Canada : Dream - Reality

[canada_pr_wanted]

Hi Everyone,

I am just posting this to share the real scenario of Canada.

The Canadian economy is at its worst phase due to the recession and Oil effect and many people being laid off - esp in Alberta (Which was a job heaven for any international graduates), and even with the new FSW and LMIA policy Canadian govt seriously hinting to all the companies only to hire Canadians and PR holders . Even if you are a graduate from Canadian University / College its very hard even to get an interview call.

The Job market is at very worst position and its gonna be worse in the coming months ... even by gods grace you get a job ... you have lot of pressure from Canadian co-workers (who are usually cool - but with the change in economy and many of them loosing jobs - they are so frustrated to see the international people getting jobs in-place of them and they feel neglected and show the same frustration on you) .

Canada still left the doors wide open for students - so they can make some money out of education (approx. $2 Billion each year coming only from international students alone).

My sincere suggestion to any Canadian Immigration aspirants is to hold off your dreams, if you don't have enough money to afford Canada - things are not smooth any more and life over here as a middle class international immigrant is very pathetic. Don't be fooled by your friends Facebook show off pics ... things are entirely different over here ... and gonna be much worse in the coming years.

If you are wealthy and wants to have some international education then Canada is non-debatable , but if you want to secure your life .. its really tough.

FYI : I came here as an International student 5 yrs ago and still struggling to get my spot in the EE pool .. its frustrating and painful .. though I got a good job .. but my work permit expires soon and only god knows if I will get an ITA in the EE before that .. though I have 430 points (CEC) my chances are very bleak...

 

[canada_pr_wanted]

Re: Canada Dream - Reality

from - Specialmary - in the other forum


Maybe it is a good idea to tell your friend the truth about Canada. It is not as glamorous as one would think: a lot of Master's, highly educated people turn out to work in Walmart or as a taxi driver. English is extremely important: without native English it is extremely hard to get a job unless you work as a plumber or those kind of jobs I guess (they are paid well too). Lots of Canadian university grads turn out to work as a waiter or waitress or bartender (waitressing can also be paid higher than many white-collar jobs in Canada). If one is not prepared to know these, one would be disappointed after getting a PR.

 

[shdhsjej]

Re: Canada Dream - Reality

Absolutely True...!!

It seems Canadian Govt is giving less imp to the people who studies in Canada and having job here, despite of they are paying fees and bringing a lot of revenue to the Canadian economy..!! NO offence to FSW applicants but the ratio of people who got Pr thru FSW and doing job in the same field is very low, as they start new business or something else..! Is it the way Canada is fulfilling the demand of "skilled workers"? If things will be the same then students gonna stop comign and it gonna be a huge blow to Canada..!! and In the time of people getting laid off, its difficult to get job and even an interview call..!! Make a wise decision before coming to Canada..!!

P.S. I dont thing You are competetion to me and It gonna beneficial to me if You wont come, Its for You " a kind suggestion"

Thank You

 

[canada_pr_wanted]

Moreover there gonna be elections in October and going by the public opinion polls -- the NDP govt is very likely to form the govt and if this happens .. god save the immigrants .. as NDP - the current opposition is the one which is responsible for the implementation of LMIA ... and they are stressing very high on not inviting anymore foreigners to get citizenship.

 

[ttrajan]

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/canadas-immigrants-diary-challenges-faced-by-new-immigrants-t188286.30.html

Don't make the mistake of migrating to Canada, it's a fool's paradise

http://newseastwest.com/dont-make-the-mistake-of-migrating-to-canada-its-a-fools-paradise/

By Bimal Sharma

(Due to privacy concerns and relentless pressure, the name of the author is changed)

TORONTO: As I read the news this week about 257,515 people migrating to Canada in 2012, I had a chill running down my spine as I considered the fate of these immigrants who would have to start their job hunt the very next day of their arrival. Their imported money would soon run out and if they have to survive in this country, they will have to get a job quickly.

Personally speaking, my family had a great life in Dubai. We managed to get a good education for our kids. My husband and I had satisfying jobs and a good bank balance thanks to our tax-free salaries.

Then suddenly, this Canada bug bit us as we did not want to return to India after working for about two decades in Dubai.

So we decided to apply for immigration to Canada. After a few years of waiting, we got our PR Cards. When we told our friends that we are going to settle in Canada, many of them warned us. They narrated horrific tales of new immigrants in Canada.

