For the benefit of those who do not have first hand experience of the reality of the Canadian dream and are putting their lives on hold for what they think is a prize catch (read PR) I wanted to share my experience and observation after spending 3 months there, cutting my losses and coming back.
Apart from a handful of individuals trained in software and emerging technologies in data, the PR dream glorified by the media is a massive fraud perpetrated by the Canadian government, propped up by the blitz of the western media which is highly skilled in the art of projecting an aspirational lifestyle which will remain beyond the grasp of most immigrants. Having worked in recruitment and human resources for over a decade in India, almost exclusively with global MNCs, my conclusion is that the labour market is small in Canada and opportunities limited. While that in itself may not have been a dealbreaker for all, after all immigrants are inherent risk takers who have left everything for a better future, what compounds the situation is the artificial barrier placed by employers on new job seekers in the guise of 'Canadian experience'. This is nothing but an euphemism for the existing white collar job holders (mostly white, no pun intended) to discredit your credentials and qualifications and so as to send you back to the end of the line, to start afresh. So do not be surprised if despite being a marketing professional with many years of global experience, you are asked to consider roles which you have done and dusted at the beginning of your career.
Start with survival jobs you say to bide your time and wait for the perfect opportunity to come by? Should not have been a problem if it was a level playing field with a fair selection process. As a new immigrant, you will be aghast to discover that while you will be asked to apply online for entry level jobs which require no skill or experience, the recruitment, even for these jobs, happen via the back door on the strength of references and more importantly, based on the community you belong to. Being an Indian, it was shocking to discover that one or two communities from my home country are running a parallel economy and your best chance to man the cash till at a Loblaws or Walmart is to belong to the right community. You will be further misguided by folks here who will assure you that using social media channels like linkedin and Indeed will help you crack the job market. I can assure you that people landing jobs via these alone are a statistical anomaly, and that people have better things to do than to meet you for so called 'coffee chats'. After you realize that all those hours and applications on Indeed was actually a BIG waste of time and that you are just another ignored job seeker in front of a computer screen, you will start looking at online classifieds like Kijiji and start visiting burger shops and coffee parlours to drop your resume. Do not be surprised if the owner beats around the bush for a while before asking you 'how old are you'?! That is another Canadian myth busted, that of equal opportunity regardless of colour race age etc etc etc
If you are so sold on this well perpetrated fraud that you don't mind the waiting, the fraudulent machinations of the Canadian government which is skilled in dangling the carrot to keep thousands hooked, come to Canada alone. Do not make the mistake of moving your family lock stock and barrel and putting them in a vulnerable situation. Whether you are in tech or otherwise, you will have to come to Toronto because that is where all the jobs are. You will be sold stories of how there are acts to protect the interest of tenants and other such nonsense but you will be brought crashing down to reality when you will be asked for a credit history in Canada, which as a new immigrant you will not have. Neither will you have a job to prove your ability to make rent. Then you will find one of your own countrymen coming to your aid and offering you a basement, with of course the mild inconvenience of paying 3-6 months rent upfront, so that your family can enjoy the Canadian winter in subterranean dwellings. Bereft of your savings that the Canadian government had enlisted at the application stage, you will gratefully accept whatever employment comes your way, even if its a few notches below the famed minimum wage.
I can go on and on but I am stopping here before I start frothing at the mouth. While many of these elements are not exactly unheard of in immigration narratives and could be written off as the initial trials and tribulations of emigrating to a foreign land, I was dumbstruck by the entrenched racism of the Canadian society. Mind you, nobody is going to call you a currymuncher or Paki on your face, but if you have an iota of self respect and awareness, you will realize how deeply entrenched this phenomenon is in Canada. Regardless of how well educated you are and how good your English is, when you open your mouth, all they see is a brown skinned man speaking a tongue in a manner which the white race does not quite associate with that skin colour. And if that does not get you, the wokeist society and their lying administration will
