CANADIAN IMMIGRATION NEWS

Newcomers to Canada benefit from the Library Settlement Partnership at Ottawa Public Library

Tuesday, 10 November 2009

The Library Settlement Partnerships (LSP) program, a service designed for immigrants intended on settling in Ottawa, was recently celebrated by its three partners; Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Ottawa Public Library and various settlement partners.

Funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, LSP provides new immigrants with referrals and other information. This program is now available at the Ottawa Public Library as well as 11 communities in Ontario.

Under the LSP, new immigrants will have access to settlement services, gain access to information about transportation, employment opportunities, and housing from their local libraries. Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney, states, "Improving their access to settlement services will not only ease their transition to life in Canada, but also strengthen the community as a whole."

According to city librarian, Barbara Clubb, the Library Settlement Program compliments the pre-existing services being offered to newcomers, ranging from "story times in Mandarin to preparing for citizenship test in Arabic." Another benefit of this program is to make newcomers to Ottawa, regardless of age, transition easily into their new home.

Partners of the LSP include Citizenship & Immigration Canada, the Ottawa Public Library, the Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization, the Lebanese and Arab Social Services Agency, the Somali Centre for Family Services, the Ottawa Chinese Community Services Centre and Conseil Economique & Social d'Ottawa-Carleton.

If you are interested in Visas to Canada, contact Migration Expert for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you. You can also try our visa eligibility assessment to see if you are eligible to apply for a visa to Canada.