Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society

What Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society does

Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society (CVIMS) is a non-profit charitable organization founded in 1979 in Nanaimo, British Columbia, that delivers settlement, employment, family, and language services to newcomers and refugees across central Vancouver Island. It serves as the regional Immigrant Welcome Centre, supporting hundreds of clients annually from over 50 countries through an integrated portfolio that includes case management and resettlement assistance, employment programs (LEAP, Career Paths for Skilled Immigrants, Hire an Immigrant, ASCEND, Newcomers Job Fair), family and youth support (SWIS K-12 program, Youth Connections, childcare), and language instruction (LINC, English Language Training, assessment). The organization is a founding member of the 2011 Vancouver Island Alliance, a four-organization consortium that coordinates immigrant services across the island alongside the Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria, Cowichan Intercultural Society, and Campbell River Multicultural and Immigrant Services Association.

CVIMS operates without any proprietary technology platform; service delivery is conducted primarily in person at its 101-319 Selby Street headquarters and through satellite points in Campbell River, Comox, and Duncan, supplemented by online workshops. The underlying business model is a government-funded non-profit: the dominant revenue stream is grants from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the Province of British Columbia, supplemented by tax-deductible charitable donations and nominal individual ($10/year) and corporate ($50/year) memberships that confer voting rights at the Annual General Meeting. All client services are provided free of charge. The organization is a federally registered charity (#132018235 RR 0001), governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, and recently transitioned executive leadership in December 2025 with Matthew Hoffmann succeeding Jennifer Fowler as Executive Director.

Name

Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society

Legal name

Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society

Website

https://cvims.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society (CVIMS) is a Nanaimo-based non-profit founded in 1979 that provides free settlement, employment, family, and language services to newcomers and refugees across central Vancouver Island, funded primarily by IRCC and BC government grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Immigrant Settlement Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (624110), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Integration & Inclusion Services (Housing, Education, Employment) (BPADAHAI), Newcomer & Refugee Student Support Programs (EDAJAGAH), Immigrant & Refugee Workforce Integration Programs (EDAAAOAJ), Immigrant & Refugee Community Education (Integration/Navigation) (EDAAAFAH)

Keywords

• Settlement services
• Immigrant employment programs
• Language instruction
• Family support services
• Community integration

Headquarters

HQ city

Nanaimo

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Primary revenue stream from federal and provincial government funding, including Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and British Columbia government programs for settlement services.
2. Membership Fees: Individual memberships at $10/year and corporate memberships at $50/year, providing voting rights at Annual General Meetings.
3. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Tax-deductible donations from individuals, corporations, and community members supporting newcomer services. Registered Charity #132018235 RR 0001.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society delivers free settlement, employment, family, and language services to newcomers and refugees across Central Vancouver Island through in-person consultations at its Nanaimo headquarters, satellite service points, and online/virtual workshops. Programs include case management, the Resettlement Assistance Program, citizenship preparation classes, employment programs (LEAP, Career Paths for Skilled Immigrants, Hire an Immigrant, ASCEND, Job Fair), family services (Youth Connections, SWIS school support, childcare), language instruction (LINC and ELT), interpretation, mentoring, and an emergency newcomers fund.