They warned us that highly skilled and experienced people, who have worked in managerial positions in Dubai or India, are working as cab drivers or factory workers in Canada. We were also told that even if you did get a job, you will have to work much below your professional rank, which will deeply hurt your ego and self esteem.

In fact, some friends suggested that we would be better off going back to India to the warmth of our family. But we suspected that they are fooling us and we paid no heed to their advice.

So in April 2009, we left Dubai and landed in Toronto to start a new life, against the wishes of these family friends. We were in a hurry to get back into our former profession. But it took me more than a couple of years to get a teaching license. Then I spent more money on upgrading my qualifications and membership fees. Then I had to do a lot of volunteer work as I waited and waited for a school job.

But nothing happened.

So here is my story: even after spending four years in Canada and upgrading my skills and using up all our savings, I am still without a job. Actually, this IS the story of thousands of fellow immigrants.

School boards are on perpetual strike. Teachers are being laid off. It is a very frightening situation for teachers. But the school boards keep training more and more teachers and making money!

Most of these teachers are jobless or they are doing jobs that pay them peanuts and kill their self-esteem.

My husband, who had three decades of work experience in construction in Dubai, was reduced to doing odd jobs which are not even worth mentioning.

Chasing this so-called Canadian dream, we have ended up using all our savings. We have already spent a couple of hundred thousand dollars to live a descent life, so that we will not lose the will to survive in this struggling country with no job prospects.

Having spent almost all our life savings, we don't know what to do next – whether to stay here or go back. Our life is in a limbo.

My advice to people who are itching to migrate to Canada to give a better future to their children is this: Think hard before you take any decision and don't fool yourself by painting a rosy picture in your head. You may end up working in factories, call centers, security agencies, Tim Horton's or packing factories. You will lose your savings. Your will lose your morale and self-esteem. Tensions will destroy your marital and family life. Finally, if you are lucky enough, you may get an entry-level job and then pay someone else's mortgage while living in their basement as you dream of buying your own little nest.

And buying your little nest in a hurry (with your saved money) could be your worst mistake, for God forbid if you are laid off, as it happened to my dear friend, who will pay the mortgage? Your house dream will collapse and you will be buried under it.

And if you do get a job – which most probably you won't enjoy doing, but you will do it anyways to survive and pay the mortgage – you will end up wasting the prime of your life paying back the mortgage. It is not worth it, believe me.

Our struggle for survival continues to this day. We don't know when we will wind up this fruitless venture and head back to India. This is the story of many immigrants to Canada.

(Due to privacy concerns, the name of the author is changed)


- See more at: http://newseastwest.com/dont-make-the-mistake-of-migrating-to-canada-its-a-fools-paradise/#sthash.YPvBfLvd.dpuf

 

[alinasrinazif]

Thanks a lot for sharing your ideas and experiences.
It would be nice if others do the same in this topic.

 

[Tocanadawego]

I do agree with the above, although said goes for almost every country in the world. It is never easy being an immigrant, a newcomer. I know because I've done that in three countries already. I moved without anything, no job, no decent prospects, and it would be wrong to say that I had it easy. It's never easy. It's hard and frustrating and it takes time.

What's important to note though is these things are very individual. So many factors come into play: place you move to, acquaintances you might have or will make, your occupation, age, experience, personality, and most of all luck. Just like with anything else, it's never good to generalize. Not everyone is moving to get a better job, or to earn tons of money. People have their reasons for moving, and to speculate on them and tell them they will most likely fail is wrong.

Being cautious and prepared is good. I agree with that. Being positive is also good, though. Starting new life with negativity will never get you far.

 

[Rahul12]

Fact. I lost my job three weeks back and am on Employee insurance since then. The hiring is not that great. But thank god, Canadian govt is saving me.

 

[alanh]

Ok I'm gonna post my reply from another post:

