When it comes to immigration to Canada, senior citizens have a different set of needs and settlement issues than younger immigrants.

“Immigrant seniors don’t qualify for the same things other seniors do, and not what other immigrants do because they’re older,” explains Lynn Podgurny ofthe Kerby Centre’s Information/Advocacy Department.

A new federally-funded website has been created specifically for immigrant seniors and their families to help them navigate their way through the Canadian immigrationsystem. At immigrantseniors.ca, visitors can access information about employment, health issues, financial benefits, and housing for immigrant seniors.

“We wanted to create something for immigrant seniors and their families to use that could be easily accessed, and we saw this as a growing way to reach outto seniors,” says Podgurny.

Other information includes tips on bringing parents to Canada, an arrival checklist, and English as a second language (ESL) resources.

The information has been translated into Chinese and Punjabi.A coalition of Calgary agencies spearheaded the initiative and secured funding for the website from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).