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PRE-ARRIVAL INTEGRATION PROGRAM

Day one should not be the first contact with the reality of the job.

Twelve sessions before arrival to reduce uncertainty, clarify the realities of the project and prepare the person, their family and the organization for what will really begin afterwards.

  • 12 sessions
  • 90 minutes each
  • 18 hours in total
  • spread over six months, before arrival
The threshold of arrival, in the middle of the journey rather than at its start A solid line occupies the left two-thirds of the composition: this is the period before arrival. Twelve points mark it out, grouped in four clusters of three, and a short horizontal stroke under each cluster marks the four movements of the program. A stronger vertical stroke then cuts across the composition: this is the arrival. To its right, the line resumes as a dotted line to the edge, with no points at all: the journey continues, but what happens there no longer belongs to this page.
  • Before arrival · twelve sessions
  • Arrival
  • The journey continues
Arrival is a passage. It is not the beginning of the process.

WHAT THIS PERIOD ALREADY HOLDS

The time before arrival can already become integration time.

Several months often pass between the signature and day one. That period is treated as an administrative wait: documents are exchanged, dates are confirmed. Yet it is the only time when expectations can be clarified without work pressing, when real questions can be answered without an audience, and when a relationship can be built before production puts it to the test.

That time is not empty. It is filled with questions that have no one to answer them, decisions taken without information, and a picture of the job and the country that builds itself. The program gives that period a framework rather than letting it run empty.

  • Does the Quebec I imagine look like the Quebec where I am going to live? Session 02Quebec: the essentials
  • How much will really be left, once deductions and rent are paid? Session 07My finances in Quebec
  • What does an actual day in this job look like? Session 06The context of my job
  • Who will my supervisor be, and how do you ask them for help? Session 05My work team
  • And the children's school, housing, my partner's job: when do we deal with all that? Session 09My family project
  • Will I understand what people say to me on the floor? Session 11The trade vocabulary

What the program does

  • clarify what will actually be expected
  • make certain realities visible early enough to be prepared for
  • connect the person with the people who will be there
  • prepare decisions rather than having them land all at once on arrival
  • provide reference points, and a way to check what has been understood

What it does not do

  • remove the uncertainty of changing countries
  • guarantee a successful integration
  • replace the welcome, the training and the follow-up that come afterwards
  • handle immigration procedures, which are the responsibility of authorized professionals

A better-prepared person does not arrive without questions. They arrive with better questions.

THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE PROGRAM

Four movements, twelve sessions.

The sessions do not follow one another at random. They move from the project to the organization, then from the organization to the personal transition, and finally to the arrival itself. Each lasts ninety minutes, is held remotely and leaves something behind.

Each title opens onto the detail of the session: what it works on, with whom, and what remains afterwards. The twelve details do not all appear at once — open the ones that concern you.

Understand the project

Before talking about the job, the project itself has to be understood: what has been signed, what awaits the person in a country they have not yet seen, and what changes when people no longer share the same reference points.

Month 1 · 90 minutes · RemoteWithHR leadership · Integration lead

Why this session matters

The contract is the first concrete commitment between the organization and the future worker. Understanding it before departure reduces areas of uncertainty and sets up a relationship built on transparency.

What we work on

  • Identify the essential clauses and conditions
  • Clarify the employer's and the worker's responsibilities
  • Get comfortable with the electronic signature process

On the agendaThe role of the contract in the project · Position, conditions and pay · Mutual rights and responsibilities · Questions and areas to clarify · Signature and next steps

The activity

Guided reading of an annotated contract and drafting of the questions to raise before signing.

What remains after the session

A contract comprehension sheet, resolved questions and confirmation of signature.

A contract understood, questions recorded and a signature completed on time.

Contribution to the programEstablishes trust and provides a first shared professional framework.

Month 1 · 90 minutes · RemoteWithIntegration lead · Sponsor

Why this session matters

The Quebec imagined before departure never fully matches the Quebec people live in. Setting realistic reference points about daily life, the region and work-life balance reduces the shock of the first weeks.

What we work on

  • Tell myths, expectations and the realities of settling apart
  • Identify the main services and resources
  • Prepare a work-life balance suited to the new context

On the agendaThe immigration project: expectations and reality · The region and the seasons · Services, housing, transportation and health care · Work-life balance and networks · Resources to consult before departure

The activity

Building a personal map of the questions and resources to check before arrival.

What remains after the session

A map of Quebec essentials and a list of preparatory steps.

A more realistic picture of daily life and a first map of useful resources.

Contribution to the programReduces idealization and turns uncertainty into things that can be prepared for.

Month 2 · 90 minutes · RemoteWithIntegration lead · Sponsor

Why this session matters

Changing countries takes more than knowing the procedures. Social norms, ways of communicating and attitudes to authority shape early interactions without always being visible.

