Federal Internship for Newcomers Program

The Federal Internship for Newcomers (FIN) Program provides newcomers with valuable temporary Canadian work experience and training opportunities with federal government departments and agencies and private sector organizations.

Interns are hired as casual employees for 90 working days. The internship may be extended an additional 90 working days.

Internships are offered in categories such as: policy, administration, project management, computer science, communications, science and engineering. A mentor will be provided for the duration of the internship.

The number and types of positions in a given year are determined according to the demand of participating public and private sector organizations.

In addition to gaining work experience, you will be able to:

  • learn about Canadian workplace culture
  • understand hiring processes
  • network with members of the public service and private sector
  • attend orientation sessions or training

For more information on the Federal Internship for Newcomers Program, see FCRO Initiatives.

Who is eligible

To be eligible, you must:

  • be a permanent resident or a Canadian citizen in Canada less than 10 years
  • have the necessary language abilities in English (minimum Canadian Language Benchmark of 6-8) or French (minimum Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens benchmark of 6-8)
  • have a post-secondary degree (with the exception of administrative positions where it is an asset)
  • be registered and successfully undergo mandatory screening for employment readiness by one of the program’s identified immigrant-serving organizations
  • either
    • live or work in Ottawa/Gatineau (or within a 125 kilometre radius), Toronto (or within a 125 kilometre radius), the Vancouver Area or Victoria (or within a 75 kilometre radius) (Note: In the future, additional locations may be added) OR
    • be a graduate of the World University Service of Canada’s Student Refugee Program

Past participants: Current interns are eligible to reapply to the program once.

Not eligible? Canadian citizens can apply online for any federal public service jobs that are open to the public on the Public Service Commission of Canada’s job web site. You may be eligible for other opportunities such as the Post-Secondary Co-op/Internship Program.

How to apply

If you are eligible for FIN, you will need to be screened for employment readiness by one of our immigrant-serving organizations partners by April 29, 2013. This is mandatory and the immigrant serving organization will be contacted to verify that you have successfully undergone the screening. This includes:

After you have been successfully assessed, apply online. The next intake will be posted May 13 and 14, 2013.

Use the following keywords in the search box: Federal Internship for Newcomers

For each category, there are essential qualifications that all applicants must meet. Only apply for positions in categories for which you have the required education and experience. These are outlined in the Statement of Merit Criteria. Applicants are not required to meet asset qualifications, but are encouraged to specify and explain those that they do meet as applicants may also be assessed on these criteria.

Management may choose one or more asset qualifications at the pre-screening stage to determine the number of applicants who will advance to the following stage of the selection process.

You will need to submit the following information:

  • A paragraph outlining  what the internship means to you, for the purpose of assessment of your writing ability
  • A  completed profile and questionnaire outlining how you meet all the essential education and experience requirements for the position
  • The name and contact information of the immigrant-serving organization that screened you

After you apply

The number of applications received is much larger than the number of internships available. Even if you qualify and are successful through the screening and interviewing process,  you may not be offered an internship.

Your application will be shared with CIC and/or other hiring federal government departments, agencies and private sector organizations where potential employment opportunities exist.

There is no guarantee of placement within a particular organization and there are a limited number of positions available. Qualified candidates will be matched with particular jobs in departments based on the needs of the participating organizations and the skills of the candidate.