Calgary Immigrant Women's Association - Calgary, Alberta

Asma I.

Ciwa is not fair at all. If the migrant has a mediator or any employee or counselor from his home country working in ciwa, he will receive assistance and so on. But if the migrant does not have anyone from his country working in ciwa, he will not receive any assistance. I have been with ciwa for 7 years and I was trying to take training program and every time I get rejected because there is a long waiting list, even though I am qualified for all the programs, so there is no problem. I have friends from different countries who registered in the course after me and were accepted into the programs in ciwa and now they have jobs and everything. Why this racism? Why don't you treat all migrants equally? Why does each employee only help people from his country? And they tell us that this organization is the best for helping migrants and so on. Ciwa is an unfair organization and they are racist in their dealings and they treat people according to their mood and this is the worst thing, unfortunately.

Maria G.

I’ve received services from CIWA in the past and they were absolutely amazing ,supportive, professional, and genuinely helpful.

However, this time my experience was not as positive. There seems to be a noticeable decline in customer service, especially at the reception on the 3rd floor. Unfortunately, the receptionist I interacted with was quite rude, had a bad attitude, and was not welcoming at all. It left a really disappointing impression, especially for a place that aims to support and uplift immigrants.

Additionally, there seems to be a lack of communication between different departments or service areas, which makes the process more confusing and frustrating for clients.

I still believe in CIWA’s mission and appreciate the services they provide, but I truly hope they work on improving the professionalism and attitude of front-line staff. A warm and respectful first point of contact makes a huge difference, especially for people who are already navigating big life transitions.

Fatima Z.

I had a very disappointing experience with the receptionist at main floor at CIWA. She did not provide me with the information I needed and told me to go find other organizations instead.

As an immigrant, I expected CIWA — which is funded to support newcomers — to offer guidance and resources directly, not simply send people away. This kind of service feels unhelpful and does not reflect the purpose of such funding.

I want to make a formal complaint about this experience and hope the organization improves its approach so newcomers receive the support they come for.

C K.

please hire someone better at the photo centre. laziest workers ever. They can’t provide an invoice of purchase because they are soo busy (that’s exactly what the chinese lady said). It’s simple and quick, make a format of an invoice and just change info like dates and price every time if it’s requested. But no, they are sooo busy they can’t provide a proper receipt for their customers. They were training and they charged me a same price when it’s not done by a professional photographer. $20 for who is not an experience photographer is BS, if I knew I wouldve never came here but only because it was the closest location from Service Canada.
I believe this institution is funded by the government, hope they spend the tax money more wisely

Liubov T.

I had chance to participate in CIWA's project "Immigrant Senior's Hub" which is running by Natalia Balanetchi. All activities is very important and interesting for us immigrant women's. This activities help to live in Canada more comfortable , healthy and safe. Because of this I want to say big thanks to Natalia , she do very important work for us ,immigrant women.

Sincerely,
Liubov Truzhnikova.

gulafroz E.

CIWA is the most useless organization in the country.
I want to share my personal experience. I went to CIWA to get help with filing my taxes. I also had a settlement counselor, and she told me to come back the next morning. I returned at the time she told me, but then she said to come back on Friday. So I went again on Friday, and she told me, “Someone will call you tomorrow.” Nobody called.

I went back to CIWA on Monday. My counselor found a lady who started helping me with the tax filing. Then she asked me for a document, which I brought to her — and after that, she refused to see me or answer my phone calls.

My counselor later told me that someone would call me on Saturday. A lady did call me on Saturday and asked me to come to the office Monday morning. I showed up on Monday, but she didn’t respond again. I asked to speak with a manager, but the receptionist said, “Management is not available.”

Every single time I went there, I wasted at least two hours, and in the end, nothing was done.

I’m an independent person. I’ve never relied on organizations or asked for help — but CIWA has been my worst experience in Canada.

I’m calling on the government to shut this organization down.
CIWA is just wasting people’s time for the sake of their own funding and projects.

Nancy L.

form the las two weeks I have call the center and left message on the voice mail and haven't gotten a call back. I went there and Had the bad customer experience, all I got was No answers to my questions all I got was sorry!! but no one there, I was not able to leave my name on the waiting list for next year program, what a terrible place to come and want to get information on any programs,

Вікторія ?.

I am incredibly grateful to Uzma for her support and guidance at CIWA. She was kind, patient, and truly dedicated to helping me navigate my situation. Her professionalism and willingness to go the extra mile made a huge difference, and I truly appreciate all the effort she put in. Thank you, Uzma, for your kindness and for making such a positive impact!