What we work on

  • Identify the cultural reference points that shape interactions
  • Tell observation, interpretation and judgment apart
  • Choose respectful strategies for adapting

On the agendaValues and social norms in Quebec · What is visible and what is not · Communication, time, hierarchy and autonomy · Common intercultural incidents · Strategies for adapting and open questions

The activity

Analysis of three intercultural incidents that could arise in daily and professional life.

What remains after the session

A cultural reference-point journal and a personal strategy for adapting.

Cultural gaps named and strategies for adapting chosen without giving up one's identity.

Contribution to the programPrepares people to read the codes before discovering them under pressure.

Meet the organization

The organization stops being a name on a contract. Its culture, its team and the concrete reality of the job are presented by the people who carry them, not by a document.

Month 2 · 90 minutes · RemoteWithPresident or general manager · HR leadership

Why this session matters

Stated values take on meaning in decisions, in the behaviours that get recognized and in the unwritten rules. Presenting them before arrival makes it possible to clarify what the organization really expects.

What we work on

  • Connect the organization's history to its current culture
  • Interpret the cultural codes from observable behaviours
  • Identify the situations where clarification should be sought

On the agendaHistory and founding moments · Purpose, vision and values · Cultural codes and behaviours · What gets recognized, corrected and what is non-negotiable · Questions for leadership

The activity

Collective decoding of situations that illustrate the company's cultural codes.

What remains after the session

A personalized sheet of codes and examples of expected behaviours.

A concrete understanding of the culture, the codes and the behaviours expected.

Contribution to the programConnects integration to the organization's real DNA rather than to abstract rules.

Month 3 · 90 minutes · RemoteWithDepartment head · Supervisor · Team member or sponsor

Why this session matters

The relationship with the supervisor and colleagues can begin before the first shift. Knowing the people, the rhythms and the ways of working together reduces the distance and makes the arrival more human.

What we work on

  • Situate your role within the team's dynamic
  • Clarify schedules, interactions and everyday responsibilities
  • Identify who to turn to for what

On the agendaIntroducing the members and their roles · Pace, schedules and workplaces · Ways of communicating and asking for help · Team rituals and how it operates · Open questions for the supervisor

The activity

Relationship mapping of the team based on everyday situations.

What remains after the session

A map of the team, the roles and the first useful contacts.

Faces, roles and ways of working already known before day one.

Contribution to the programCreates human continuity between the remote period and the physical welcome.

Month 3 · 90 minutes · RemoteWithSupervisor · Health and safety lead as needed

Why this session matters

A job title does not fully describe the real work. Clarifying the tasks, the limits, the conditions and the safety expectations makes it possible to compare assumptions with the reality on the ground.

What we work on

  • Describe the main responsibilities and limits of the role
  • Identify the technical and behavioural requirements
  • Clarify health, safety and quality expectations

On the agendaAn overall view of the workplace · Job description and a typical day · Technical requirements and expected behaviours · Health, safety and quality in concrete terms · Training plan on arrival

The activity

Walking through a typical day and working through critical situations in the role.

What remains after the session

A job description understood and a list of skills to consolidate.

A role understood, expectations made explicit and learning areas identified.

Contribution to the programNarrows the gap between the imagined job and the work that will actually be done.

Prepare the transition

A professional project comes with financial, personal and family decisions. Preparing them early keeps them from all landing at the same time as the first shift.

Month 4 · 90 minutes · RemoteWithPayroll lead · Integration lead

Why this session matters

Gross salary does not tell you what will be left after deductions, housing, transportation and the family's needs. A realistic budget protects the project from unrealistic financial expectations.

What we work on

  • Read the main components of a pay stub
  • Estimate essential expenses in Quebec
  • Build a budget and identify a safety margin

On the agendaGross pay, net pay and deductions · The cost of housing, transportation and food · Personal budget and family budget · Credit, savings and the unexpected · Financial goals for the first months

The activity

Building three budget scenarios live from a sample pay stub.

What remains after the session

An initial budget, documented assumptions and realistic financial goals.

A personal and family budget built from plausible income and expenses.

Contribution to the programGives a concrete basis for housing, transportation and family decisions.

Month 4 · 90 minutes · RemoteWithHR leadership · Integration lead

Why this session matters

The journey involves enthusiasm, loss of bearings, learning and sometimes discouragement. Naming these movements helps normalize the experience without minimizing the difficulties.

What we work on

  • Recognize the possible stages and reactions of change
  • Identify your personal and relational resources
  • Prepare strategies for moments of doubt or overload

On the agendaBefore departure: what you leave and what you plan for · The stages of transition · Stress, resilience and asking for help · Internal and external support networks · Personal adaptation plan

The activity

Creating a journey line with points to watch, resources and people to trust.

What remains after the session

A personal adaptation plan and a support map.

A personal plan for getting through the transition and drawing on support at the right moment.

