Carmela Valles started her private Immigration Consulting practice in 2009 upon leaving her position as Executive Director of the New Canadians Centre Peterborough. Carmela is fluent in English and Tagalog.

Carmela has a Bachelor of Arts (BA, Honours) degree in Sociology and International Development Studies from Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. In 2004, she completed a Certificate of Management from the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto, Ontario. Carmela is a member in good standing with the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (CICC). For three years, she was a member of the Board of Directors of the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI). In June 2012, she completed a three-year term as a board member of the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough (CFGP). Carmela served on the board of the Trent Centre for Community Based Education (TCCBE) from October 2013 to November 2016. She also formerly sat on the Arts Culture & Heritage Advisory Committee (ACHAC) of the City of Peterborough, finishing her term in December 2012.

Carmela currently sits on the Board of the Kawartha World Issues Centre (KWIC) and the Northumberland Hispanic Cultural Club (NHCC). She is also Vice Chair of the Peterborough Immigration Partnership.

In 1997, Carmela started working at the New Canadians Centre in Peterborough (NCCP) as the Host Program Coordinator and became its director in 2000, a post that she held until July 2009. Carmela also worked for the Community Race and Relations Committee (CRRC) in Peterborough from 1997-2000.

Since coming to Peterborough in 1990 as an International Student, Carmela is an active member and organizer of the small but growing Filipino community.

Carmela’s favorite food is Kare-Kare a popular Filipino dish. Furthermore, Carmela enjoys organizing parties, events and trips for her family and friends.

Carmela’s News & Updates

What is tougher and what has become easier, in becoming a new Canadian? Immigration consultant and community volunteer leader Camila Valles compare her journey to Canadian citizenship almost three decades ago to the work she does now in helping immigrants settle and thrive in the Peterborough area. Valles is owner/founder of Peterborough’s only immigrant settlement service agency has been named the 2019 Business Citizen of the Year at the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce.