ISSofBC Career Services
ISSofBC is a British Columbia non-profit founded in 1968 that delivers settlement, English language instruction, and employment-bridging services to newcomers across eight BC locations and online, serving 24,000+ clients annually.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1968
- HeadquartersVancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What ISSofBC Career Services does
ISSofBC (Immigrant Services Society of BC) is a British Columbia-based non-profit charitable organization founded in 1968 that delivers integrated settlement, language instruction, and employment-bridging services to newcomers to Canada. It operates from eight physical locations across BC (Vancouver headquarters, Surrey, Coquitlam, Maple Ridge, Burnaby, New Westminster, Richmond, and Prince George) supplemented by online delivery through Microsoft Teams, a Moodle-based self-paced learning platform, and a proprietary ESL content site (Janis's ESL Website). The organization serves an annual client base of 24,397 unique individuals across more than 25 programs organized into three pillars: Get Settled (BC NSP, BC SAFE HAVEN, refugee claimant support), Learn English (free LINC classes at CLB 1-4 and fee-based Language & Career College / LCC at higher levels), and Find Work (Career Paths for Skilled Immigrants, Global Talent Loans, B-Hired, Solid Start 360, employer partnerships).
The business model is primarily government-funded rather than commercial. IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) is the principal funder of LINC and settlement programming, with the Government of British Columbia, City of Vancouver, and City of Burnaby providing supplementary municipal and provincial support. Secondary revenue streams include tuition from the wholly-owned Language & Career College (LCC) subsidiary (~$2,000 enrollees per year, 99% graduate recommendation rate, 90% word-of-mouth acquisition), individual donations via CanadaHelps, and the Global Talent Loans program ($1,000-$30,000 at Prime + 0%) operated under the national Foreign Credential Recognition Project. Content differentiation is supported by a Digital Skills Curriculum co-developed with UBC Learning Exchange and CLB-aligned assessment partnerships with three BC language assessment centers.
ISSofBC Career Services firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ISSofBC Career Services
- Legal name
- Immigrant Services Society of BC
- Website
- https://issbc.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1968
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- ISSofBC is a British Columbia non-profit founded in 1968 that delivers settlement, English language instruction, and employment-bridging services to newcomers across eight BC locations and online, serving 24,000+ clients annually.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ISSofBC Career Services industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Immigrant Settlement Services
- NAICS
- Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Translation and Interpretation Services (54193)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Refugee & Humanitarian Newcomer Orientation (Resettlement Support) (EDAAADAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Newcomer & Refugee Student Support Programs (EDAJAGAH), Conditional Offer / Package Programs (Language + Pathway + Progression) (EDAIAJAJ), Online/Hybrid Lifelong Learning Platforms & Open Enrollment Programs (EDAAAEAL)
Keywords
Where ISSofBC Career Services is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vancouver, British Columbia
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices8 records
Markets served
ISSofBC Career Services business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Government Funding: Primary revenue stream from government funders including IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada), Government of British Columbia, and municipal governments (City of Vancouver, City of Burnaby). Funds settlement, language instruction, and employment programs for eligible newcomers.
- Fee-for-Service Programs (LCC): Language and Career College (LCC) offers affordable English classes and professional diploma programs open to all immigration statuses. Revenue generated from student tuition fees for non-LINC programs.
- Donations: Charitable donations accepted through CanadaHelps platform to support programs including Learning in Action and English Conversation Circles.
- Global Talent Loans: Government-funded low-interest loan program (Prime + 0%) for career retraining, ranging from $1,000 to $30,000. Part of Foreign Credential Recognition Project.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free English classes (LINC) for eligible newcomers |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Affordable English classes at Language and Career College (LCC) |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Global Talent Loans for career training ($1,000-$30,000) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels9 records
ISSofBC Career Services product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ISSofBC is a non-profit settlement organization that delivers integrated newcomer services across three pillars: Settlement (cultural orientation, first-language support, housing guidance, refugee claimant support via BC SAFE HAVEN, senior newcomer programs), Language (free LINC English classes at CLB 1-4 and fee-for-service classes via Language and Career College), and Employment (Career Paths for Skilled Immigrants, Global Talent Loans, B-Hired, Solid Start 360, and employer connections). Services are free for eligible newcomers (permanent residents, refugees, protected persons) and fee-based for non-eligible students through LCC.
Product overview
ISSofBC is a non-profit settlement organization offering over 25 programs and services for newcomers to British Columbia. The portfolio is organized into three main pillars: Settlement Services (cultural orientation, first-language support, community connections), Language Learning (free LINC classes for CLB 1-4 and affordable Language and Career College/LCC for higher levels), and Employment Services (Career Paths, Global Talent Loans, B-Hired, Solid Start 360). BC SAFE HAVEN provides specialized support for refugee claimants, while the Connecting Seniors Program serves older newcomers. Programs are delivered in-person at 8+ BC locations and online, with multilingual support available.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- LCC (Language & Career College): Language and career college offering affordable English classes and professional diploma programs through co-op streams for newcomers in British Columbia. Open to all immigration statuses.
Quantifiable outcome
- 24,397 unique clients supported in 2024-2025
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use ISSofBC Career Services
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments9 records
Ideal customer profiles7 records
ISSofBC Career Services technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
Feature5 records
ISSofBC Career Services partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- Family Services of Greater Vancouver (FSGV)corePartnership for Financial Literacy Workshop Series. FSGV's Financial Empowerment Team delivers workshops on budgeting and financial management for ISSofBC clients in multiple languages.
