Volunteering as a newcomer: Canadian experience, references and permit rules

New to Canada? You will probably hear "volunteer to get Canadian experience." It is good advice, up to a point. Volunteering can give you local references, English practice, and a first look at how Canadian workplaces run. But it has limits, and your immigration status can change what you're allowed to do.

This guide covers Metro Vancouver and the Greater Toronto Area.

Please note: This guide shares general facts from official sources. It is not immigration or legal advice. What you can do depends on your own status and permit. If you're not sure, ask Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) or a licensed representative before you start.

We checked these facts on October 13, 2026. Follow the links for the latest details.

What volunteering can do for you

• A Canadian reference. A volunteer supervisor in Canada who has seen you work can be a job reference. ISSofBC, a settlement agency in Metro Vancouver, says it offers all its volunteers a reference for future job applications (ISSofBC). Read References when you have no work experience.
• English practice. You talk with staff, other volunteers, and often the public. You learn everyday workplace words in a low-pressure setting.
• How workplaces work here. You see how people give instructions, ask questions, take breaks, and say when they can't come in. Our guide Canadian workplace basics explains what most employers expect.
• People who know you. Staff and other volunteers can tell you about job openings, programs, and services you might never find online.
• Something recent on your resume. A current role shows you are active while you look for paid work, and it gives you stories for interviews.

What volunteering can't do

It doesn't count for the Canadian Experience Class

Express Entry's Canadian Experience Class needs paid work. IRCC says you need at least 1 year of skilled work in Canada, or 1,560 hours in total (30 hours a week), in the 3 years before you apply. The work must be in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 jobs, and you must have been paid wages or earned commission. You must also have done it while you were authorized to work in Canada under temporary resident status (IRCC: Canadian Experience Class).

IRCC lists what doesn't count. This includes time as a volunteer or unpaid intern, self-employment (except for some physicians), and work you did while you were a full-time student, including co-op terms (IRCC).

So when a program says volunteering gives you "Canadian experience," it means experience that employers may value. It is not work experience for the Canadian Experience Class.

It isn't a licence

If your profession needs a licence or registration in BC or Ontario, volunteering won't give you one. Ask the regulator for your profession in your province what you need.

Check your status before you start

Permanent residents can live, work, or study anywhere in Canada (IRCC). The rules in this section are for temporary residents, such as people on a study permit or a work permit.

What IRCC counts as work

IRCC's Help Centre says that for temporary residents, work includes (IRCC Help Centre):

• any activity you are paid for, and
• unpaid activity in a job you would usually be paid for, or one that would be valuable work experience for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. IRCC's example is an unpaid internship.

IRCC adds: "You usually need a work permit to work in Canada."

So a role called "volunteer" can still be work in IRCC's eyes. Be most careful with unpaid roles that do the same tasks as paid staff, and with unpaid internships.

IRCC's guidance for its own staff gives examples of volunteering that is not work: volunteer work you would not normally be paid for, such as sitting on the board of a charity or religious institution, being a "big brother" or "big sister" to a child, or taking calls on the phone line at a rape crisis centre. The guidance says this is normally part-time and a side activity to the main reason you are in Canada. The same page lists unpaid employment to gain work experience, such as an internship or practicum, as work (IRCC: What is work?).

International students

IRCC has an older page about volunteer work by international students. It was last updated in 2014. It gives similar examples. Volunteer work you would not normally be paid for, such as being a big brother or big sister to a child, doesn't need a work permit. The page says this is normally part-time and incidental to your studies. Unpaid work that competes with Canadian jobs does need a permit. Its examples are an internship at a TV station or a high-profile NGO, which could be valuable experience for a Canadian student, and an internship your program doesn't require (IRCC).

Because that guidance is old, check with IRCC or your school's international student office before you take on a regular role. For the rules on paid jobs, read Part-time jobs for students.

Visitors, refugee claimants, and people waiting for a permit

Don't guess. Before you start any regular volunteer role, ask IRCC or a licensed representative. Be especially careful with any role that looks like a job someone would normally be paid to do.

If someone offers you immigration advice, check that they are licensed first. IRCC's page Find out if your representative is authorized explains how: consultants must be members of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants, and lawyers and Ontario paralegals must be members of a law society.