Contribution to the programStrengthens the ability to ask for help and to get through gaps between expectations and reality.

Month 5 · 90 minutes · RemoteWithAuthorized immigration expert as needed · Integration lead

Why this session matters

A professional project affects the whole family. Housing, school, health care, a partner's employment and family reunification call for coordinated decisions that cannot wait until arrival.

What we work on

  • Identify the steps to verify with authorized professionals
  • Plan the main parts of settling the family
  • Clarify roles and expectations within the family

On the agendaTimeline of the family project · The limits of the employer's role and when to turn to experts · Housing, school, health care and services · Employment, networks and a partner's adaptation · Arrival plan and priorities

The activity

Building a family plan in scenarios, according to the arrival date and the family's composition.

What remains after the session

A family calendar, a settling-in checklist and questions to put to the experts.

A family project laid out in sequence, with steps, responsibilities and resources clearly identified.

Contribution to the programPrevents professional integration from moving ahead while the family project has no structure.

Look ahead and arrive

The final sessions look beyond settling in: what the person will be able to become within the organization, the words they will need from the very first instruction, and exactly how their arrival will unfold.

Month 5 · 90 minutes · RemoteWithHR leadership · Supervisor · Integration lead

Why this session matters

The person recruited is not only there to fill a position. Understanding expectations for progression, the training available and the ways to contribute strengthens their ability to see a future in the organization.

What we work on

  • Situate the skills expected at entry and in the medium term
  • Identify the mechanisms for training and feedback
  • Express your ambitions realistically and constructively

On the agendaSucceeding in the role first · Technical and behavioural skills · Training, qualification and on-the-job learning · Development conversations · First ambitions and realistic steps

The activity

Sketching a progression map from the entry role and the target skills.

What remains after the session

A first development map and questions to take up again after arrival.

A first conversation about the skills to develop and the possibilities for progression.

Contribution to the programConnects onboarding to retention by giving a perspective beyond the immediate settling-in.

Month 6 · 90 minutes · RemoteWithSupervisor · Colleagues in the trade · Integration lead

Why this session matters

Speaking French does not guarantee recognizing the abbreviations, tool nicknames and expressions of a trade. On the ground, a moment's hesitation can become an issue of understanding, or of safety.

What we work on

  • Identify the expressions and terms specific to the setting
  • Practise the most frequent professional conversations
  • Use clarification strategies rather than hiding a misunderstanding

On the agendaStandard French and Quebec French at work · Tools, equipment and trade terms · Instructions, requests and feedback · The team's everyday expressions · Techniques for asking someone to repeat and for confirming

The activity

A decoding game and simulated conversations using the organization's real vocabulary.

What remains after the session

A personalized trade glossary and ready-to-use clarification phrases.

A glossary set in context and strategies for quickly checking understanding.

Contribution to the programReduces misunderstandings and supports autonomy from the very first instructions.

Month 6 · 90 minutes · RemoteWithHR leadership · Integration lead · Sponsor

Why this session matters

The last days before departure concentrate practical decisions and emotion. A precise plan keeps the arrival from being swallowed by urgent matters and preserves the human side of the welcome.

What we work on

  • Confirm the steps and documents needed for the trip
  • Know how the first days will unfold
  • Clarify each person's responsibilities for the welcome and settling in

On the agendaFinal checklist before departure · Luggage, documents and arrival · Transportation, housing and first steps · How the first week will unfold · Contacts, schedules and communication plan

The activity

A chronological walk-through from departure to the end of the first week.

What remains after the session

A confirmed checklist, a first-week plan and the contact details of those responsible.

A travel and first-week plan shared between the worker and the organization.

Contribution to the programTurns day one into the logical continuation of six months of preparation.

ON BOTH SIDES OF THE THRESHOLD

Preparation happens on both sides.

A pre-arrival program that prepared only the person recruited would leave them alone to carry the gap between what they understood and what the organization expects. Both sides have work to do, and that work is not the same.

The person arriving

  • understand what has been signed, and what it commits them to
  • test what they imagine against what awaits them
  • ask the questions people do not dare ask in an interview
  • prepare their financial and family decisions
  • build reference points before needing them under pressure

The organization

  • say what it really expects, and by when
  • present its culture through the people who carry it, not through a document
  • prepare the supervisor, the team and the sponsor
  • answer questions rather than putting them off to day one
  • organize the welcome while there is still time to do it

Our role is to hold that space: build the calendar, bring the right people to the right session, and turn gaps in understanding into things that can be prepared for. The organization and the person do the work; we make it possible.

WHEN THE CONTEXT CALLS FOR IT

A professional project does not always travel alone.

One professional decision brings others that have nothing professional about them, and that often weigh more heavily on what follows. Someone can be satisfied with their job and still leave, because the rest of the project did not hold.

