Newcomer & Immigration Pathways

You've arrived.
The question is whether you know
what to do first.

This is accompaniment — walking alongside you through the systems that shape life in Alberta, so that you do not have to figure it out alone. Alberta's employment, education, healthcare, housing, and financial systems exist and are accessible. What Olympia & Associates brings is something different: the experience of having navigated them, the frameworks that have worked for individuals, couples, and families before you, and the cultural awareness to know that a map drawn for someone else is not always a map that works for you.

Book my free 30-min scoping call Is this for you? ↓

An important note on scope: This service is an accompaniment — navigation and preparation support for clients who are settling in Alberta. Olympia & Associates does not provide legal advice on immigration status, work permits, permanent residency applications, refugee claims, sponsorship, or any matter governed by immigration law. For those questions, you must consult a licensed immigration lawyer or Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC). We will tell you clearly when that line applies — and we will refer you rather than proceed past it.

Self-assessment

Is this service for you or your family?

These statements describe the situations we hear most often in scoping calls. If several of them describe where you are right now, a conversation is the right next step.

I've arrived in Alberta and I'm not sure what to do first — or in what order the first steps need to happen.

I have credentials from another country and I don't know how they're recognised here — or whether I need to requalify.

I know I need to start building Canadian credit but I don't know how the system works or where to begin.

I have children and I need to understand how Alberta's school system works — which board, which programme, what documents are needed, and what support is available.

I've been accessing free settlement services, but they're generic, oversubscribed, and slow — and I need something more personalised and faster.

I'm navigating the Alberta job market as a newcomer and I don't fully understand how hiring works here, or how to present my international experience.

I have family members joining me and I need a plan that accounts for all of us — not just the primary applicant.

I know there are government grants and benefits I may be entitled to, but I don't know which ones apply to me, how to access them, or what documentation I need.

I'm planning to move to Alberta from another country or province and I want to prepare properly before I arrive — not figure it out after I land.

I want one person who understands both the system and what it feels like to navigate it — not a website, not a pamphlet, not a group information session.

If you said yes to five or more — a scoping call is the right next step. The first months in a new system are the ones that shape everything that follows. Some windows — government grants, credential recognition timelines, school registration deadlines — are time-sensitive in ways that aren't obvious until it's too late to act on them. A 30-minute call costs nothing. Missing a window costs much more.

Book my free 30-min scoping call

How the engagement is structured

A personalised plan, not a generic guide.

Every engagement begins with understanding your specific situation — your family, your background, your immediate priorities, and the Alberta systems most relevant to where you are right now. The output is a plan built for you, not a printed resource package.

Scoping call — free, 30 min

We talk through where you are in the settlement process, what's most pressing, and what kind of support would actually help. Honest recommendation at the end — including a referral to an RCIC or immigration lawyer if that's what's needed.

Intake and assessment — 1 to 1.5 hrs

A structured conversation covering your employment background, education, family situation, immediate priorities, and the specific aspects of the Alberta system most relevant to your circumstances. This shapes everything that follows.

Personalised navigation plan

A written document covering the areas that matter most for your situation: employment pathways, credential recognition, community resources, financial systems, education access, and healthcare navigation. Specific to you — not a resource guide.

Follow-up calls

Two or three follow-up calls (depending on package) to work through questions as they arise, adjust the plan as your situation develops, and connect you to specific resources as they become relevant.

What we cover

Six systems. One plan.

Employment & Credentials

Understanding the Alberta job market, credential recognition pathways, regulated profession registration, internationally trained professional resources, and how to position your background for Canadian employers.

Education & Schools

Alberta school system navigation — public vs. Catholic boards, French Immersion, English Language Learning, school registration requirements, documentation, and support resources for children of all ages.

Healthcare Navigation

Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP) registration and the three-month waiting period, bridge coverage options, finding a family doctor, understanding the walk-in clinic and emergency system, and prescription access.

Financial Systems

Newcomer banking programmes, secured credit card strategy for building Canadian credit history, TFSA and RRSP fundamentals, RESP registration and government grant access (CESG), tax filing obligations, and international money transfers.

