PROMIS — Promotion, Intégration, Société Nouvelle (Montréal, QC): Supporting Newcomer Integration Through Language, Employment, and Community Services

Introduction

PROMIS (Promotion–Intégration–Société Nouvelle) is a Montréal-based non-profit organization dedicated to helping immigrants and refugees integrate successfully into Québec society. Founded in the late 1980s by Sister Andrée Ménard, a Missionary Sister of the Immaculate Conception, along with three young immigrants, PROMIS has evolved over more than 35 years to address newcomers’ changing needs [29]. From its inception in 1989, the organization’s mission has been clear: to facilitate the cultural, social, and professional integration of immigrants and to advocate for their rights within a vision of social development [29]. It remains an intercultural one-stop centre, offering a comprehensive range of services free of charge, in numerous languages, to ensure that newcomers feel at home in Québec [3]. PROMIS operates out of the Côte-des-Neiges district of Montréal but serves newcomers from across the island, providing individualized consultations and group workshops in multiple languages including French, English, Arabic, Creole, Mandarin, Russian, Kinyarwanda, and more [3, 36]. This multilingual, client-centred approach reflects Montréal’s diverse immigrant population and helps break down communication barriers for those who are not fluent in the official languages.

PROMIS is recognized and funded as part of Québec’s newcomer integration network, partnering with government (e.g. the provincial Ministry of Immigration, Francization and Integration) and community stakeholders to support immigrant settlement [34]. Over the decades, PROMIS has assisted thousands of immigrants and refugees in concrete ways, from initial reception upon arrival to providing material necessities such as donated clothing or furniture to counselling on employment and on accessing public services such as healthcare and education [13, 31]. The organization’s core values, autonomy, respect for differences, mutual support, and solidarity, are put into practice daily in its work with clients [29]. PROMIS has even been honoured for its innovative contributions, receiving awards such as the provincial Jacques Couture Award for intercultural relations (2008) and Centraide’s Agnès C. Higgins Award (2010) in recognition of its impactful community work [13]. Through its long-standing efforts, PROMIS has become a pillar in Montréal’s settlement sector, exemplifying an integrated approach to immigrant support that addresses both immediate needs and long-term integration outcomes.

Background: Key Local Challenges

Newcomers to Montréal and Québec face a range of challenges that can hinder their integration into the community. PROMIS’s programs have been designed in response to three core community challenges that immigrants and refugees commonly encounter:

(A) Language and Communication Barriers

Language acquisition is widely recognized as one of the biggest hurdles for immigrants in Québec, where French proficiency is essential for daily life and employment [12, 14]. Yet not all newcomers arrive with adequate French skills. Although Québec recruits francophone immigrants, a notable share of recent immigrants have limited French upon arrival. About 19% of recent immigrants in Québec were unable to conduct a conversation in French as of 2016 [2, 37]. Adult immigrants also face practical barriers to learning, since work schedules and family responsibilities can make regular class attendance difficult; many newcomers juggle multiple jobs and cannot devote enough time to sustained language study [37].

These pressures are compounded by the realities of workplace francization. In 2025, Québec’s French-language commissioner warned that current workplace francization efforts do not offer most participants a realistic pathway to integrating at work in French, especially for temporary foreign workers and recent arrivals [11]. While government services help address this gap through government-approved French courses, participation and outcomes can still be challenging. Workplace French course dropout rates have been reported around 23%, reflecting how difficult it can be to progress while working full-time [11].

The consequences of these language gaps extend well beyond the classroom. Limited French can restrict access to employment, education, and public services and can intensify social isolation [12]. The urgency has increased with policy shifts such as Bill 96 (2022), which changes how immigrants access government services over time and has heightened the stakes of francization [2]. These barriers can be even sharper for immigrant women facing intersecting gender and ethnic bias in the labour market, where accent and perceived foreignness may be treated as hiring criteria [37]. Without effective language training and support, many newcomers can get stuck in a cycle where limited French reduces job options and social contact, which in turn slows language improvement, making francization a central priority in Québec’s broader integration efforts [2].

(B) Employment and Economic Integration

Gaining stable, adequate employment is another critical integration challenge for newcomers. Immigrants in Canada often experience unemployment or underemployment above the general population, and Québec is no exception [17]. Multiple barriers shape these outcomes, especially limited official-language proficiency (particularly French in Québec), non-recognition of foreign credentials, and lack of Canadian work experience [17]. A federal longitudinal study found that these were the three most serious difficulties newcomers reported when trying to find work [17]. Research also emphasizes that language proficiency affects more than employability; it shapes immigrants’ ability to participate fully in economic and social life [12].

