Free settlement services for migrants in the ACT

Migrant resource centres and settlement services in the ACT

MARSS (Migrant and Refugee Settlement Services), established in 1980 as the Migrant Resource Centre, supports people from refugee and migrant backgrounds settling in Canberra and the surrounding region. It offers job preparation support, free English classes across skill levels, both accredited and non-accredited training programs, community education, computer training, and social activities, alongside access to migration and tax agent services. Based at the Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre, Level 2/180 London Circuit, Canberra. Phone (02) 6248 8577, marss.org.au.

The Multicultural Hub Canberra, also operating from the Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre, provides help and support for youth, women and men across employment, counselling and settlement. A point of difference worth knowing: it works with all multicultural communities regardless of visa type or how long you've been in Australia. It's also funded by the ACT Government to provide domestic and family violence support to multicultural women, and partners with the University of Canberra to run a free tax clinic from its office every fortnight. The Hub's network extends beyond Canberra, with sister multicultural centres in Queanbeyan, Goulburn and Cooma. Phone (02) 6100 4611, mhub.org.au.

Both organisations note they can facilitate access to migration agents rather than being one themselves — a distinction the final section of this guide covers directly.

Free interpreting: TIS National

TIS National, the Australian Government's Translating and Interpreting Service, is free to anyone in Australia communicating with a business or government agency. Call 131 450 for immediate phone interpreting, available 24 hours a day, every day of the year, for the cost of a local call, in more than 150 languages.

In the ACT this covers Centrelink, Medicare, your GP, your child's school, and ACT Government departments willing to use TIS (most are). Private businesses can choose to use it but aren't required to, so it's worth asking upfront whether the specific organisation you're calling will arrange one.

Canberra's relatively small population means it's not always guaranteed a local office has a bilingual staff member on the day, which makes TIS National's 24/7 phone line particularly reliable to fall back on. Pre-arranged bookings are available at tisnational.gov.au.

Free legal help for immigration matters

Legal Aid ACT runs a dedicated migration service offering free and confidential legal help to visa holders. It can assist with protection visas, refugee status matters, visa cancellations for people on a humanitarian visa, and family-violence-related pathways. Phone 1300 654 314, Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm; a drop-in service is also available — details at legalaidact.org.au.

As with every state and territory, this is scoped legal advice focused on protection, humanitarian and family-violence matters rather than general visa application support. If your situation is a skilled, employer-sponsored, student or partner visa application, or a refusal outside the protection-visa system, Legal Aid ACT's migration service is unlikely to be the right fit — a registered migration agent is.

MARSS separately facilitates access to migration and tax agents for its clients as part of its broader settlement support, worth asking about directly if you're already engaged with them.

Government multicultural services and multilingual support

The ACT Office for Multicultural Affairs coordinates the ACT Government's work supporting an inclusive, diverse Canberra, providing services and programs for the territory's multicultural and linguistically diverse communities. It hosts citizenship ceremonies on behalf of the Department of Home Affairs, issues ACT Services Access Cards for asylum seekers awaiting a protection visa decision, offers free online assessments of overseas higher-education qualifications, and manages the Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre — where you can also hire meeting and function rooms and celebrate your own culture, alongside getting help settling in Canberra. Details at act.gov.au.

For Commonwealth services, Services Australia's multilingual lines cover Centrelink (131 202) and Medicare (132 011), with free interpreters arranged on request and documents translated free where needed for a payment.

The free online overseas-qualification assessment is worth flagging specifically — it's a genuinely useful, easy-to-miss free entitlement for anyone whose qualifications weren't earned in Australia.

Libraries: free resources and community connection

Libraries ACT runs an active multicultural events program — in a recent year more than 6,000 people took part in around 400 multicultural group meetings held in ACT public library meeting rooms — and has offered bilingual storytime sessions online in Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Bangla, Hindi, Spanish, Farsi, Dari, Thai and Indonesian.

A library card in the ACT is free and typically only requires proof of address. Beyond books, ACT libraries function as genuine community meeting space for multicultural groups — worth checking your nearest branch's events calendar rather than assuming it's only for borrowing.

Because the ACT is compact, most Canberra residents are within reach of more than one library branch, so it's worth comparing what's on at Civic, Belconnen, Woden and Tuggeranong specifically rather than defaulting to whichever is closest.

Emergency help if you're struggling to cover the basics

If you're short on food or facing an urgent bill in your early months in the ACT, several national charities run emergency relief that generally doesn't require citizenship — eligibility depends on the specific program and sometimes your visa category. The Salvation Army and St Vincent de Paul Society (Vinnies) both run emergency relief and material aid through ACT branches and op shops. Foodbank NSW & ACT supplies food relief through a network of partner charities across the territory rather than usually distributing directly to individuals.

MARSS or the Multicultural Hub Canberra are usually the fastest way in — both operate from the Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre and generally know which local emergency relief service has capacity that week. If you're on a temporary visa, confirm upfront whether the specific program is scoped to permanent residents and citizens only.

What settlement services don't do — and who does

MARSS and the Multicultural Hub Canberra are upfront that their role is settlement, employment and community support, not general visa advice — English classes, job preparation, counselling. They facilitate access to migration agents rather than replacing one. Giving immigration assistance in Australia is a regulated activity, restricted to agents registered with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA) or a small number of exempted lawyers.

Legal Aid ACT's migration service does give free legal advice, but it's scoped to protection, refugee status, humanitarian visa cancellation and family-violence matters. If you're applying for a skilled, employer-sponsored, student or partner visa, or navigating a refusal outside the protection-visa system, you need a registered migration agent.

Before engaging anyone for visa advice, check they're actually registered — our guide to using the OMARA register takes under a minute. On Migratio you describe your situation once and compare consultation fees from MARA-registered agents (comparing is free; consults are typically $150–$300 and you pay only if you book) who handles your specific visa type.

What does MARSS do in Canberra?

MARSS (Migrant and Refugee Settlement Services) supports people from refugee and migrant backgrounds settling in Canberra and the region — job preparation, free English classes, accredited training, community education, and computer training. Based at the Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre. Phone (02) 6248 8577.

How do I get a free interpreter in the ACT?

Call TIS National on 131 450, available 24 hours a day for the cost of a local call, in more than 150 languages. Services Australia also arranges free interpreters on 131 202 (Centrelink) and 132 011 (Medicare).

Can Legal Aid ACT help with a skilled or partner visa?

Legal Aid ACT's migration service is scoped to protection visas, refugee status matters, humanitarian visa cancellations, and family-violence pathways. For a skilled, employer-sponsored, student or partner visa application, you need a MARA-registered migration agent instead.

Where can I get free assessment of my overseas qualifications in the ACT?

The ACT Office for Multicultural Affairs offers free online assessments of overseas higher-education qualifications for people settling in Canberra — a useful, often overlooked free entitlement.

Do settlement services in the ACT help with visa applications?

No. Settlement services help with English, employment, counselling and community connection, and can facilitate access to a migration agent — they don't give visa advice themselves. On Migratio you describe your situation once and compare consultation fees from MARA-registered agents (comparing is free; consults are typically $150–$300 and you pay only if you book).

Where can new migrants get emergency food relief in the ACT?

The Salvation Army and St Vincent de Paul Society run emergency relief through ACT branches; Foodbank NSW & ACT supplies food through partner charities. MARSS or the Multicultural Hub Canberra can usually point you to a local service with capacity.