Ontario: no "Canadian experience" in job postings

Since January 1, 2026, Ontario employers with 25 or more employees can't include Canadian experience requirements in a publicly advertised job posting or its application form. Ontario's examples of Canadian experience requirements include work experience, education credentials, and having an established professional network or client base. The employer counts its employees on the day the job is posted, and part-time and casual employees each count as one (Ontario).

The rule has limits:

• It doesn't apply to professional licensing or registration requirements.
• It doesn't apply to the Crown or Crown agencies.
• It doesn't cover a general "help wanted" sign or hiring campaign that doesn't advertise a specific job, or a posting open only to the employer's current employees.
• It doesn't cover jobs done outside Ontario, so it doesn't help with jobs in BC.

Read Your rights at work in Ontario for the other job posting rules and where to get help.

Choosing a role

• Get close to the job you want. Want retail or customer service? Try a front desk, a thrift store, or events. Our guide Volunteering to build experience and references has a table of roles and the skills they build.
• Pick a regular role. A few hours every week for a few months helps more than many one-day events. Your supervisor gets to know you, and that makes a better reference.
• Use your languages. Some newcomer agencies need volunteers who speak other languages. ISSofBC, for example, lists translation among its volunteer roles (ISSofBC).

Newcomer agencies that take volunteers

Agencies that help newcomers settle and find work often need volunteers too. A few examples:

A few details from their pages:

• ISSofBC says no experience is needed, and you get an orientation and training. You must live in BC, commit at least 3 hours a month for at least 3 months, and complete a criminal record check (ISSofBC).
• MOSAIC takes volunteers from age 14, with a parent's or guardian's consent under 16. Each program may set a different age. It asks for a criminal record check and provides it free after your application and interview (MOSAIC).
• ACCES Employment's customer service and office assistant role asks for at least 8 hours a week for 6 to 8 weeks, in person. Its mentor and guest speaker roles are for people who are already employed (ACCES Employment).
• Achēv's Youth 2 Action is a summer program for newcomer youth aged 14 to 29 who live in Peel. Youth who have been in Canada less than 5 years get priority. You must commit to 10 days of in-class training (3 hours a day) and at least 10 hours a week of event planning over the summer, and you can volunteer up to 100 hours through workshops and planning a virtual event (Achēv).

Programs and openings change often, so check each page before you apply. For more places to volunteer, see our lists for Metro Vancouver and the Greater Toronto Area.

Don't work for free at a business

Look for volunteer roles at a charity, non-profit, or public organization. Watch for these warning signs:

• A business asks you to "volunteer" and do the same work its paid staff do.
• An unpaid "trial" goes on for days or weeks.
• Someone asks you to pay a fee to volunteer, or promises a job or immigration help in return for unpaid work or money.

The law in both provinces looks at what you actually do, not what the role is called:

• BC: Anyone an employer allows, directly or indirectly, to do work normally done by an employee is an employee under the Employment Standards Act. BC's example is a friend who helps wash dishes at a small restaurant for three hours: that person is an employee owed wages (BC Employment Standards definitions).
• Ontario: Volunteers are not employees under the Employment Standards Act. But not being paid doesn't by itself make you a volunteer. Ontario looks at how much the business benefits from your work, and whether you see it as a way to earn a living (Employee status).

If you are a temporary resident, unpaid work at a business can also count as work under IRCC's definition above. Read Unpaid internships and trial shifts in BC and Ontario and Job scams that target first-time job seekers.

Make your volunteering count

• Keep a log. Write down your dates, hours, and tasks. It makes your resume and interviews easier.
• Ask about a reference early. Ask your supervisor if you can list them, and save their contact details.
• Expect a police check for some roles. It can take time, so start early. Read Police checks for volunteers in BC and Ontario.
• Put it on your resume. Our guide Using volunteer experience on your resume and in interviews shows how.
• Keep looking for paid work. Volunteering is a step, not the goal. Free job search help is listed below.

Next steps

• Find a place to volunteer in Metro Vancouver or the Greater Toronto Area, or see the full volunteer directory
• Read Your first job in Canada as a newcomer
• Get free job search help in Metro Vancouver or the GTA
• Learn what employers expect: Canadian workplace basics
• Ready for a paid job? Get your Social Insurance Number, then browse entry-level jobs in Metro Vancouver and the Greater Toronto Area