These issues are particularly acute for skilled professionals. Many arrive with education and qualifications that employers or regulatory bodies do not readily recognize, pushing them into survival jobs or lengthy re-qualification processes [17]. In Québec, labour-market barriers have historically been especially pronounced compared to other provinces [18]. At several points in their first four years after landing, Québec’s recent immigrants had the lowest employment rates nationally [18]. Around 61% of immigrants in Québec reported difficulties finding work in their early years, and the top two problems cited were French-language deficiencies and non-recognition of foreign credentials [18]. Employers frequently identify insufficient official-language proficiency as a hiring barrier for skilled immigrants. Some analyses argue that many publicly funded language programs have historically focused on basic to intermediate proficiency, even though many professional roles demand advanced workplace communication [1, 12].

Beyond getting a first job, immigrants often face underemployment (working below their skill level) and persistent income gaps. Québec data cited in the literature suggests immigrant unemployment was 5.8% in 2022 versus 3.8% for non-immigrants [16] and immigrants’ median disposable income was about 83% of native-born residents, patterns linked to skills mismatch and barriers to credential recognition [21]. One estimate found 43% of immigrants in Québec were overqualified for their jobs (compared to 29% of the general population), and highly trained newcomers (e.g., engineers, doctors) may be blocked by licensing processes or employer bias [16, 21]. Refugees and asylum seekers may face additional barriers related to settlement stressors and reduced supports, which can further complicate employment pathways [10]. Overall, improving economic integration typically requires a mix of supports: language-for-work training, credential evaluation and bridging services, employer outreach and networking, and individualized career counselling to connect newcomers’ talents to Québec labour-market needs [17, 18].

(C) Social Integration, Isolation, and Basic Needs

The third core challenge involves the social and practical realities of settling into a new country. Many immigrants and refugees arrive in Montréal without established social networks or family support, which can lead to social isolation and difficulty navigating everyday life [9]. Integration is not only about employment and language, but also about developing a sense of belonging. Newcomers, especially those from very different cultural backgrounds, often face cultural differences, racism, hostility, and aggression, which can limit full participation in community life [9]. Immigrant and refugee youth in Montréal, for example, report discrimination and difficulty connecting with peers as major barriers to feeling accepted [9], and some newcomers describe struggling to form friendships with locals and instead gravitating together within immigrant communities for linguistic and cultural comfort [38]. These dynamics can negatively affect mental health and reduce confidence in engaging with the broader society [6].

At the same time, newcomers often face serious challenges in meeting basic needs, with housing standing out as a prime concern. Montréal’s tight housing market and long waitlists for social housing mean many families struggle to find suitable accommodation within their budget [10]. Among newcomers who experience housing difficulties, high costs are the most common obstacle, followed by low vacancy and lack of adequate units [10]. Refugees can be especially vulnerable, often arriving with fewer resources and larger household needs, making stable housing harder to secure [10]. Discrimination can further worsen these barriers: the Canadian Council for Refugees has reported that immigrants, refugees, and visible minorities face significant racism in the private housing market, contributing to disproportionate vulnerability to housing insecurity and homelessness [4].

These social and material pressures are closely tied to economic insecurity and difficulties navigating services. Centraide of Greater Montréal’s analysis of 2021 census data finds that immigrants and non-permanent residents in the region face markedly higher risks of poverty than the general population [7]. Recent immigrants have a poverty rate about 2.5 times higher than non-immigrants, and non-permanent residents experience poverty at roughly five times the overall average [7]. At the same time, navigating public services, healthcare, education, and legal systems, can be daunting for people unfamiliar with Canadian institutions, and without guidance, some may miss benefits or supports to which they are entitled [5]. Overall, social integration challenges range from loneliness and discrimination to securing housing and food and accessing essential services; these factors often reinforce each other (e.g., housing instability plus social isolation can heighten stress and slow integration) [10].

The Affected Community and Its Needs

Racialized and linguistically diverse newcomer communities

Montréal’s immigrant community is large and diverse, forming a significant portion of the city’s population. According to the 2021 Census, roughly one-third of Montréal’s residents were born outside of Canada, about 33–34% of the city’s population is foreign-born [39]. This immigrant population comes from all corners of the globe. Montréal has long-standing communities from Europe (e.g. French, Italian, Greek), but recent decades have seen increasing numbers of immigrants from Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean [41].

