Victoria Immigrant
and Refugee Centre
Building a Welcoming and Prosperous Community
Empowering Newcomers in Victoria
VIRCS is a community-based organization supporting immigrants and refugees across Greater Victoria and Vancouver Island. Through welcoming, inclusive programs, we help people settle in, build connections, and feel at home in Canada. Together, we create spaces where newcomers can grow, belong, and thrive.
We are a caring team of staff and volunteers who support newcomers
with respect, understanding, and practical help.
Pathways to Professions, Trades & Entrepreneurship
Territorial Acknowledgement
We acknowledge with respect that our work at VIRCS takes place on the traditional territories of the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) Peoples known today as the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. These lands, located in Greater Victoria, have long been a place of gathering and home to the original families who made their home a long time ago. As we continue our mission to assist those new to this region, we recognize the enduring presence and deep traditional knowledge of the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) traditional families' territory.
We are committed to learning from and respecting Indigenous peoples' rich history, culture, and wisdom as we support our staff to provide services and help clients build their new lives as guests on these unceded lands. We are also committed to respectfully contributing to the ongoing mutual learning and healing process needed by acknowledging Indigenous peoples' suffering under colonization and its devastating effects to date.
