Frontline Tech

Category: Smartphone Apps for clients related to settlement & citizenship

Current smartphone apps created by sector and other organizations to provide Newcomers with information and orientation.

  • Mauril

    Description

    Mauril is an English and French-learning website and app focused on listening and comprehension skills using audio and video content from CBC and Radio-Canada. Learners are exposed to a wide range of topics through clips or full versions of TV and radio shows, digital series and podcasts. Content is accompanied by comprehension-assessment questions to help users acquire a diverse vocabulary, with regional flavours from across the country.

    Current known uses in the sector

    • The app can be used to complement your courses and can serve as a tool to immerse your students in whichever language they are learning. The Teachers page provides helpful information on how to make the most of the app.
    • Mauril would mainly be used as a complement to Language Training. However, it could easily be used in other service contexts as a complement to those programs, in particular Community Connections. However, it could not be used as a Pre-Arrival tool: “Mauril was designed specifically to help people in Canada learn English and French. It is not available to users outside of Canada… If you are connecting to the app outside of Canada, the content will not be accessible.”

    Video overview

    Pricing

    Free.

    Ease of use & Accessibility

    According to their site “Mauril was designed by a team of language learning experts, in collaboration with the Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks (CCLB)… Mauril levels are inspired by the CLB system and cover levels 1-8, or the equivalent of CEFR levels A1-B2. A placement test allows students to start at the appropriate level for their needs.”

    Mauril can be used with a screen reader.

    Mobile friendly

    Available both via the web and smartphone apps for mobile devices.

    Privacy/security features, including data security and message encryption

    Users must create a profile in order to use Mauril. Privacy and Terms of Use fall under the CBC/Radio-Canada policies.

    Multilingual capabilities

    The interface is in English or French.

    Additional resources

  • Government of Canada mobile apps

    Government of Canada mobile apps

    85 mobile applications and pages to access Government of Canada information and services.

    They also have an Apps Gallery that lists third-party mobile applications created using Government of Canada data.

  • Citizenship apps

    Canadian Citizenship apps – Android

    A list of apps in Google Play focused on helping newcomers prepare for the Citizenship Test.

    Canadian Citizenship apps – Apple

    A list of Canadian Citizenship prep apps in the Apple App Store.

  • ArriveON

    ArriveON is a free, bilingual mobile app created by COSTI Immigrant Services that helps newcomers in Ontario, Canada find information and services to navigate their settlement journey.

    From finding a job or a place to live, to learning English or French or accessing health care, ArriveON has everything newcomers need to get started on their new community.

    The information provided is based on the content of the O2O Workbook and grouped into six sections: Getting to Know Canada and Ontario, Living in your New Community, Education and Training, Working and Business, Money and Personal Finances, People and the Environment.

    Each section has several topics that give information for the whole province. Users can explore these topics, bookmark the ones that are relevant to them, and find nearby programs and services using the geolocation feature without ever needing to create an account or disclose personal information. Furthermore, the information can be saved to the user’s device and accessed later on without an Internet connection.

    Most sections have a Settlement Plan that summarizes the main settlement tasks, and some important questions under the heading Things to Think About. These questions help users think about the choices they need to make during their settlement process.

  • Connector+ App

    The Connector+ app helps soon-to-be and recent graduates (Connectees) grow their professional network in Nova Scotia by connecting them with experienced professionals (Connectors) in their local area.

    Build your professional network and make connections with the official Connector Program app from Halifax Partnership. Whether your career is just getting started or well underway, Connector+ will match you with experienced professionals in your field or new talent looking to build their network.

  • CanSettle (Early Access)

    CanSettle provides offline access to organizations that can help you settle in Canada. If you have just immigrated to Canada and need help this app will direct you to organizations that can help.

    CanSettle also gives you access to a big checklist on what to do before you get to Canada and what to do once you are here.

