Local Immigrant Organizations
There are many organizations that help newcomers to Waterloo Region. The organizations listed below are a good place to start. Learn more about services on their websites, and contact them for more information.
General Settlement Support for Immigrants
Kitchener Waterloo Multicultural Centre (KWMC) assists newcomers in Canada with:
- Job search
- Interpretation and translation services
- Settlement and documentation needs
- Counselling
Contact them for more information at: www.kwmc.on.ca or email kwmc@kwmc-on.ca
102 King Street West, Kitchener, Ontario, N2G 1A6
519-745-2531
YMCA Cross-Cultural & Immigrant Services assists newcomers in Canada through the following government-funded programs:
- Newcomer Employment Centre (NEC) helps you in your search for employment
and offers access to internet, job postings and other resources
- Immigrant Settlement & Adaptation Program (ISAP) provides settlement
support and orientation to life in Canada, in multiple languages. In Cambridge, the Newcomer Settlement Program (NSP) provides settlement and orientation to all newcomers, including Canadian citizens and refugee claimants.
- Interpretation Services (in Cambridge) provides translation and interpretation.
- HOST Program matches newcomers to Canada with volunteers for friendship and
learning about living in Canada. A Mentorship Program connects
internationally trained newcomers with a volunteer mentor who is a Canadian
professional in their field.
- The Language Assessment Centre evaluates your English language skills and
helps you to choose a language training or other program.
- Settlement Education Partnership Waterloo Region (SEPWR) helps newcomer
students and their families integrate into Canadian society and the
education system by providing information, referral, orientation, advocacy
and interpretation.
Contact them for more information at newcomers@ckwymca.ca or visit:
YMCA (in Kitchener)
http://ymcacrosscultural.icreate3.esolutionsgroup.ca/en/kitchenerwaterloo/location_and_hours.asp
800 King Street West (3rd floor), Kitchener, Ontario, N2G 1E8
519-579-9622
YMCA (in Cambridge)
http://ymcacrosscultural.icreate3.esolutionsgroup.ca/en/cambridge/ccislocationandhours.asp
258 Hespeler Road, Cambridge, Ontario, N1R 3H3
519-621-1621
For a list of local organizations that can help with:
You may also be interested in a list of other 
New Canadian Resources in Waterloo Region.
General Settlement Support for Refugees
Mennonite Coalition for Refugee Support (MCRS)
MCRS helps refugee claimants (refugees who are seeking protection in Canada) with
- the refugee claim process,
- immigration proceedings,
- settlement and other needs that you and your family have.
Contact them for more information at: www.mcrs.ca or email refugee@mcrs.ca
58 Queen Street South, Kitchener, Ontario, N2G 1V6
519-571-1912
K-W Reception Centre
K-W Reception Centre is a temporary home for government assisted refugees (GARs). They help both newly arrived and secondary migrant government assisted refugees with:
- temporary and more permanent housing
- orientation to life in Canada (including banking, schooling, health care, etc.)
- life skills for those who have been living in refugee camps.
- one-on-one help with settlement counsellors.
Contact them for more information at: www.kwrcentre.ca or email mira@kwrcentre.ca
101 David Street, Kitchener, Ontario, N2G 1Y1
519-743-2113
Other Community Organizations and Services
You may also want to find a community centre, library, and other organizations that can help you settle in Canada. Find them on the Community Organizations Programs and Services page. Ethnocultural and Religious Groups are great meeting places for people from specific ethnic or cultural backgrounds.
For more information…