Seriously I really want this pr thing, however this express entry and LMIA thing starts to really get me on my nerve a bit.
I'm an international student with a bachelor degree from a Canadian sch and I'm from a first-world world-class Asian country. I'm at 421 and recently I'm really anxious to go back without this pr thing.
I feel like I want it because I already have more than a yr of work exp in Canada but less than two yrs. I feel like I should hop on a plane right now and head back to my home country because I don't freaking know when I will be chosen.
Alright ur right: I'm impatient. Yes I'm. I mean if there's a clear time line, say by March 2016, I'll be able to apply, I'll wait here; but no, there's still no guarantee.
And u said it: it's election year again and god knows what Harper will have up his sleeve.
And u mentioned it too: the economy is sloww. And when I mean slow, I mean it's the slowest in the last decade except 2008.
And that's why sometimes I feel like the government doesn't know what they are doing. I mean the economy is so slow that I feel like Canada needs us the graduates more than I need Canada. What the heck am I supposed to do in Canada frankly? Find a job and work for the rest of my life and pay super high taxes for whatever we do here? That's the "Canadian dream" alright. And get ready, with Canadian dollar continues to plummet, strong inflation is coming, well, if Chinese gov doesn't continue to devalue yuan. I'm in my early twenty and I want to do something big and start my own business somehow. In my home country, taxes are almost nonexistent; Its in fact often ranked as the freest trading county in the world. And with my degree from Canada, there's so much opportunities that I can think of, well, at least more than Canada.
Seriously, I'm sooooo willing to get my pr and head back for a lil bit and pay my fair share of taxes to CRA. I'm willing to work in my home country for a lil bit and pay Canada taxes. I wanna explore my options. But this wait is starting to get on my nerves and make me want to give it up altogether. And yes, I am going to say it: it's your loss not mine Canada, you socialist country. And yes, if Canada likes very much its status quo, it doesn't need me. But I feel like with the oil price diving, without us the new immigrants and our skills, Canada will realize they are slacking off a lil bit too much quite soon. Plus the whole world's economy is just showing no sign of recovery just yet.
I think a lot of graduates from other first world countries will give pr up altogether because the wait is indefinite and there's so many unknowns and there's no clear time line for us to plan our most important years of our lives. Trust me, unless there's tie in Canada, Canada is not the most fun and vibrant country in the world for a young educated person in their twenties.
Ok...I'm extremely sorry about my negative, pessimistic, selfish rant, but I feel sooooo good getting all this out of my chest. My plan is to head back and POSSIBLY add some foreign exp points to my score. And there's anyone has any different opinions than mine about Canada's future and express entry, feel very free to convince me the otherwise; I was actually very conflicted until recently Smiley I wish everyone the best on Canadavisa. Ps. There's one super super great thing I'll miss from Canada: it's the super nice and awesome canadians!!!! They are the best people in the world in my own humble opinion.

 

[YamPower]

Re: Canada Dream - Reality

from - Specialmary - in the other forum


Maybe it is a good idea to tell your friend the truth about Canada. It is not as glamorous as one would think: a lot of Master's, highly educated people turn out to work in Walmart or as a taxi driver. English is extremely important: without native English it is extremely hard to get a job unless you work as a plumber or those kind of jobs I guess (they are paid well too). Lots of Canadian university grads turn out to work as a waiter or waitress or bartender (waitressing can also be paid higher than many white-collar jobs in Canada). If one is not prepared to know these, one would be disappointed after getting a PR.

And this is why I will ignore all of these doomsday posts and take the plunge anyway. I'm a Native English speaker in IT; it's worth a shot. Good luck everyone.

 

[alanh]

Re: Canada Dream - Reality

And this is why I will ignore all of these doomsday posts and take the plunge anyway. I'm a Native English speaker in IT; it's worth a shot. Good luck everyone.

Native speaker here

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

I do agree with the above, although said goes for almost every country in the world. It is never easy being an immigrant, a newcomer. I know because I've done that in three countries already. I moved without anything, no job, no decent prospects, and it would be wrong to say that I had it easy. It's never easy. It's hard and frustrating and it takes time.

What's important to note though is these things are very individual. So many factors come into play: place you move to, acquaintances you might have or will make, your occupation, age, experience, personality, and most of all luck. Just like with anything else, it's never good to generalize. Not everyone is moving to get a better job, or to earn tons of money. People have their reasons for moving, and to speculate on them and tell them they will most likely fail is wrong.

Being cautious and prepared is good. I agree with that. Being positive is also good, though. Starting new life with negativity will never get you far.

Spot on. Just because the author has failed to establish herself in Canada (I'm very sorry that she hasn't been able to become a successful immigrant), that doesn't mean others cannot do it. Like you have rightly pointed out, each person has a different circumstance and a reason for migrating. I am from India too and I have been active in this forum and other "Canada Immigration" sites and I know that it is not easy, at least initially. It is a very daunting phase in life. I am not a native speaker (and my English is not that perfect) but I'm confident that my English skills are sufficient to survive and establish myself there. I work in IT and I know that my field is unstable but I'm sure I can find a job and make a living. It's going to be a few months before I land a proper job in my field but I'll get there.

