What is CUIAS?
CUIAS (originally the Canadian Ukrainian Immigrant Aid Society) is a community-based organization that supports immigrants as they settle and build a life in Canada. Its work covers settlement help, English classes, citizenship support, mental health services and employment guidance.
The organization began by serving newcomers from Eastern Europe, and today it welcomes people from every background. Services are offered in English, Ukrainian, Polish, Russian and Romanian, and staff will try to arrange an interpreter or a referral if you need something else. CUIAS is funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, along with community donors.
A Short History
CUIAS was founded in 1973 by a group of ten volunteers. In 1977 it launched a Family Reunification Project to help people sponsor relatives from the former Soviet Union. Through the 1980s and early 1990s it supported refugees and sponsored more than 4,000 self-exiles, then helped people fleeing the war in the former Yugoslavia. By the mid-1990s it was offering settlement services to newcomers from all over the world.
After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, CUIAS took a leading role in the response, offering emergency housing, crisis support and a full range of settlement services. Its Airport Reception Project at Pearson International Airport welcomed 32,175 people before it wrapped up in April 2024.
How CUIAS Helps Newcomers
Every newcomer's situation is different, so CUIAS starts with a conversation. Counsellors offer personal, culturally sensitive support on things like healthcare and OHIP, enrolling children in school, finding housing and understanding your rights. They help with government paperwork, replace lost or stolen documents, and provide interpretation and translation. Group sessions, such as "Welcome to Canada," cover benefits, housing, taxes and legal services while helping you meet others in the same position. If your question is outside their programs, they can refer you to the right agency, including Francophone agencies for French-language services.
Services Provided
CUIAS organizes its work into five areas:
Settlement Services, including:
One-on-one counselling through Navigating Life in Canada,
Webinars and group sessions to cover a variety of topics
Assistance applying for government programs such as a SIN, OHIP, child benefits and Ontario Works,
Free classes with a certificate you can use for your citizenship application. LINC classes (levels 1 to 4) are for adults with Permanent Resident or Convention Refugee status. ESL classes are open to CUAET work permit holders, Permanent Residents, citizens and refugee claimants. Options include full-time day, part-time evening and Saturday classes, in person, online or hybrid. Contact the English school at 416-767-0870 or [email protected].
Help checking whether you're eligible, completing the application, and preparing for the citizenship test with one-on-one or group sessions, mock tests and free access to CitizenshipTests.org.
Short-term counselling and support groups for stress, anxiety, isolation and the emotional ups and downs of starting over.
A Commissioner of Oaths for affidavits, certified copies, letters of invitation and travel consent letters, and a Free Income Tax Clinic for seniors, students, newcomers and people with low or modest incomes. The clinic can file up to 10 years of back taxes, but it can't handle business, rental, self-employment or capital gains income.
How to Sign Up
Getting started is simple: reach out and tell them what you need. You can call, email [email protected], drop by an office, or use the "Send us a message" button on the CUIAS homepage to request an in-person or online consultation. A settlement counsellor will talk through your situation and point you to the right programs.
A few services have their own steps:
LINC classes: you first take a language assessment at a YMCA Assessment Centre, and CUIAS can help you book it. The result places you in the right level.
Mental health services: register using the online sign-up form or email [email protected].
Income tax clinic and Commissioner of Oaths: call to schedule an appointment. For oaths, bring your original documents and two pieces of valid photo ID.
CUIAS serves newcomers, including temporary residents such as people arriving under CUAET, and citizens, across Toronto and much of the Greater Toronto Area.
Where to Find CUIAS
Toronto West (main office): 2383 Bloor St. W, 2nd Floor, Toronto, ON M6S 1P6, near Jane Street and close to Jane subway station. Phone 416-767-4595. Open Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Map.
North York office: 540 Finch Ave. W, Unit 131, Toronto, ON M2R 1N7, at the Bathurst-Finch Hub. Phone 416-225-0511. Open Monday to Friday, around 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Map.
Hours differ slightly between pages on the CUIAS site, so it's worth calling before you head over. More details are on the Contact page.
Good to Know
Check the events calendar and blog for webinars, benefit guides and citizenship test prep courses.
The Resources page collects government sites, job search tools, housing help and legal aid. Handy numbers from it: dial 2-1-1 for community services, or Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000 for free health advice.
For French-language services, start with IRCC's French settlement services.
Follow CUIAS on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram, or support their work through CanadaHelps.