Settlement is rarely a solo journey. Behind every successful newcomer to Canada, there’s usually someone who’s been there, someone who answered questions, shared which grocery store feels like home, or simply listened when things felt overwhelming.

With funding from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), TalentLift has developed TalentLift Connect, our newest app designed for a unique group of newcomers to grow the community supporting them on this journey. 

TalentLift Connect is built for newcomers arriving on skilled visas from refugee circumstances to connect with others with a similar history. It’s a virtual space to form real-life mentorship connections, and turn what can be an isolating experience into a supportive one as newcomers settle into their new workplaces and communities.

Beyond job placement: Addressing the full settlement experience

Core to our mission supporting talented people in displacement to rebuild their careers in safety is a smooth settlement journey after arrival in Canada. Our team has supported more than 1,400 people to obtain job offers with Canadian employers facing skills shortages. Many have now relocated, and a shared experience we hear is: “How can I connect with someone who’s been through this?”

TalentLift Connect answers that question by connecting newcomers (mentees) with volunteer mentors who have walked the same path. There are unique parts of settlement for those arriving in Canada for work from displacement – like arriving with limited savings and fewer official documents – and it can be invaluable to connect with someone who knows what that’s like. These mentors, who are TalentLift alumni, donate their time to provide emotional support, share practical advice, and offer the realistic expectations that only lived experience can provide.

Importantly, mentors are guided in their role too. They are not expected to have professional expertise, and the TalentLift Connect app has resources and wayfinding to the right places for the right questions, including over to our own settlement team. 

Designed for meaningful connection

We built TalentLift Connect with a few neat features to help our community form meaningful and supported mentorship relationships:

• Real-time messaging keeps mentors and mentees connected through a secure chat interface, allowing for quick questions and ongoing support when it matters most.
• Settlement checklists help track practical milestones unique to each newcomer’s journey, from obtaining SIN cards and opening bank accounts to registering children in school and connecting with settlement agencies for family needs assessments. Mentors can help to guide mentees through some of these concrete tasks while celebrating progress together.
• An achievement system recognizes both mentee progress and mentor contributions. For mentors, whether it’s becoming a “conversation starter” with a first message, hitting the “super communicator” milestone at 100 messages, or reaching a three-month anniversary on the platform, these moments recognize the incredible contributions of volunteers. Mentors who reach service milestones receive volunteer certificates acknowledging their community impact.
• A resource hub ensures no one reinvents the wheel. Our FAQs, guides, and courses cover key tasks and questions during initial settlement, from applying for a SIN, opening a first bank account, finding housing, getting a driver’s license, navigating provincial healthcare systems, and more.
• Community events connect users beyond one-on-one mentorship, building a broader support network through webinars, in-person meetups, and hybrid gatherings.

The technology behind connection

Building TalentLift Connect required thoughtful technical decisions to serve our mission. We built a platform that works smoothly across devices, recognizing that some users primarily access the app on their phones while others prefer laptops. The achievement celebration animations, complete with confetti bursts, might seem playful, but they serve a real purpose: Recognizing progress on a challenging journey when small wins can really matter.

Behind the scenes, our admin team carefully matches mentors and mentees based on shared languages, locations, professional backgrounds, and settlement needs. This intentional matching process ensures each connection has the best chance to thrive.

Starting small, growing thoughtfully

“It’s wonderful to know that I’ll be able to hear directly from someone who has already gone through the TalentLift journey” – Rammah, a newcomer in Thunder Bay

We soft-launched TalentLift Connect in late 2025 with a small but mighty group of volunteer mentors and newcomer mentees. These early matches are now active, and we’re learning important insights from our beta community about what works and what needs refinement.

This careful, phased approach reflects our commitment to quality over speed. Every piece of feedback from our beta community helps us improve the experience before opening more widely. We’re watching how mentors and mentees actually use the features we built, adjusting as we go, and ensuring the platform truly serves their needs.

By the end of February 2026, we’ll be ready to welcome a broader community of mentors and mentees to TalentLift Connect. This timeline gives us space to iterate based on real-world use while our early adopters help shape what this platform becomes.

What connection makes possible

The settlement journey is long, and it’s rarely linear. But with the right support system, it doesn’t have to be isolating. TalentLift Connect is one way of extending community and belonging, one connection at a time.

For mentors, it’s an opportunity to give back, share hard-won knowledge, and make a difference in someone’s fresh start.

For mentees, it’s an introduction to someone who understands, a source of practical guidance, and a personal champion through some of the early highs and lows in a new home. 

We’re excited to see this community grow.

Candidates living in refugee circumstances and seeking a job in Canada can join TalentLift. Employers seeking global talent while engaging their team in something transformative can start hiring.