Product overview

Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society (CVIMS) is a non-profit settlement organization offering an integrated portfolio of services for newcomers and refugees. The organization operates as a single unified service model rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture, providing Settlement Services, Employment Programs, Family Services, Language Programs, and Community Support services. Key offerings include citizenship preparation classes, employment integration support through programs like LEAP and Career Paths for Skilled Immigrants, school support via SWIS workers, English language instruction (LINC/ELT), interpretation services, digital literacy mentorship, and a newcomer emergency fund. CVIMS also offers community membership programs and hosts recurring workshops and events for client support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Settlement Services Comprehensive settlement support for newcomers and refugees including case management, resettlement assistance, information sessions, and citizenship preparation classes to help families integrate into Central Vancouver Island communities.
• Employment Programs Job search support and career development services including the Local Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program (LEAP), Career Paths for Skilled Immigrants, Hire an Immigrant employer connections, video profiles, ASCEND, and Newcomers Job Fair events for immigrants seeking work in Canada.
• Family Services Family support programs including Youth Connections for pre-teens and teens, SWIS (Settlement Workers in Schools) for K-12 support, and childcare services while parents attend English classes.
• Language Programs English language instruction including LINC (Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada) classes, English Language Training (ELT), and English Language Assessment services.
• Interpretation Services Professional interpretation services to facilitate communication for newcomers accessing community services and resources.
• Digital Literacy Mentorship Program Program helping newcomers develop digital skills and technology literacy to navigate life in Canada.
• Connections Mentoring Program Mentorship initiative connecting newcomers with community members for social support and integration.
• Ghazi Farooq Newcomers Emergency Fund Emergency financial assistance fund for newcomer clients (immigrants with 5 years or less in Canada) who demonstrate greatest need and lack access to other funding sources.
• Membership Program Individual membership at $10/year with voting rights at Annual General Meeting; corporate membership available at $50/year for organizations wanting to support diversity and inclusion.
• Events and Workshops Recurring educational events including Canadian Citizenship Classes, Art Therapy workshops, CRA Tax Clinics, resume workshops, workplace culture seminars, and emergency preparedness sessions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves hundreds of immigrants annually from over 50 countries

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Vancouver Island AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Collaborative initiative formed in January 2011 by four of Vancouver Island's leading immigrant and multicultural service organizations. The alliance enables coordinated services, resource sharing, and staff connections to strengthen immigrant services across Vancouver Island. Each member organization maintains independent operations while working collaboratively under a Memorandum of Understanding.
• Inter-Cultural Association of Greater VictoriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member of the Vancouver Island Alliance, providing immigrant and multicultural services in Greater Victoria region.
• Cowichan Intercultural SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member of the Vancouver Island Alliance, serving the Cowichan Valley region of Vancouver Island.
• Campbell River Multicultural and Immigrant Services AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member of the Vancouver Island Alliance, serving the Campbell River area of Vancouver Island.
• Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools (School District 68/69)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the SWIS (Settlement Workers in Schools) program providing support to children and youth from newcomer families in the school system.
• Vancouver Island University (VIU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Pathways to Trades for Newcomers bridging program, helping newcomers prepare for careers in the trades sector.
• Greater Nanaimo Early Years Partnership (GNEYP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for multicultural literacy kits for children 0-6 years, promoting culturally-specific early literacy resources through Vancouver Island Regional Library.
• Canada Revenue AgencyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRA Tax Clinic partnerships providing tax assistance and information sessions for newcomers at CVIMS locations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• COSTI Immigrant Services: Toronto-area nonprofit delivering settlement, language training (LINC), employment, and refugee resettlement services; one of the largest IRCC-funded settlement agencies in Canada and a direct functional peer.
• Mosaic BC: Vancouver-based nonprofit providing settlement, employment, language, and family services to immigrants and refugees across Metro Vancouver; highly comparable service portfolio to CVIMS but operating at significantly larger scale.
• Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS): Calgary-based immigrant-serving nonprofit providing settlement, language, employment, and family programs comparable to CVIMS, with a similar regional delivery model and government funding mix.
• Achev (formerly Peel Halton Workforce Development Group): Ontario-based newcomer employment and settlement services provider delivering language training, employment bridging, and integration programs functionally comparable to CVIMS's employment pillar.
• Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC): Toronto-based immigrant employment council focusing on professional integration and employer engagement (Hire an Immigrant-style programs); a focused peer on the employment-bridging dimension of CVIMS.
• Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria: Greater Victoria-based immigrant and multicultural services nonprofit; founding member of the Vancouver Island Alliance alongside CVIMS, offering near-identical settlement, employment, and language programs to newcomers on Vancouver Island.

Others

• Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC (AMSSA): Provincial umbrella association for BC's immigrant-serving agencies; not a direct service peer but a sector coordinator, capacity builder, and funding intermediary that CVIMS engages with regularly.

Regional players

• Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS): Nova Scotia's primary immigrant-serving nonprofit delivering settlement, language, employment, and family programs; operates a comparable service model in a different Canadian region, useful as a peer benchmark.

Market position

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cvimsnanaimo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cvimsnanaimo
• Instagraminstagram.com/cvimsnanaimo
• Xx.com/cvimsnanaimo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society