What you need to know

NEW's Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program helps newcomers to Canada to learn the English language skills that are essential to their social, economic and cultural integration into Canadian society. This program provides students with a supportive environment in which they can learn a new language and explore different cultures.

Are you eligible?

Our program is called LINC (Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada) and it’s funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). You need to be a permanent resident (PR), landed immigrants, OR convention refugees, to attend. Before you can attend please book an appointment for an initial English Language Assessment at the YMCA. Call 416 925-5462. We may be able to cover some transportation costs if you are in a no or low-income situation.

Where/when are the classes?

Our office is open 5 days a week; Monday - Friday; 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Normally, we offer a year-round blend of virtual and physical classes at our office, which is located at 489 Queen Street East, Unit 100, Toronto, M5A 1V1

ADULT WOMEN’S IN- pERSON CLASS only :

• Monday - Thursday, 9:30 am - 2:30 pm

• Friday 9:30 am - 12:00

Senior women's IN- Person and virtual class:

• In- Person Class on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:30 am - 12:00

• Virtual Class on Tuesday and Thursday

If you have any questions, please contact elp@newcomerwomen.org OR Call 437-423-2553.

We also offer free on-site child care (19 months - 6 years). We are often the first place newcomer children meet other children from diverse backgrounds and learn a new language. Our program is culturally sensitive and designed to meet the social, emotional, cognitive and physical needs of the children. Our service is monitored by Childminding Monitoring, Advisory and Support (CMAS).

What’s our teaching style?

Our program is based on a teaching and assessment model known as Portfolio-Based Language Assessment (PBLA). It was developed to enhance nationwide consistency and standards of quality in English training for newcomers to Canada. We are one of the pioneers in the PBLA training and its implementation in Canada.

We offer four classes based on the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB), which are from 1 to 7. Each student is given a PBLA binder, which is an instructional resource and contains a summary checklist of what the student can expect to learn. She can also track her progress. Besides learning English, our students say they also appreciate how the classroom discussions help them understand Canadian culture.