Pre-Arrival Program for Newcomers Coming to Canada – Settlement Online Pre-Arrival (SOPA)

By Caroline Purver
Catholic Centre for Immigrants
Ottawa-Canada
October 28, 2016



World Skills Employment Centre is an award winning leader in the support and promotion of newcomer talent to employers in Ottawa. Since 2005, more than 20,000 internationally trained professionals have benefited from World Skills services. The organization offers: Job Search Workshops, Workplace Language Training, Cultural Competency Building, E-learning Programs and Job Matching.

The Catholic Centre for Immigrants and World Skills Employment Centre are proud partners of a new innovative program called Settlement Online Pre- Arrival and are working together to help newcomers who will be arriving in the province of Ontario (Canada).

Settlement Online Pre-Arrival (SOPA) is a virtual hub providing guidance and customized pre-employment supports designed to help newcomers find and retain employment in Canada. SOPA engages a network of 6 settlement agencies across the country to deliver training to prepare immigrants for successful integration into the Canadian labour market. This network provides training within local contexts that creates a bridge between pre-arrival immigrants and their destined communities. By participating in SOPA, immigrants will arrive in Canada better prepared, be more confident about Canadian cultural expectations, and enter the work force sooner.

For more information, please email:

Caroline Purver
Catholic Centre for Immigrants
email: