That's a great question. There didn't used to be any pre-arrival orientation. I think many newcomers have told me that when they get here they're in a bit of a fog, because they get off the airplane, maybe it's 20 below, and some parts of the country are colder. They don't know where they're going to stay that first night, they're not sure how to get their kids enrolled in school, and they're certainly not familiar with how to apply for credential recognition.
That's why in 2006 our government created the foreign credential referral office, with a $30 million budget in our ministry, which has created pre-arrival orientation services focused on labour market integration and credential recognition for qualified permanent residents in India, China, the Philippines, through the innovation fund in Taiwan and South Korea, and now we've expanded it to the gulf states, Scandinavia, and Britain, with an office in London.
People get personalized counselling and a two-day free seminar on issues like how to apply to find a job in Canada, how to begin the process for applying for credential recognition, how to get the health card, the social insurance number, the kids enrolled in school, and find housing. So far, the results are very encouraging.