Victoria Immigrant & Refugee Centre Society (VIRCS) is a non-profit organization founded in 1989 by three former refugees. We help new immigrants, refugees, and Canadian citizens settle and adapt in Greater Victoria. We acknowledge and respect the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples on whose traditional territory the organization sits and the Songhees, Esquimalt, and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples whose historical relationships w
ith the land continue to this day. We have been delivering English as a Second Language (ESL) classes to the community for over 30 years! We focus on a communicative approach to language learning and are open to everyone! We've also partnered with the Greater Victoria Public Library to offer evening conversation classes at several branches. Our TESL certified Instructors offer 4 levels of classes, with 2 classes per level offered each week:
The different levels are:
• Beginner - CLB 1-2 / CEFR A1
• Lower Intermediate - CLB 3-4 / CEFR A2
• Upper Intermediate - CLB 4-5 / CEFR B1
• Advanced - CLB 6+ / CEFR B2
(CLB / CEFR equivalency levels are approximate)
The classes are $245 for 12 classes for international students and visitors and $85 for Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents. Currently, all of our classes are over Zoom. The classes are ongoing so students can start whenever they want! Mondays
• Lower Intermediate - 11:00am-12:30pm
• Advanced - 3:00pm-4:30pm
Tuesdays
• Upper Intermediate - 11:00am-12:30pm
• Beginner - 3:00pm-4:30pm
Fridays
• Beginner - 11:00am-12:30pm
Saturdays
• Advanced - 11:00am-12:30pm
• Upper Intermediate - 1:25pm-2:55pm
• Lower Intermediate - 3:00pm-4:30pm
Additionally, we are a licensed Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) placement test site and have two trained and certified Assessors on staff to offer both remote and paper-based testing to clients and private individuals in our community.
