FAQs

About Arrival Advisor:

• Which languages are supported by Arrival Advisor?

  Arrival Advisor is offered in English, Arabic, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, French (Canadian), Korean, Punjabi, and Tagalog. Contact us to request other languages.

• What region is Arrival Advisor available in?

  Currently Arrival Advisor is only available in B.C. While we have information that pertains to all Canadian newcomers, most of the information is province-specific. We are looking to scale to other regions in Canada, as well as other settlement countries. Please contact us if you are interested in partnering to help us expand to other regions!

• How is Arrival Advisor funded?

  We are currently funded by Google.org Canada in partnership with LEAP | Pecaut Centre for Social Impact and the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Jobs, Trade and Technology, as well as by donations from individuals like you. Please note that users’ information is never sold nor shared with funders.
  
  We received funding from Google.org Canada when our project won the Google.org Impact Challenge Canada in 2017. Learn more about our participation in the Impact Challenge here. If you would like to contribute to this project, please visit peacegeeks.org/donate.

• What does Arrival Advisor do with my data?

  Arrival Advisor does not collect or share any personally identifiable data with third parties. We do collect data to understand how users are using the app, check for bugs and crashes, and learn how we can continue to improve the features and content. This data does not tell us who you are, and we respect your privacy. Learn more by reading our Privacy Policy.

Information for newcomers:

• Where does Arrival Advisor get its information?

  The topics provided by Arrival Advisor currently all come from the Newcomers’ Guide to British Columbia, a resource made possible thanks to the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Jobs, Trade and Technology. The B.C. Newcomers’ Guide provides newcomers and their families the information they need to settle in B.C. quickly and easily. You can view the PDF version of the Newcomers’ Guide, available in 15 languages, here. The Newcomers’ Guide is updated every two years and Arrival Advisor is currently using the 2017 edition. We will be updating the Arrival Advisor app as new editions become available.

   

  The services listed on Arrival Advisor come from bc211, a nonprofit information and referral organization that publishes a searchable online directory of community, government, and social services in British Columbia. bc211’s staff members collect and update this services information. View the directory or learn more at bc211.ca

   

  The PeaceGeeks team would also like to expand the Arrival Advisor app content with more resources and information for newcomers. If you have a resource you would like to share, Contact us

• Is Arrival Advisor for people who haven’t moved to Canada yet?

  Currently the information in Arrival Advisor is written for people who have just arrived in British Columbia, but people who have not yet moved here may find our information useful to prepare for their arrival. We hope to continue expanding the information available on Arrival Advisor to include pre-arrival information and services. If you have a pre-arrival resource you would like to share, Contact us

• Can Arrival Advisor get me a job?

  While Arrival Advisor provides some information and services that can help you learn about getting a job, we aren’t employment specialists. We advise that you contact WorkBC to access employment services, jobs, education, and career information for newcomers to British Columbia.

• Can Arrival Advisor give me advice for immigrating to Canada?

  While Arrival Advisor provides general information about settling in B.C., it does not provide advice on the immigration application process. Our team is also unable to answer questions about how to immigrate to Canada. People interested to learn more about immigrating to Canada can learn more here.

• I can’t find the information I need in Arrival Advisor. What should I do?

  Let us know! We are always looking to expand the information available in Arrival Advisor to make it more useful for immigrants and refugees like you. Get in touch with us.

• Where can I find local workshops and events for newcomers?

  Arrival Advisor does not provide event listings for newcomers, but lots of settlement organizations do. We recommend contacting a service organization through the app, which you can do through the Help menu. We also recommend checking out the websites of your Local Immigration Partnerships. Here are the ones from Metro Vancouver:

   

  Vancouver Immigration Partnership

   

  Burnaby Intercultural Planning Table

   

  Surrey Local Immigration Partnership

   

  Welcoming and Inclusive New West

   

  North Shore Immigrant Inclusion Partnership

   

  Richmond Community Collaboration Table

   

  Tri-Cities Local Immigration Partnership

• How can I get my organization or service listed in Arrival Advisor?

  The services listed on Arrival Advisor come from bc211. You can read bc211’s Inclusion Policy to see what organizations and services are listed. If you believe that your organization or service fits the inclusion criteria, you can email updates@bc211.ca so the bc211 team can review your organization or service. You can also visit http://www.bc211.ca for more information. The Arrival Advisor team works with bc211 to put bc211’s services directory on our app.

• Can our agency share our resources with Arrival Advisor?

  Yes! Get in touch with us here to learn more.

Functionality and Features:

• Do I need a user account to use Arrival Advisor?

  No, all the information provided by Arrival Advisor is publicly available. We are committed to keeping Arrival Advisor free, anonymous, and easy-to-use.

• Do I need to fill out the full questionnaire?

  No, not at all! You can answer just one or as many of the questions as you like in order to get customized recommendations. Feel free to skip any question. You can always return to the questionnaire to answer more questions, change your answers, or remove your answers entirely. You can also view all the newcomer topics without answering any questions, on the Learn page.

• I want to change an answer in my questionnaire. How can I do that?

  You can always return to the questionnaire from the Home page. Once you open the questionnaire, you will be able to answer more questions, change your answers, or remove selected answers. You can also click “Delete all user data” in the Help menu to remove all your answers and reset your app entirely.

• Is there a website version I can use if I don’t have a phone?

  Unfortunately there isn’t a website version of Arrival Advisor right now, but we may release one in the future. Stay tuned on our blog or by following PeaceGeeks on social media.

• What is the difference between check marked and bookmarked topics?

  The check marked topics are recommended for the user based on their answers to the questionnaire, whereas bookmarked topics are the ones that are saved by the user. You can bookmark topics that have been recommended to you, as well as topics in general from the Learn page! By saving Bookmarks, you can build a plan of all the steps you plan to take on your newcomer journey.

Can’t find what you’re after? Contact us