On January 16, 2019, we were delighted to welcome Michael Levitt, Member of Parliament for the riding of York Centre in Toronto, to our Toronto North location to announce the federal government’s continuing commitment to the delivery of pre-arrival services for internationally trained professionals.
Over the past three years, thanks to funding from Immigration Refugees & Citizenship Canada (IRCC), JVS Toronto’s Canada Infonet (formerly called CanPrep) program has supported over 4,000 individuals prior to their arrival in Canada. Working closely with partners across Canada this program provides on-line employment and mentoring services, as well as access to post arrival support to ensure seamless economic integration for internationally trained professionals.
Our Canada Infonet program works closely with partners including Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Network (TRIEC), OMETZ in Montreal, Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization (OCISO), Magnet, and the Ontario Tourism Employment Council (OTEC). We have also built a strong network of post-arrival partnerships across Canada with service providers and employers to ensure seamless, supported economic integration.
In his speech, MP Michael Levitt announced IRCC’s multi-year commitment of $4 million to JVS Toronto over five years to continue the delivery of pre-arrival services for newcomers to Canada. He began by saying, “If we didn’t have immigrants, employers would have trouble finding enough workers to fill available jobs. And as consumers, immigrants help to create more demand for small businesses in our communities, further strengthening our local economy.”
He went on to say that, “JVS Toronto is one of three organizations that will provide general employment services to immigrants before they arrive, like mentoring, online learning modules and other employment-related supports in both English and French.”
We are pleased to maintain our working relationship with IRCC and for their continuing commitment to pre-arrival services so newcomers gain knowledge about life in Canada and the job market, and for putting their trust in JVS Toronto as a service provider partner.
We were honoured to have MP Michael Levitt make this announcement, for his leadership in York Centre and acknowledge his commitment to his constituents, many of whom we serve at our Toronto North location.
Congratulations to our Canada Infonet program team – Irene Vaksman, Sharvari Jois, Farah Alizadehahi, Rahim Braksa, Anne Hu, Marlina Ramchandran, Lucy Sun and Iliana Tzekova – for their dedication to JVS Toronto and in welcoming immigrants to Canada every day.
