, accreditation and general help in adjusting to life in Canada. Services provided also include offering advice in immigration law for permanent residents and Canadian citizens.

Immigrant Services Calgary provides a wide range of settlement services to immigrants and refugees looking to begin a new chapter of their lives in Canada. Their aim is to reach newcomers in a timely and responsive manner to facilitate a smooth transition, proper settlement and successful integration into the Calgary community. They provide interpretation and translation of official documents in over 50 languages through their language bank.

This online resource is from the Student Legal Services of Edmonton. Topics include: Temporary Residents; Permanent Residents; Citizenship; Settling In Canada; Appeals; Refugees. This resource is also available for download as a PDF.

ICCRC is the national regulatory authority designated by the Government of Canada to safeguard consumers who seek Canadian immigration advice and representation from immigration consultants. Federal law requires that immigration consultants in Canada or abroad, who provide Canadian immigration services for a fee, must be registered with ICCRC and accredited as Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs). A self-governing regulatory body, ICCRC manages the profession’s entry-to-practice standards, professional requirements and a rigorous complaints and discipline process.

This is a 2017 Alberta guide to law in Alberta on immigration. The guide provides general information on becoming a Canadian citizen, attaining temporary status and permanent status. It also provides information on protections for refugees from inside and outside Canada as well as sponsorship.

This website from Citizenship and Immigration Canada contains information relating to the topic of international adoption. The Hague Convention governs international adoptions in many countries, including Canada and this website helps prospective parents under both the adoption and the immigration or citizenship processes as they relate to international adoptions.

The ICRC, established in 1863, works worldwide to provide humanitarian help for people affected by conflict and armed violence and to promote the laws that protect victims of war. This website provides a wide range of resources on international humanitarian law including online publications, library and research services and access to databases.

This online source of the consolidated Acts and regulations of Canada is provided by the Department of Justice Canada. The consolidations are generally updated on a weekly basis.

The Latin American Community Council and MOSAIC, in partnership, have implemented this online multilingual legal resource to provide comprehensive and critical legal information in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Korean, Persian, Punjabi, Spanish and Vietnamese to Canadian newcomers and community workers in British Columbia.

This resource was designed to help teachers and educators promote active citizenship and encourage youth to explore their rights and responsibilities in building inclusive communities based on understanding and respect. The four themes in this resource offer methods for raising awareness of human rights, understanding the role of stereotypes and prejudices in promoting discrimination, and exploring how racism and other injustices are manifested in our schools, communities, and society.

The Refugee Hearing Preparation Guide is for refugee claimants and their service providers. It educates, guides, and supports refugee claimants who are preparing for their refugee hearings. It informs and empowers service providers in their understanding of the refugee hearing preparation process. And, refugee claimants and service. The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada – Refugee Protection Division (IRB-RPD) holds refugee hearings in six locations across Canada.

The uOttawa Refugee Sponsorship Support Program (SSP) brings together sponsorship experts, pro-bono lawyers, law students, and community organizations to offer direct support to Canadians seeking to sponsor refugees. The SSP has three primary components: a matching program, which provides sponsor groups with direct support from a pro-bono lawyer and law students (this program is available in Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver and Victoria.

This new website which goes live in May of 2015 will serve as ‘information hub’ for refugee resources in Alberta. The site which is funded by the Government of Canada is expected to address some of the challenges facing Syrian refugees and their sponsors in Alberta.

Refworld contains a vast collection of information of refugee status: reports relating to situations in countries of origin, policy documents and positions, and documents relating to international and national legal frameworks. It also includes special features on topics of importance to UNHCR such as refugee status determination, statelessness, migration, gender equality and women, internally displaced people, resettlement, voluntary repatriation and children.

Topics covered in this resource are:

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  What is the Private Sponsorship of Refugees?
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  Who can sponsor under the PSR Program? Who can be sponsored?
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  What do you need to know about the Blended Visa Office Referred (BVOR) and Joint Assistance Sponsorship (JAS) Programs?
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  What is a sponsored refugee’s immigration status?
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  What are the sponsors’ responsibilities?
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  What is the role of a Settlement Counsellor in assisting privately sponsored refugees?
• 
  What should settlement counsellors consider when supporting privately sponsored refugees?
• 
  What should you do if you believe that refugees may not be receiving sufficient support?

An online community that connects youth to find inspiration, access information, get involved, and take action in their local and global communities. Learn about and become involved in issues related to Social justice and human rights, Poverty and globalization, Peace and conflict, Environment, Cultural diversity and equity, Education, Health and wellness. The site also includes a special section for educators.

Through its refugee protection system, Canada offers safe haven to persons with a well-founded fear of persecution, as well as those at risk of torture or cruel and unusual treatment or punishment. This online resource from the Government of Canada describes in detail about Canada’s refugee protection programs.

Canadian law permits dual or multiple citizenships: you can be a citizen of another country and still be recognized as Canadian. There are both advantages and disadvantages to dual citizenship (or dual nationality), and you may not be fully aware of the privileges, obligations, and potential problems that come with it. The Government of Canada has developed this booklet to provide you with important information on dual citizenship.

This website section from Citizenship and Immigration Canada provides information about work permits, getting credentials assessed, travelling and working in Canada, and hiring an internationally trained worker.