    Key Features:

    • Organization information is available offline for reference and to provide to transportation providers (e.g. taxi).
    • Organizations with verified addresses and names have a checkmark next to the address allowing you to quickly see where to go for help!
    • Business hours for many of the organizations for quick reference.
    • You can see what services are available, how far the organization is from your location and quickly call them or get directions.
    • You can also search all the organizations across the entire country by service, city and province if needed.

  • ASCEND Mobile App

    ASCEND is an interactive employment readiness program created by Immigrant Employment Council of BC (IEC BC) that supports newcomers to identify, develop and demonstrate their soft skills for Canadian employers. ASCEND was developed by the Immigrant Employment Council of BC in partnership with Canadian employers and HR experts.

    You can watch this demo video about the app:

    https://youtu.be/95QeAdW4SpA

  • MNLCT Newcomer Support App

    Similar to PointB, this app is a bit different from others. This is an organization-specific service app, which focuses on serving clients throug the organization’s app rather than serving them through other tools, such as digital messaging.

    Available in English, Arabic, Mandarin, and Spanish, the Mennonite New Life Centre (MNLCT) Newcomer Support App was developed in partnership with iCent – a platform for international students and newcomers – and is designed to provide virtual tools to better support immigrants and refugees who are settled or settling in Ontario.

    Key features include:

    • COVID-19 updates regarding issues related to
      • settlement,
      • immigration,
      • legal rights,
      • employment,
      • mental health,
      • schooling
    • #AskMNLCT webinars can be viewed right from the app
    • Information on our programs and services and how we’re managing them online during the COVID-19 pandemic
    • Trustworthy information on
      • settlement,
      • immigration,
      • legal rights,
      • employment,
      • health,
      • recreation,
      • the latest incidents affecting our communities

    Upcoming features:

    • Register for upcoming workshops, events, and information sessions for our programs
    • Securely upload registration documents
    • Book appointments with our settlement and mental health teams
    • Live chat with staff

  • Ghurba Inc.

    Note: the text below is an automatic translation of the text on the Google Play Store (from Arabic to English) and therefore is likely to contain translation errors.

    A social service platform provides useful information in Arabic in various fields such as health, transportation and housing, education and employment Newcomers to Canada.

    This platform is a bridge of communication between the newcomers or visitors with veterans of immigrant business owners, companies and professionals, experienced in the country, they underestimate their affairs of everyday life and help them adapt to their new country.

    Therefore we have this creates a weird business guide is the first of its kind in Canada and the Western world, which includes more than four thousand companies and members of Arab organizations in various fields, such as doctors, lawyers, advisers immigration, contractors, real estate agents and mortgage and retail outlets and the sale of meat, in addition to community-based organizations and associations concerned with services the new arrivals of immigrants throughout Canada.

    We have been careful while we collect this information at the highest degree of accuracy and credibility and to provide it to you in an organized manner, including communication with these companies or individuals information in addition to the addresses and working hours. We have also added property valuation to benefit users of this application from the previous experiences of people with such a wide range of companies and individuals.

    With this application you will be able to:

    • Quickly and easily search for companies and professionals Arabs, and get to communicate with any of them information as well as the ability to share this information with others
    • Add your assessment of companies and services that are within the Weird guide
    • access to basic guidance information for the area where you live, such as health insurance, housing, education, transportation and work translated into Arabic

    We have made the State of Canada starting point for this project being of the population of this great country, which has always attracted thousands of Arab immigrants, and we hope very soon that we can be in all the Diaspora from Mushargaha to the west to provide our services to the Arabs wherever they are.

    Finally, we hope and we wish to communicate your cooperation with us to express their opinion and advice anything you deem inappropriate or need to be corrected in this application Froakm and suggestions are the foundations of the construction of this project, which worked by a team of the finest Arab programmers.

  • PointB

    PointB provides information, resources and online support to newcomers to Canada as part of the YMCA Immigrant Services program. Use is by invitation by the YMCA of Hamilton|Burlington|Brantford Immigrant Services.

    This is an organization-specific service app. An attempt to bring clients into the org’s app service environment rather than serving them through WhatsApp, etc.