Listening to Our Clients: How Your Feedback Is Shaping Stronger Pre-Arrival Services
Every voice helps us improve
The best way to improve our services is to listen to the people who use them.
Every newcomer arrives in Canada with different experiences, questions, and goals. By listening to our clients, we gain valuable insights into what helps them feel prepared, what challenges they continue to face, and how SOPA can continue to strengthen its pre-arrival services for future newcomers.
In May 2026, SOPA invited clients from across Canada to share their experiences, perspectives, and recommendations through a series of virtual focus groups.
Approximately 70 clients participated in 10 virtual sessions. They joined the conversations at different stages of their settlement journeys: some were still preparing to move to Canada, while others had recently arrived and were beginning to navigate their new communities.
The focus groups created a welcoming space where participants could reflect on the support they had received, identify the services and information that helped them feel more prepared, discuss the challenges they encountered, and suggest ways pre-arrival services could be strengthened.
The conversations also allowed clients to hear from other newcomers with similar experiences. For many participants, this sense of connection was an important part of the experience.
“Hearing other people’s experiences made me realize that I’m not the only one going through these feelings and challenges as an immigrant.”
“Being able to meet other newcomers helped me know that I am not alone in this journey—and the success stories gave me motivation.”
What participants told us about their focus group experience
These results demonstrate the value of creating welcoming and respectful spaces where clients can speak openly about their experiences.
“You are an amazing team and are doing excellently in assisting immigrants to settle in Canada.”
What Clients Valued Most
Across the focus groups, participants consistently highlighted the value of practical, personalized, and timely support.
Personalized Guidance
Clients appreciated being able to receive guidance based on their individual circumstances, professional backgrounds, settlement plans, and personal goals. Participants emphasized that newcomers arrive with different experiences and needs, and that individualized support can make complex information easier to understand and apply.
One-on-one counselling was particularly valuable for clients who needed help identifying appropriate employment and settlement pathways.
Practical Information About Life in Canada
Participants valued information that helped them understand what to expect before and after arrival.
They described the importance of learning about everyday life in Canada, including employment, housing, transportation, healthcare, education, finances, taxes, banking, credit, and access to community services.
Clients also noted that pre-arrival information helped them develop more realistic expectations and feel more confident about the decisions they would need to make after landing.
Employment Preparation
Employment was one of the most prominent themes across the discussions.
Clients identified several forms of employment support that helped them prepare for the Canadian labour market:
Participants said these services helped them understand Canadian hiring practices, improve their employment documents, prepare for interviews, and begin exploring opportunities before arriving in Canada.
“Thank you for all of your work in ensuring that my pre-arrival journey was smooth and successful!”
Connections to Post-Arrival Services
Participants appreciated referrals and connections to organizations in their destination communities.
These referrals helped clients understand where they could receive further assistance after arriving in Canada and supported greater continuity between pre-arrival and post-arrival services.
“I truly appreciate the speed and efficiency of how clients are transferred to post-arrival services.”
Clients emphasized that the transition does not end when a newcomer lands. Continued communication and clear connections to local services can help newcomers maintain their progress during the first weeks and months in Canada.
Connections with Other Newcomers
The focus groups demonstrated the importance of peer connection.
Participants appreciated hearing different perspectives, learning from the experiences of others, and realizing that many newcomers face similar questions and challenges.
These conversations offered reassurance, practical ideas, and encouragement. Success stories shared by other participants also helped newcomers feel more hopeful and motivated.
Information and Orientation Priorities
When clients were asked which information and orientation topics had been most helpful, employment and job-search information was the most frequently selected area, identified by 89% of respondents.
Other important topics included:
- Canadian workplace culture
- Community and settlement services
- Healthcare
- Everyday life in Canada
- Housing and tenant rights
- Transportation and driver licensing
- Banking, taxes, credit, and personal finances
- Mental health and well-being
Clients explained that practical information is most useful when it is clearly organized, delivered at the right stage of the settlement journey, and connected to real-life situations.
Some participants also noted that receiving too much information at once can feel overwhelming. They recommended breaking information into manageable stages and making it easy for clients to return to resources when they are ready to use them.
Client Recommendations
Participants offered thoughtful and constructive recommendations for strengthening SOPA services.
- Build Stronger Connections with Employers Clients expressed interest in more opportunities to connect directly with Canadian employers. Suggested approaches included employer information sessions, sector-specific events, career fairs, workplace presentations, and opportunities to learn directly from hiring professionals.
- Expand Profession-Specific Mentorship Profession-specific mentorship was one of the strongest recommendations. Clients wanted more opportunities to connect with people working in their fields who could help them understand licensing requirements, workplace expectations, professional networks, and realistic career pathways.
- Create More Networking Opportunities Participants emphasized that building a professional and community network before arrival can be difficult. They recommended additional networking events, peer groups, alumni connections, and opportunities to meet established professionals and newcomers who had already entered the Canadian workforce.
- Continue Individualized Follow-up Participants valued personal contact and recommended continued follow-up throughout the transition from pre-arrival to post-arrival services. They noted that questions and priorities often change as the arrival date approaches and after a newcomer begins settling in Canada.
Participants also emphasized the value of hearing from people with lived experience who could share practical examples of navigating settlement and employment in Canada.
Turning Feedback into Learning
The focus groups reinforced several important principles for effective pre-arrival support:
- Services should respond to each client’s individual circumstances and goals.
- Information should be practical, clear, timely, and easy to revisit.
- Employment preparation remains a central priority for newcomers.
- Clients benefit from realistic information about opportunities and challenges.
- Professional and community connections are essential but can be difficult to build.
- Strong continuity between pre-arrival and post-arrival services supports a smoother transition.
- Peer conversations help newcomers feel less isolated and more confident.
Client feedback will help inform ongoing learning, program planning, service delivery, and the continuous improvement of SOPA services.
Thank You to Our Participants
We are deeply grateful to every participant who shared their time, experiences, ideas, and recommendations.
Your voices help us better understand the realities of preparing for settlement in Canada. They also help us identify what is working well and where additional support may be needed.
Thank you for trusting us with your stories and for contributing to stronger settlement journeys for future newcomers.
“We really appreciate all the pre-arrival services you offer us. It helped us a great deal in having a seamless landing in Canada.”
About SOPA
Settlement Online Pre-Arrival (SOPA) provides free online programs and services to help eligible newcomers prepare for employment and settlement before arriving in Canada.
Through online courses, workshops, information sessions, employment counselling, and referrals to local settlement organizations, SOPA helps newcomers arrive better informed, connected, and prepared for their next steps in Canada.