General

A Canadian charity, Windmill Microlending, offers financial support to immigrants and refugees.

A newcomer IT professional wants to complete a Canadian cloud certification course to take the next step in their career.

An internationally-trained nurse wishes to finish a bridge training program to be able to practice in Canada.

A refugee working in supply chain operations seeks to change professions and aspires to study project management to grow their income.

What’s holding immigrants and refugees back from reaching their Canadian dreams? Often, it’s the high cost of studying.

New Canadians sometimes need financial support to pay for the education, training or certification that can help them achieve career success in their new country. This is because training, licensing processes or career development courses in Canada can range in cost from $1,500 to $150,000, depending on the fees for qualifying exams, duration, books, or equipment required.

These costs shouldn’t hold you back from rising to your full career potential. Especially, when investing in your skill development, designation or certification has been shown to grow your income, more than three-times (3.5x).

An affordable way to pay for your studies in Canada

A Canadian charity called Windmill Microlending provides affordable loans, of up to $15,000, exclusively to immigrants and refugees.

What is a microloan?

A Windmill microloan is a smaller loan of funds offered to newcomers who might not otherwise qualify for credit products from banks or other financial institutions. Windmill isn’t a bank. As a charitable organization, it seeks to serve as many skilled immigrants and refugees as possible, regardless of your Canadian credit history.

Want to understand the licensing, designation or certification process to reach your professional goals in Canada? Download Windmill’s free Educational Pathways for Skilled Newcomers today.

What can a Windmill microloan pay for?

Windmill loan purposes

• Up to two years of training, education or professional development courses;

• Licensing and qualifying exams;

• Language courses;

• Qualification assessments;

• Travel expenses to take courses or exams not locally available;

• Books, course materials and work equipment;

• Professional association fees; and

• Living allowance (e.g., caregiving expenses).

Completing a certification, licensing process or skills-building course may be an effective way to learn about Canadian workplace expectations, strengthen your job market competitiveness and help you differentiate yourself from other job candidates.

Who is eligible for a Windmill loan?

Windmill eligibility criteria

To be eligible for a Windmill microloan, you must:

• Live in Canada;

• Be a Permanent Resident, Canadian Citizen, Provincial Nominee, Protected Person or Convention Refugee;

• Be internationally trained or you need to have a minimum of one-year of post-secondary work experience before coming to Canada; and

• You are an immigrant or refugee who needs licensing, re-training, professional development or relocation to achieve your Canadian career goals.

For a limited time, Windmill Microlending is offering a fixed interest rate of 5.95% on a new career loan for immigrants and refugees. Learn more.

Helping you on your Canadian career journey

In addition to microloans, Windmill’s immigrant and refugee clients benefit from a range of services including one-to-one career coaching as well as access to a mentorship program, financial literacy training and career planning tools.

Regardless of what your Canadian dream looks like – whether you want to work as a civil engineer, cybersecurity specialist or accounting professional – cost shouldn’t be the barrier stopping you from investing in yourself and getting closer to your professional and income growth goals.

Let Windmill Microlending help you convert your career potential into Canadian prosperity.

Find out if you’re eligible for a Windmill microloan by completing a two-minute online quiz. Click here.