So the program brings those realities to the surface early enough for them to be prepared for. It does not resolve them: that is neither our mandate nor the employer's.

  • HousingWhere to live, at what cost, how far from the workplace.
  • FinancesWhat the salary actually allows, once deductions and the cost of living are taken into account.
  • PartnerA job, credential recognition, a network to rebuild.
  • ChildrenSchool, childcare, the adjustment of a child who chose none of this.
  • TimelineWho arrives when, and what has to be done before each step.
  • The communityWhat a region offers, and what it does not.

The session devoted to the family project explicitly names the limits of the employer's role and when to turn to authorized professionals. An authorized immigration expert takes part when the situation calls for it. We prepare decisions and timelines; we do not provide immigration advice and we do not become a personal relocation service.

Preparing is not embellishing. A region, a climate, a work rhythm and a job are presented as they are, otherwise the preparation is worthless.

WHAT REMAINS AFTER EACH SESSION

Every session has to prepare something that will still be useful after arrival.

That is the criterion that separates a pre-arrival session from a presentation. A session that informs without leaving anything behind is forgotten in three weeks. A session that produces a reference point, a relationship, a decision or a tool keeps serving long after day one.

A reference point clarified

What the person takes awayAn understanding of what awaits them, expressed precisely enough to be checked later.

Actual outputs of the program: contract comprehension sheet · cultural reference-point journal · personalized sheet of codes and examples of expected behaviours.

A person met

What the person takes awayFaces and roles already known, and the implicit right to approach them.

Actual outputs of the program: map of the team, the roles and the first useful contacts · a sponsor present from the second session on · the president or general manager presenting the culture in person.

A question dealt with

What the person takes awayAn answer, or the certainty of knowing who to ask.

Actual outputs of the program: questions recorded before signing · questions for leadership · questions to put to the experts · questions to take up again after arrival.

A decision prepared

What the person takes awayAn informed decision rather than one improvised in the first days.

Actual outputs of the program: initial budget, documented assumptions and realistic financial goals · family calendar and settling-in checklist · first-week plan.

A tool to use later

What the person takes awaySomething concrete, that they will reopen at the moment they need it.

Actual outputs of the program: personalized trade glossary and ready-to-use clarification phrases · personal adaptation plan and support map · first development map · confirmed checklist before departure.

Twelve sessions, twelve outputs. That is what separates a program from a calendar of video calls.

WHAT THE PREPARATION AIMS FOR

Preparing is not explaining everything. It is making it possible to act better when situations begin.

A program that tried to anticipate everything would create dependence: the person would wait for the next session instead of speaking to their supervisor. We aim for the opposite. The sessions stop when the organization takes over, and the person has to be able to rely on it on their own.

  • more reference points, and a way to check them
  • relationships already begun with the right people
  • more precise questions, asked earlier
  • a greater ability to ask without fearing they will look incompetent
  • financial and family decisions already thought through
  • a more realistic understanding of the project, including its constraints

WHAT CONTINUES AFTER ARRIVAL

Pre-arrival preparation sets up a system; it does not replace it.

This program works on a specific period. What decides the rest — onboarding standards, team preparation, managers' skills, follow-up, health and safety, measuring the journey — belongs to a wider whole.

Explore our Onboarding, integration and retention expertise

HOW THE PROGRAM IS DESIGNED

The program is built from the organization's reality.

The architecture is fixed: that is what guarantees no essential subject gets left out because no one thought of it. What is discussed is the actual content of each session: a plant role, a kitchen role and a care role call for neither the same vocabulary, nor the same safety reference points, nor the same participants.

The architecture, fixed

What does not change from one engagement to the next.

  • twelve ninety-minute sessions
  • four movements, from the project through to arrival
  • spread over roughly six months before departure
  • live remote sessions
  • a usable output at the end of every session
  • the participation of internal contributors, not a single facilitator

The content, built with you

What is decided according to your reality.

  • the trade, the role and its concrete requirements
  • your organization's codes and history
  • the real vocabulary of your teams and your equipment
  • the internal contributors involved in each session
  • the schedule, according to the arrival date and how the file is progressing
  • the place of the family project, according to the person's situation
  • the region and the community concerned

THE PEOPLE WHO TAKE PART IN THE SESSIONS

  • president or general manager
  • human resources leadership
  • department head
  • supervisor
  • team member
  • sponsor
  • colleagues in the trade
  • payroll lead
  • health and safety lead
  • integration lead
  • authorized immigration expert as needed

Eleven possible roles across twelve sessions. The organization speaks for itself; we hold the framework.

BEFORE YOUR NEXT ARRIVAL

What should your next recruit already know, understand and have prepared?

We build the program with you: the sessions, the schedule, the internal contributors and the content specific to your organization, your roles and the community that will receive the person. Twelve sessions, ninety minutes each, before day one even starts.

Build a pre-arrival integration program