December 15, 2011
NEWCOMERS TO CHILLIWACK TO RECEIVE SETTLEMENT SERVICES

CHILLIWACK – Newcomers to Chilliwack will receive enhanced immigrant settlement services to help them settle into their new lives and gain employment through $188,665 in funding for the Chilliwack Community Services Society. This funding is part of a $20.3 million annual budget for the Settlement and Integration Program under WelcomeBC.

Why this matters:
• Funding goes towards orientation classes and workshops on a wide variety of topics such as: how to find a job, find a place to live, navigate the local transit system and learn banking basics. 
• B.C. continues to be one of Canada’s most popular destinations for new immigrants, welcoming more than 40,000 newcomers each year.
• Services through WelcomeBC are provided to more than 100,000 newcomers in 66 communities across the province, by more than 100 service providers.

Quotes:
“Moving to a new place can be very intimidating. These services help make such changes as smooth as possible. This funding will allow Chilliwack Community Services to continue to help new immigrants find a job and a place to live.”
-Chilliwack-Hope MLA Barry Penner

“This funding is money well spent, and will go towards supporting vital services which help new immigrants integrate and settle into our community.”
-Chilliwack MLA John Les

Quick Facts:
• WelcomeBC’s award-winning website helps approximately 600,000 clients each year from B.C. and around the world, offers information accessible in several languages and makes it easier for immigrants to access vital information.
• By 2019, it’s expected that there will be over a million job openings in the province, and skilled immigrants will play a vital role in filling many of those positions.

Learn More:
Watch the newcomers’ videos here: http://www.welcomebc.ca/wbc/immigration/settle/newcomersguide
• Users can mix and match the language the host speaks in with the subtitle, for example viewers can watch the videos in Punjabi with English subtitles.
• Once the host’s language is selected, all the information on the screen will convert automatically.
• Clients can download the video scripts in any of the eleven languages to keep the instructions/lessons close at hand.
• The technical sophistication of these web videos/mobile offering is a first for any jurisdiction in Canada.

-30-