Housing & Settlement

Renting in Alberta without Canadian credit history, understanding the Residential Tenancies Act, your rights as a renter, finding housing through community networks, Edmonton community leagues, and the 211 Alberta referral system.

First Priorities

The five non-negotiables that should happen as early as possible: SIN application, AHCIP registration, newcomer bank account, secured credit card, and Alberta driver's licence or ID. Sequence, timing, and what to bring to each.

Your Investment

Three packages. All prices CAD + GST.

Entry point

Orientation Session

First contact · trust builder · Alberta system overview

$225

+ GST · 1.5 hours

Alberta system overview — employment, education, healthcare, financial, housing
Personalised resource map for your situation
Q&A — your questions, answered directly

Primary offering

Alberta Navigation

Individual · personalised plan + follow-up

$600

+ GST · approx. 4 hours

Intake and assessment (1 hr)
Personalised navigation plan — written
Two follow-up calls as your situation develops
Resource package and referral connections

For families

Family Navigation

Family unit · family-level plan + extended follow-up

$900

+ GST · approx. 6 hours

Intake and assessment (1.5 hrs)
Family-level navigation plan — written
Three follow-up calls
Resource package and referral connections
Children's education pathway included

All prices CAD. GST (757324769RC001) applies. Payment: 30% on signing, balance on delivery (under $800) or 30/40/30 (over $800). No work begins without initial payment received.

The work in practice

Two situations. One approach.

Alberta Navigation · Individual

A Professional Arriving Alone

Twelve years of experience. No Canadian professional footprint. Nowhere to start.

A professional arriving in Edmonton with substantial international experience but no Canadian credit history, no local professional network, and no clear picture of how her qualifications translated to the Alberta market. The engagement mapped her credential recognition pathway, sequenced the first-priority steps, connected her to the ERIEC mentorship programme, and built a transition plan from her arrival date through her first six months.

SIN, AHCIP, and banking set up in week one
Credential recognition pathway confirmed and initiated
ERIEC mentorship match secured
Six-month action plan with specific deadlines in hand

Alberta Navigation · $600 + GST Composite scenario — reflects real engagement patterns

Family Navigation · Couple with Children

A Family Navigating Everything at Once

Two adults. One child, and expecting another. Four systems to navigate simultaneously.

A couple arriving in Edmonton with one school-age child and a second on the way — a family financial situation that needed to be rebuilt from scratch in a new country while preparing for a newborn. Both adults had professional backgrounds that needed credential pathway mapping. The child's school placement needed to be confirmed. The RESP had never been set up, and maternity benefit eligibility needed clarification. The engagement produced a family-level plan covering all six systems, with a clear sequence and specific deadlines for each.

Child enrolled with correct school placement confirmed
RESP opened and CESG registration initiated; maternity benefit eligibility mapped
Both credential pathways mapped and sequenced
Housing rights briefing and rental strategy delivered

Family Navigation · $900 + GST Composite scenario — reflects real engagement patterns

Free government settlement services exist in Alberta and are valuable. Olympia & Associates is not a substitute for free services you are entitled to — and we will always tell you about them. What we offer that free services typically do not: personalised attention at depth, faster access to relevant resources, culturally informed context, and continuity of support through a single relationship. The value of this service is not that it replaces free services — it is that it complements them for families who want more than the standard orientation. If the free service is what you need, we will tell you that in the scoping call.

Settlement navigation engagements involve sensitive personal information — family composition, employment history, immigration status, financial circumstances, and documents. This information is used only to provide the agreed services, is never submitted to an AI tool, and is not shared with third parties. We are governed by PIPEDA (federal) and Alberta's PIPA. Immigration status and related personal information is handled with the highest level of care in this practice. Full details are set out in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service — both written in plain language and available before you sign anything. The legal scope boundary described on this page is formalised in the Terms of Service (Section 3.3).

You've arrived.The question is whether you knowwhat to do first.