When we go to bed at night, we have no clue if we'll wake up the next morning but we still make plans; not just for the next day but for the upcoming weeks/months. Why? You believe. You hope. If you don't get a job, keep trying. Try to invest in re-educating yourself in Canada. Do some volunteer work to gain that "Canadian experience" that the Canadian employers ask for. Do something. If you sit and complain that you are not successful instead of doing something about it, then you can kiss your progress to make your life better - GOOD BYE!!

When you feel like going back, think of the day you decided to go to Canada. The long and anxious wait. The day you got your "Decision Made" and "Passport Request". Think of those moments you most cherished. If you still feel like you need to go back, pack your bags and leave.

And about the self-esteem. No job in inferior. Initially, to support yourself, you must be willing to take up any job that you get. If you are a person who has this attitude of saying "Aw!! No way I'm working in Tim Horton's or Mc D's", please reconsider your decision to immigrate. Immigration is not for you if you are so concerned about your "self-esteem" and won't take a job that you consider "inferior".

No offense to anybody. All that I have mentioned above is in my own humble opinion.

 

[Tocanadawego]

Spot on. Just because the author has failed to establish herself in Canada (I'm very sorry that she hasn't been able to become a successful immigrant), that doesn't mean others cannot do it. Like you have rightly pointed out, each person has a different circumstance and a reason for migrating. I am from India too and I have been active in this forum and other "Canada Immigration" sites and I know that it is not easy, at least initially. It is a very daunting phase in life. I am not a native speaker (and my English is not that perfect) but I'm confident that my English skills are sufficient to survive and establish myself there. I work in IT and I know that my field is unstable but I'm sure I can find a job and make a living. It's going to be a few months before I land a proper job in my field but I'll get there.

When we go to bed at night, we have no clue if we'll wake up the next morning but we still make plans; not just for the next day but for the upcoming weeks/months. Why? You believe. You hope. If you don't get a job, keep trying. Try to invest in re-educating yourself in Canada. Do some volunteer work to gain that "Canadian experience" that the Canadian employers ask for. Do something. If you sit and complain that you are not successful instead of doing something about it, then you can kiss your progress to make your life better - GOOD BYE!!

When you feel like going back, think of the day you decided to go to Canada. The long and anxious wait. The day you got your "Decision Made" and "Passport Request". Think of those moments you most cherished. If you still feel like you need to go back, pack your bags and leave.

And about the self-esteem. No job in inferior. Initially, to support yourself, you must be willing to take up any job that you get. If you are a person who has this attitude of saying "Aw!! No way I'm working in Tim Horton's or Mc D's", please reconsider your decision to immigrate. Immigration is not for you if you are so concerned about your "self-esteem" and won't take a job that you consider "inferior".

No offense to anybody. All that I have mentioned above is in my own humble opinion.

I agree with you. I spent many a day volunteering just to gain experience, and at the same time doing mindless jobs just to get some money. But eventually, someone recognized hard work and offered me a position. And no, I was never rich to be able to afford volunteering, but what other choice did I have? We all want a better future. For some that means more money, for others a safe place to live and a good place to raise kids. If living in a safe country where my kids will have a good education and an easy childhood, means me working in McDonald's with my masters degree, then yes, I am all up for it.
The only reason I am saying this is because I am trying to prove that we all have our reasons to move. And sometimes those reasons are not a better job or more money.

 

[Asivad Anac]

Native speaker or not, Immigration is not for everyone. You need native smarts, optimism, resilience and some dollops of luck/fortune/right place-right time/fate/whatever you may call it. Except for that last variable, the rest is under your control.

There are 3 kinds of immigrants who frequent online forums like this - the rare well-settled immigrant who dispenses well-intended advice from their experience, the ranter/raver who doesn't understand that their present is directly shaped by their past actions and prefers blaming the environment while simultaneously assuming (incorrectly of course) that their individual life journey is somehow immediately relevant to EVERY potential immigrant and thirdly the troll who justify their sorry little existence by scaring potential immigrants with doomsday examples. Not surprisingly, there are more of the 2nd and 3rd category than the 1st type. Its a lot like 24*7 news channels - if you watch those all the time, you would give up on any notions of the inherent goodness of people around and become suicidal or homicidal or both together. Bad news outsells good news everywhere.

