Get Help Building Your Network as an International Student in Canada

Connecting with professionals in your field is the best way to establish yourself in Canada, whether at school or in the workplace. Immigrant Networks can help.

Canada is one of the world's favourite destinations for newcomers. From international students to skilled workers, Canada has committed to bringing hundreds of thousands of new Canadians into the country — even as the immigration backlog grows.

Once you've arrived on Canadian soil, you'll need support. That's where Immigrant Networks comes in: a free program for international students to network and connect with peers and professionals. If you're looking to build your personal and professional community here in Canada, we can help.

Get matched with people with similar interests and experiences

The heart of this free program is getting matched with other newcomers who have similar life experiences and goals as you do. If you're interested in engineering, you'll get paired with fellow engineers. Interested in music? You'll meet musicians! Whatever your interests and goals, you'll meet like-minded people.

How to get matched with peers and mentors

Immigrant Networks makes getting matched easy. Just fill out the quick registration form, answering questions including:

• your status in Canada
• your current location
• the industry that interests you
• your LinkedIn profile

Each week, you'll receive an email, asking if you're ready for a new match. If you are, you'll be connected with a fellow newcomer or established professional, with a similar background and ambitions, as well as a suggested time to meet.

Then, just set up a phone call or video chat to connect! Be sure to send a connection request via LinkedIn so you and your partner can remain in contact after your chat.

After your meeting, you'll review the quality of the match, which helps the matching algorithm deliver better results in future.

Not ready for a match this week? All good! You'll get another email next week, so choose the times that work best for your schedule.

In 2021, Immigrant Networks made over 4,000 matches! Together, we'll make even more in 2022.

Wednesday workshops

Members of the Immigrant Networks community are also invited to weekly video chats, on Wednesday evenings. These sessions are an open forum for questions, comments, concerns, and chatting. Got an interview coming up, and need some last-minute advice? The Wednesday workshop community is here for you!

The community includes international students, new grads, immigration experts, and working professionals, so you're sure to find solid advice (and friendly people!) when you join in the weekly chats.

You can join Immigrant Networks to get access to the Wednesday workshop sessions. We're looking forward to meeting you!

Good news stories from participants

Participants and ambassadors have great things to say about the Immigrant Networks program. Meet our ambassadors online to learn more about them. Here are some highlights:

Shreeya Shakya

"I joined Immigrant Networks soon after I started my job search process, and it was one of the best choices I made. Immigrant Networks matched me with professionals from my sector and it provided me valuable information about the job market, ways to approach the job search, and most importantly a lot of encouragement and hope."

Soumya Sharma

"As an ambassador, I can provide you insights on what can you do to succeed in your life at Canada and in return I will continue to extend my network, a perfect win-win situation for all."

Roman Isakov

"We, as successful immigrants, know the challenges that the newcomers face. We are aware of the common mistakes an immigrant should avoid and of the mindset that will help people to have an easy start in their new home. We, the ambassadors, can contribute to the bright future of the families that immigrate with their hearts full of hope."

Our members speak

It's not just our ambassadors who love the program! Here are some recent testimonials from international students and newcomers who have enjoyed their Immigrant Networks experience:

• "The experience was excellent, I was very happy to know my match and share some insights and tips for the future."
• "It was a great match. Really good exchange, we talked about our job research and how to deal with rejection."
• "I absolutely love it. It’s great to connect with people that are so flexible and nice!"

Check out all the testimonials from our members.

Video and text resources

Immigrant Networks also offers an array of video and text resources to help you. To get you started, take a look at this video on soft skills for newcomers to Canada. You'll find plenty more videos on the Immigrant Networks YouTube channel.

If you're a newcomer to Canada, you owe it to yourself to check out the free programs offered by Immigrant Networks. The programs exist to help you succeed and build your dream life here in Canada. We can't wait to meet you!