As a result, Montréal is ethnoculturally very diverse. Nearly 39% of the city’s population belongs to a visible minority group, with the largest groups being Black, comprising about 11.5% of the population, and Arab, over 8%, alongside sizeable South Asian, Latin American, and Chinese communities [41]. Many immigrants in Montréal are also linguistic minorities; for example, some speak neither French nor English upon arrival, or speak only one of Canada’s official languages. About 14% of Québec’s population is allophones (having a mother tongue other than French or English), a share largely concentrated in Montréal [2]. These demographic realities mean that the newcomer clientele served by PROMIS is incredibly varied in terms of culture, language, and background, and the organization accordingly employs multilingual staff and volunteers, offering services in at least a dozen languages (French, English, Arabic, Spanish, Mandarin, Russian, Creole, Persian, and more) to accommodate this diversity [33, 36].

Refugees and asylum seekers

In terms of immigration status, PROMIS assists individuals across the spectrum of statuses and immigration categories [31]. This includes refugees (both government-assisted refugees and asylum seekers/refugee claimants), family-sponsored immigrants, economic immigrants (skilled workers and investors), international students, temporary foreign workers, and naturalized Canadian citizens with immigrant backgrounds [29]. Montréal has been a key destination for refugees and asylum seekers in recent years. Notably, Québec saw a surge of asylum seekers between 2017 and 2022, with nearly 40,000 individuals crossing irregularly at the Roxham Road border in 2022 alone to seek refugee status, a flow that accounted for 42% of all of Canada’s asylum claims that year [2]. Many of these claimants end up in Montréal, relying on community organizations for initial guidance, shelter, and legal orientation [14]. PROMIS’s mandate covers these newly arrived asylum seekers alongside more established immigrant families.

PROMIS serves a wide range of newcomer profiles, including refugees and asylum seekers, as well as immigrants and temporary residents, whose needs can differ substantially depending on status, eligibility rules, and immediate settlement pressures [14, 15]. For example, people with temporary status may prioritize guidance related to administrative steps, language learning, and employment pathways, while refugee families may more urgently need help navigating essential services and understanding how to access systems such as healthcare and schooling [5, 14]. By structuring support across multiple service areas (e.g., welcome and integration, francization, employment assistance, and other complementary supports), PROMIS can respond to the distinct bureaucratic and practical challenges that different newcomer groups face [36].

Families, women, and youth

The needs of this community are multi-dimensional. Demographically, many newcomers in the Côte-des-Neiges area (where PROMIS is located) are low-income or starting over economically; thus, there is a high demand for affordable housing, job opportunities, and income support [7]. A significant subset are women and children; for instance, immigrant single mothers are more likely to have low-income status, and may have particular needs for childcare, parenting support, and protection from vulnerability [40]. PROMIS’s clientele also includes younger immigrants (including refugee and immigrant youth) who often require academic tutoring and mentorship to succeed in school, as well as outlets to build social connections [36]. These youth face the dual challenge of adapting to a new school system while also acculturating to a new society, which can be stressful without support [9].

Another important group is newly arrived immigrant women, including those who come alone for studies or work or arrive as part of family reunification [19]. They can be at risk of isolation or exploitation if they lack support networks [19]. PROMIS’s women’s lodging service was conceived to meet the needs of this group by providing safe housing and a community environment for immigrant women ages 18–45 [13]. Additionally, the health and mental health needs of immigrants cannot be overlooked. Many refugees have endured trauma or difficult journeys and may require counselling, while others need help understanding the Canadian healthcare system [6]. There is also a need for guidance with legal and immigration procedures (e.g. filling out forms, renewing status documents), especially for those with language barriers [14]. Overall, the community that PROMIS serves is characterized by high resilience and motivation, but also by specific vulnerabilities associated with migration. They need accessible information, language training, job market integration, and community connections, and the wraparound nature of PROMIS’s services is a direct response to this broad needs profile.

PROMIS’s Programs and Initiatives Addressing Local Challenges

Recently, PROMIS has expanded and refined a variety of programs to meet the evolving needs of immigrants and refugees, building on over three decades of experience. All of PROMIS’s services are offered free of charge and are designed to be comprehensive yet accessible [34].