Here is something I wrote a few days earlier on another thread about why one must be afraid of Immigration. And benefit from that fear.

If moving to another country hasn't scared you yet, you haven't probably thought it through completely. Fear of the unknown is part of the human psyche and it is a good survival mechanism as well because, by and large, it keeps you safe and alive. It is important to acknowledge that this fear of the unknown is part of our evolutionary heritage and can be consciously transformed into a positive force as well. This fear of the unknown should motivate you to gather as much information about Canada as possible so that gradually the unknown component reduces and you start feeling increasingly more comfortable with this decision at a subconscious level. It is a bit like starting a relationship - 'mindless' romance eventually gives way to pragmatic companionship.

After that psycho-babble, here are some hard facts. Transplantation is never easy. Be optimistic but prepare for the worst (including going back to your home country). Do not burn bridges at home, avoid selling everything in a bid to move to Canada, have a base at your home country as well. Give yourself a clearly defined window to succeed in Canada and assign a budget to that as well. Be extremely prudent with your finances in the early days and do not succumb to the temptation of short-term benefits (a store clerk job starting tomorrow, for instance) against 6 months of searching, networking, interviewing, being rejected, feeling suicidal, battling depression and managing family expectations while holding out for that respectable job to come your way. Start building your awareness about the Canadian economy, culture, socioeconomic patterns, provinces, industry sectors, tax structures etc to better integrate into a new society. Above all, stop letting others bad experiences scare you. Everyone's life is different - it is important to take lessons from their examples but more important to not absorb either someone's overpowering optimism or their nauseating negativity, as the case might be.

All the best!

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

Native speaker or not, Immigration is not for everyone. You need native smarts, optimism, resilience and some dollops of luck/fortune/right place-right time/fate/whatever you may call it. Except for that last variable, the rest is under your control.

There are 3 kinds of immigrants who frequent online forums like this - the rare well-settled immigrant who dispenses well-intended advice from their experience, the ranter/raver who doesn't understand that their present is directly shaped by their past actions and prefers blaming the environment while simultaneously assuming (incorrectly of course) that their individual life journey is somehow immediately relevant to EVERY potential immigrant and thirdly the troll who justify their sorry little existence by scaring potential immigrants with doomsday examples. Not surprisingly, there are more of the 2nd and 3rd category than the 1st type. Its a lot like 24*7 news channels - if you watch those all the time, you would give up on any notions of the inherent goodness of people around and become suicidal or homicidal or both together. Bad news outsells good news everywhere.

Here is something I wrote a few days earlier on another thread about why one must be afraid of Immigration. And benefit from that fear.

If moving to another country hasn't scared you yet, you haven't probably thought it through completely. Fear of the unknown is part of the human psyche and it is a good survival mechanism as well because, by and large, it keeps you safe and alive. It is important to acknowledge that this fear of the unknown is part of our evolutionary heritage and can be consciously transformed into a positive force as well. This fear of the unknown should motivate you to gather as much information about Canada as possible so that gradually the unknown component reduces and you start feeling increasingly more comfortable with this decision at a subconscious level. It is a bit like starting a relationship - 'mindless' romance eventually gives way to pragmatic companionship.

After that psycho-babble, here are some hard facts. Transplantation is never easy. Be optimistic but prepare for the worst (including going back to your home country). Do not burn bridges at home, avoid selling everything in a bid to move to Canada, have a base at your home country as well. Give yourself a clearly defined window to succeed in Canada and assign a budget to that as well. Be extremely prudent with your finances in the early days and do not succumb to the temptation of short-term benefits (a store clerk job starting tomorrow, for instance) against 6 months of searching, networking, interviewing, being rejected, feeling suicidal, battling depression and managing family expectations while holding out for that respectable job to come your way. Start building your awareness about the Canadian economy, culture, socioeconomic patterns, provinces, industry sectors, tax structures etc to better integrate into a new society. Above all, stop letting others bad experiences scare you. Everyone's life is different - it is important to take lessons from their examples but more important to not absorb either someone's overpowering optimism or their nauseating negativity, as the case might be.

All the best!

Yea Asivad, that seems reasonable. Immigrating to Canada is a dream for millions. We hear a lot of success stories and we hear the sore lamenting of a few. While it is important that we listen to their story and not make the same mistakes, we MUST NEVER absorb the negativity/too much positivity associated with it. Like you have correctly pointed out, over-optimism is not a good thing too.