- University of British Columbia Learning ExchangecoreConsultants on ISSofBC Digital Skills Curriculum development for educators. Partnership to create digital literacy training resources for newcomer clients.
- Burnaby English Language CentresupportingPartner in SDI-funded digital skills curriculum development project.
- Vancouver Community CollegesupportingPartner in SDI-funded digital skills curriculum development project.
- BC Refugee HubsupportingPartner organization supporting refugee settlement in BC.
- Vancouver Language Assessment CentrecoreLINC Assessment and Referral Centre at #208 – 2525 Commercial Drive, Vancouver. Refers assessed clients to ISSofBC LINC classes.
- Options Language Assessment & Referral Centre (LARC)coreAssessment center for Surrey, Delta, Langley, Burnaby, New Westminster, Coquitlam, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, North Vancouver, and West Vancouver areas. Refers assessed clients to ISSofBC.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
ISSofBC Career Services competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- CultureLink (Toronto): Settlement and language services nonprofit focused on the Greater Toronto Area. Operates a similar newcomer services portfolio to ISSofBC but is geographically restricted to Ontario, serving as a regional equivalent rather than direct BC competitor.
- Calgary Immigrant Women's Association (CIWA): Calgary-based nonprofit serving newcomer and refugee women with language, settlement, and employment programs. Overlaps with ISSofBC's Multicultural Newcomer Women and Connecting Seniors segments, with comparable funder relationships (IRCC, Alberta government).
Emerging players
- NorQuest College (Edmonton): Alberta public college operating one of Canada's largest LINC programs alongside ESL and settlement-adjacent services. Comparable to ISSofBC's Language and Career College in providing fee-for-service ESL pathways to post-secondary education; offers a more formal academic credential frame.
Direct peers
- COSTI Immigrant Services: One of Canada's largest immigrant-serving nonprofits, headquartered in Toronto, delivering LINC, settlement, employment, and resettlement programs. Closest national-scale comparable to ISSofBC in mandate, funding model, and service mix, though operating primarily in Ontario.
- Achev (formerly Peel Multicultural Council): Ontario-based immigrant-serving agency offering LINC, settlement, employment, and language training across multiple locations. Comparable in service breadth and IRCC funding model to ISSofBC, with similar scale and digital learning investments.
- S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Major BC immigrant-serving agency headquartered in Vancouver delivering settlement, language training, employment, and community programs. Competes with ISSofBC for IRCC and BC government settlement contracts across Metro Vancouver.
- MOSAIC BC: Vancouver-based nonprofit providing language instruction, settlement, and employment services to newcomers and refugees. Direct BC competitor to ISSofBC, serving overlapping Metro Vancouver populations with similar IRCC-funded programs (LINC, settlement, employment bridging).
- Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS): Calgary-based nonprofit providing settlement, language training, and refugee resettlement services under IRCC contribution agreements. Directly comparable to ISSofBC in mandate, scale, and funder mix; operates in a different province.
- Catholic Cross-Cultural Services (CCS): Toronto-based nonprofit delivering settlement, language, and refugee services to newcomers. Closely comparable in operating model to ISSofBC, providing government-funded programs including LINC and resettlement support.
- YMCA Newcomer Services: Multiple YMCA branches across Canada (notably Greater Toronto and YMCA BC) deliver government-funded newcomer settlement, language, and employment services. Operates the same IRCC-funded LINC and settlement model as ISSofBC through community-based delivery.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ISSofBC Career Services social profiles
Digital presenceISSofBC Career Services compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
ISSofBC Career Services financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ISSofBC Career Services leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
ISSofBC Career Services subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
ISSofBC Career Services funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ISSofBC Career Services M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ISSofBC Career Services
What does ISSofBC Career Services do?
ISSofBC is a non-profit settlement organization that delivers integrated newcomer services across three pillars: Settlement (cultural orientation, first-language support, housing guidance, refugee claimant support via BC SAFE HAVEN, senior newcomer programs), Language (free LINC English classes at CLB 1-4 and fee-for-service classes via Language and Career College), and Employment (Career Paths for Skilled Immigrants, Global Talent Loans, B-Hired, Solid Start 360, and employer connections). Services are free for eligible newcomers (permanent residents, refugees, protected persons) and fee-based for non-eligible students through LCC.
Is ISSofBC Career Services a public or private company?
ISSofBC Career Services is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was ISSofBC Career Services founded?
ISSofBC Career Services was founded in 1968. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is ISSofBC Career Services based?
ISSofBC Career Services is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in the North America region.
How does ISSofBC Career Services make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Government Funding is the primary driver. The others are fee-for-Service Programs (LCC), donations and global Talent Loans.
Who are ISSofBC Career Services's main competitors?
Regional players on record are CultureLink (Toronto) and Calgary Immigrant Women's Association (CIWA). NorQuest College (Edmonton) is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are COSTI Immigrant Services, Achev (formerly Peel Multicultural Council), S.U.C.C.E.S.S., MOSAIC BC, Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS), Catholic Cross-Cultural Services (CCS) and YMCA Newcomer Services.
Does ISSofBC Career Services have an API?
No public API is recorded for ISSofBC Career Services.
What industry is ISSofBC Career Services in?
ISSofBC Career Services's product category is Immigrant Settlement Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAADAI, Refugee & Humanitarian Newcomer Orientation (Resettlement Support), with a secondary code of EDAJAGAH, Newcomer & Refugee Student Support Programs. Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 8200.