(a) Welcome and Integration Services

PROMIS serves as an initial gateway for many newcomers upon arrival. In the past few years, it has strengthened its one-stop intake service, providing personalized needs assessments and orientation sessions for newly arrived immigrants [31]. Advisors meet individually with clients (in the client’s preferred language whenever possible) to develop a customized action plan; for instance, identifying urgent needs like finding a family doctor or enrolling children in school, and then connecting the client to appropriate resources [31, 36]. PROMIS also holds group information workshops on key integration topics, which have continued on a monthly basis. These workshops (often styled as public information sessions or forums) cover practical themes such as navigating the immigration system, understanding workers’ rights, filing taxes, or Québec culture and values [31]. For example, in early 2026 PROMIS hosted sessions explaining the permanent residence process and Canada’s tax system for newcomers [31].

During the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2021), many of these integration services were offered remotely via webinars and phone consultations, ensuring continuity of support despite lockdowns [32]. Over the last decade, PROMIS has also played a convening role beyond individual clients: notably, it co-organized two major Forum on the Regionalization of Immigration events, in 2019 and 2022, bringing together hundreds of stakeholders (community organizations, government representatives, researchers, and employers) to improve strategies for settling immigrants in Québec’s outlying regions [35]. The first forum in March 2019, initiated by PROMIS alongside partner NGOs and the provincial ministry, gathered about 220 civil experts and resulted in a published action plan with 10 recommendations for strengthening regional retention of immigrants [35]. The second forum in fall 2022 (held in Trois-Rivières) built on this momentum, reviewing progress and sharing best practices for regional settlement, thus highlighting PROMIS’s leadership in policy innovation in the immigration sector [35].

(b) Francization (French Language Training)

Given the crucial importance of French, PROMIS’s French classes have remained a cornerstone of its programming. Each year, the organization offers multiple levels of free French courses for immigrants, funded by the Québec government [27]. In the 2018–2019 period, for instance, PROMIS provided gratuitous French courses at all levels, beginner, intermediate, and advanced, with classes available mornings, afternoons, and evenings to accommodate different schedules [27]. Over the last five years, these French classes have continued to be in high demand. PROMIS offers both full-time and part-time options [27], allowing students who may be working or parenting to still attend. The classes are often held in person at PROMIS’s centre, in real classroom settings, fostering interaction and practice, though during the pandemic some courses shifted online.

By 2024, PROMIS was running several cohorts of language learners and even integrating conversational workshops to supplement formal instruction [33]. The goal is not only to teach grammar and vocabulary but also to familiarize newcomers with Québécois expressions and norms, thereby easing their linguistic integration into daily life. According to PROMIS’s annual reporting, hundreds of individuals enroll in its francization program annually, benefitting from experienced instructors and small group sizes [32]. This sustained emphasis on language training directly tackles the earlier-noted language barrier challenge: indeed, the Québec Ministry of Immigration has recognized PROMIS as a key partner in delivering community-based francization, which is part of the province’s strategy to invest tens of millions in immigrant French-language education [2].

(c) Employment Assistance

PROMIS is an employment-help organization for immigrants and has broadened its employment services in recent years to improve newcomer job outcomes. It provides one-on-one career counselling, CV and interview workshops, job-search support, and networking opportunities in Montréal [23]. Advisors help clients identify transferable skills, navigate credential recognition or bridge training, and connect with employers through referrals, with an emphasis on integration and autonomy rather than short-term placements [23].

PROMIS also supports employment pathways outside Montréal in line with Québec’s regionalization priorities. Through its affiliation with Emplois en régions, clients receive job listings and coaching to find work in other parts of Québec, potentially improving job stability while addressing regional labour shortages [30]. PROMIS has partnered with initiatives such as Place aux jeunes and similar programs, providing regional labour-market information, organizing exploratory visits, and liaising with regional economic development agencies to support relocation [23, 30].

PROMIS has adapted to evolving labour-market trends through digital job-search workshops and entrepreneurship support. Around 2020–2021, it introduced digital skills training (e.g., online job searching and LinkedIn profiles), and it provides coaching on Québec’s business environment plus referrals to microcredit programs, incubators, and partners [24]. For instance, PROMIS placed 48 immigrant participants into internships in one year, with 90% securing permanent jobs after the subsidy period [20]. PROMIS also highlights the value of bridging approaches to address experience barriers, engagement of local enterprises to widen the employer base, and the relevance of immigrant entrepreneurship, noting that 1 in 3 immigrants is an entrepreneur or self-employed [20]. Overall, PROMIS combines individualized counselling, employer engagement, regional employment pathways, and entrepreneurship supports to help immigrants overcome barriers and achieve economic self-sufficiency [23].

