Program Overview

Social Service Worker – Immigrants and Refugees (Accelerated) (SSIA)

Overview

The SSIA program is the first of its kind in Ontario, offering an in-depth understanding of the evolving landscape of newcomer reception and support in Canada. This one-year accelerated option allows you to build on your current credentials, upgrading your education or choosing a career specialization.

Program Details

• Campus: Seneca@York
• Delivery: Hybrid
• Duration: 3 Semesters (12 Months)
• Credential: Ontario College Diploma
• School: School of Community Services

About the Program

The program consists of a seven-week summer semester starting in early May, followed by a regular academic year starting the day after Labour Day and concluding in mid-April. Learning through a critical and anti-oppressive lens, you will graduate prepared to support immigrants and refugees from diverse backgrounds.

Skills

Throughout this program, you will develop the following skills:

• Trauma-informed settlement counselling and practice across the lifespan
• Case management
• Community development and program planning
• Fundraising and proposal writing
• Referrals, intakes, assessment, and evaluation
• Interpersonal communication and interviewing
• Group dynamics and facilitation
• Advocacy, system navigation, and familiarity of international and national migration policies

Work Experience

You will complete one unpaid placement specifically within immigration, migration, and settlement services. You will complete a 400-hour unpaid field placement during your second and third semesters, where you will be able to apply the skills and theoretical concepts you have learned in the classroom.

Program Availability

• Start in: May 2026
• Location: Seneca@York
• Availability: Open

Professional Accreditation

Graduates of the SSWIA diploma are eligible for registration with the Ontario College of Social Work and Social Services Work (OCSWSSW).

Career Options

When you graduate from this program, these are the types of career options you can explore:

• Settlement agencies
• School settlement worker
• Refugee shelters
• Community health organizations
• Criminal justice system
• Women’s programs, shelters, and agencies offering services for immigrant youth
• Community mental health and addiction non-profit organizations
• Agencies that support income, food, and housing security
• Newcomer reception agencies

Degree Pathways

Every Seneca diploma has a degree pathway. You have the opportunity to continue your studies and complete a degree at Seneca or a partner institution.

Experiential Learning

Graduate career-ready and world-ready. This program has a field placement to help you hone essential skills for the workplace.

Career Support

Seneca Works offers students and graduates lifelong access to an exclusive job board, career coaching, networking, and more.

Related Programs

• Anti-Human Trafficking Advocacy
• Social Service Worker
• Social Service Worker (Accelerated)
• Social Service Worker – Immigrants and Refugees
• Social Service Worker – Gerontology