Frequently Asked Questions

About Diasporaa

What is Diasporaa?

Diasporaa is a platform that provides skilled new immigrants in Canada access to social and professional networks, events, resources, and service providers.



Where is Diasporaa located?

We are located in beautiful Vancouver, Canada and are currently expanding to Toronto.



When was Diasporaa founded?

Diasporaa was founded in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, in February 2020.



Events

Is my credit card data safe?

We use the Wix and Stripe platforms to manage our payments, which are trusted by thousands of businesses worldwide to manage their payments. Be rest assured, your personal information is in good hands.



How much do the events cost?

Some events are free, some are paid. You can view this information for each event on the respective description pages. The objective behind paid events is not to make a profit, but to cover costs and ensure participation.



Is there a processing fee when paying for an event ticket with my credit card?

Wix charges a 2.5% processing fee which is passed on to you. The card-related processing fees are absorbed by us.



My Account

Do I have to have an account to sign up for events?

Yes, you do. This helps us keep up with provincial contact tracing guidelines. The benefit of having an account is that you can RSVP for events much quicker without having to enter your information every time, and also save resources that you find useful.



Do I have to have an account to access resources?

You will be able to see what is being discussed on the various topics. But you will need an account to like, upvote, comment or follow the posts.



What is the benefit of having an account on the website?

You can join our many communities, easily register for events, participate in the resource library and get access to service providers. Basically, you can make friends, learn new things and have fun!



Membership

How much does a membership cost?

The membership is free at this time.



How do I become a member?

You can become a member by creating an account on our website or app.



COVID-19

What are you doing for the COVID-19 situation?

First, we are ensuring that all events comprehensively meet provincial guidelines. Second, we are spreading the word through our communities of people who need help, and are providing help. Third, many new immigrants are unable to arrive because of movement restrictions. Many have just arrived and can't get official documents or a job because of the situation. We are providing guidance and emotional support during these testing times.



Are you doing in-person events?

We are doing events in line with provincial guidelines. For most of 2020 we stuck to online events, but as the vaccine rollout continues we have started organizing more in-person events while taking all safety precautions possible.



Services

Does Diasporaa provide the services itself?

No, we have partnerships with various service providers. We verify them before listing on our platform to ensure that they do a good job and charge a fair price for their services.



Does Diasporaa make money when I use a service listed on the website?

Since most other things we do are free for the user, we do have referral agreements in place with some of the service providers on our website. We get paid when someone actually does business with the service provider. We ensure that the cost of the referral fee is not passed on to the customer, and that the customer pays exactly the same price (or sometimes, a better price) as compared to approaching the service provider directly.



Where are the service providers located?

Our service providers are located in Vancouver, Canada. Many of them are able to service clients nationwide, and in some cases, worldwide.



Does Diasporaa guarantee the services offered by the service providers?

While we cannot guarantee the experience that each user has with our service providers, Diasporaa does its best to ensure that the service providers listed on its website are ethical, affordable and reliable. If you have a bad experience with any of our service providers, please let us know and we will look changing our partner so that others don't have the same experience.



App

How is the Diasporaa app different from the current Whatsapp/Facebook groups?

The app has several benefits, such as: 1. There is no restriction on group size, as opposed to Whatsapp's limit of 256 members. 2. There are enhanced privacy features - you don't have to share your phone number to ne on the platform. 3. Events can seamlessly be shared with relevant groups of people. 4. There is a massive resource library so that members of all communities can benefit from useful content from any particular community.



Why does the download link take me to the Spaces app?

The Diasporaa platform is hosted on the Wix platform. Using the Spaces app by Wix enables us to save money on app development (so we can continue to keep it a free platform), and also be responsive to changing requirements of our members. Don't worry, your data as safe as it has always been.



What is the invite code?

The invite code is GBGF3M.



Will the app replace the existing Whatsapp and Facebook groups?

As of now we are running all 3 platforms in parallel, but the long term goal is to move entirely to the app. Depending on how quickly our members adopt the app and become comfortable using it, we will decide how long to maintain all three platforms.