(d) Family and Academic Support

PROMIS’s family-focused services are designed to help newcomer households, especially those with school-age children, build stability, succeed in school, and reduce isolation [22, 25]. A flagship initiative is the Saturday School tutoring program (École du Samedi) for immigrant students in primary and secondary school, which supports homework completion, French-language catch-up, and exam preparation to address gaps linked to language barriers or interrupted schooling [22]. Participation has expanded in recent years, with dozens of students attending weekly sessions. PROMIS also emphasizes working with parents in their preferred language; for example, explaining how the Québec school system works or helping communicate with teachers, which strengthens parent–school relationships and supports children’s success [22].

Beyond academics, PROMIS supports families socially and materially to reduce stress and strengthen community ties. The organization offers sociocultural activities and parenting workshops that help families break isolation, including sessions on parenting across cultures, information on childcare services, and seasonal community gatherings that bring newcomer families together for mutual support [25]. PROMIS also runs a community closet on-site, where low-income newcomer families can access donated clothing, school supplies, and toys, resources that are especially helpful during winter and other high-need periods [25]. Together, these services aim to ensure families feel supported on multiple fronts, children’s learning, parents’ empowerment, and basic material needs, so they are not navigating integration alone.

(e) Housing Stability and Food Security Supports

A standout initiative in PROMIS’s portfolio is the Maria-Goretti Residence, which has remained a vital resource over the last five years by providing temporary housing for newly arrived immigrant and refugee women, as well as female international students, generally ages 18 to 45 [28]. Stays can range from a few weeks up to one year depending on circumstances, and between 2020 and 2025 the residence maintained consistently high occupancy while serving hundreds of women each year; in 2024 alone, it housed 352 women from 30 countries [33]. PROMIS has also invested in improving living conditions, including major renovations supported by a social economy loan in 2016 (e.g., refurbishing communal bathrooms) [13], and additional upgrades in 2024–2025 (e.g., furniture replacement, window installations, kitchen improvements) to modernize the residence and enhance comfort and capacity [33]. Beyond lodging, residents benefit from orientation, access to PROMIS’s broader integration services, and a supportive community environment through collective activities such as holiday gatherings, cooking nights, and women-focused workshops [33].

Recognizing that basic needs also include reliable access to food, PROMIS offers food-security and community nutrition programming, including collective kitchen workshops where participants prepare affordable meals together [3]. PROMIS also provides the Good Food Box (Bonne Boîte Bonne Bouffe), enabling families to purchase low-cost produce boxes, and operates a bread counter that redistributes donated surplus bread and baked goods to families in need [26]. PROMIS has complemented these initiatives with longer-term, preventative approaches, including urban agriculture through a collective community garden that has operated each growing season since at least 2018, allowing newcomers to learn gardening skills and access fresh produce [26]. It also hosts nutrition workshops and cooking classes, reinforcing practical strategies for eating well with limited resources [3, 26]. Together, the residence and food action programming reflect PROMIS’s integrated approach to stability: addressing immediate housing and nutrition needs while building skills, community connection, and the conditions for longer-term integration.

In summary, PROMIS’s programs from 2018 through 2026 demonstrate a holistic and adaptive approach to immigrant integration. The organization not only maintains essential services like language classes, job assistance, and housing, but also innovates with community-based projects (gardens, collective kitchens) and takes active roles in larger initiatives (forums, regional partnerships) to influence systemic change. Going forward, PROMIS aims to continuously improve and even scale up its services, as reflected in its vision to be the leading provider of support services for immigrants and refugees in the Greater Montréal Area and throughout Québec in the next five years [8]. The achievements and expansions in the recent past have laid a strong foundation for PROMIS to reach that goal, all while ensuring that the immediate needs and long-term integration of newcomers remain at the heart of its mission.

Turn Community Insight into Action

Use this Community Knowledge Publication to design participatory, impactful research. Plan your knowledge mobilization with ScienceReach’s Science Communication (SciCom) Tool; your plan will be accessible online on ScienceReach, making it visible to community partners and research funders. For step-by-step support, refer to our guide, "Our Guide to Using Community Knowledge Publications and the SciCom Planning Tool."

Sample questions for engaged research:

1. How do multilingual, one-stop integration service models (such as PROMIS’s approach) compare with fragmented referral pathways in terms of newcomer outcomes, satisfaction, and service utilization across different immigrant profiles?

2. What factors influence French-language learning outcomes among adult immigrants in community-based francization programs, and how do scheduling flexibility, class size, and conversational practice components affect retention and proficiency gains?

3. How does access to transitional housing (such as the Maria-Goretti Residence) and food-security programming affect the longer-term integration trajectories of newly arrived immigrant women, including employment, social network development, and mental health outcomes?

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