Not to paint a bleak picture for you folks who are planning to come to Canada..it is one of the very best countries to live in and if you have the commitment and the drive the sky is the limit for you...
However for many the first few months (or years...) will be tough..most of you are highly qualified individuals, had a established life, respectable job in your home country ... BUT in Canada you will be required to start from scratch... be ready for it..be ready to get down and dirty....
Some tips that I used..in my Job hunt..I landed in Toronto..what I soon found out was that..the market was flooded with people looking for jobs...so I decided to look outside of Toronto..outside of Ontario for that matter...sure enough there was jobs to be taken..of course it is not easy to move to a new country and then having to move to another province all together..most people tend to stick in Toronto..because it is the most culturally diversified community..you feel more or less like you are living at home....one of the key things that works against all us immigrants especially in this market..with the economy being so down..and so many people looking for jobs...employers hold the power...which also means they get to pick.... so even before we start they already have an excuse for not hiring us "No Canadian experience" this does not go to say that every employer will do this...but the majority will...so how do you get Canadian experience..? I choose to leave Toronto and relocate myself to a different province..where not everybody will move to..yes..it was remote and it did not feel like I was living in Canada and there were days I wondered..why the hell did I move to Canada..? This was not the life I planned...but with the eye on the big picture.."Canadian experience"..I managed to get some under my belt..Did some work related exams..and after 4 years..I now find myself back in Toronto..doing the job I wanted..and having employers calling me!!!
Look for jobs in Northern AB, NWT, ..the conditions might be a bit harsh (Winter , remote) but you get paid well and more importantly you get Canadian experience..plus employers in these areas offer great benefits since it is hard to recruit... it will also help some of you who is wanting to brushup on your english...if you are away from your community..the less you use your native language to talk....and you are forced to use english...we are in Canada we need to learn English or French. to be able to communicate
One other thing I did...before I came to Canada..I checked Canadian job sites to see what kind of openings were there in my field..I also looked at what qualifications they were looking for...and I made it a point to get some of them in my home country ...since I had a job I had a steady income so I was able to afford the exams......it sometimes is way cheaper to do studies back home than in Canada..especially when you are new.... What was the benfit..?When I stepped foot in Canada..I already had what Canadian employers were looking for in terms of qualifications...so one less thing to worry about..atleast for me the last thing I wanted was to have to do more exams in Canada..while looking for jobs.....
One other thing I did was that I came to Canada with my family, but had them go back to my home country after the documentation was completed.(My wife worked back home ,she just took two months off) , this benefited me in two ways..one..it allowed me to move anywhere in Canada without the burden of having to move with my family..bought me some time to establish myself...second..since my wife went back to work in our home country it also lessened the financial burden on our family..which meant that while I was looking for work..I only had to worry about supporting myself..and it was less pressure on me knowing that my wife was financially sound....the catch to this whole thing..having to live away from your family for awhile...Once I got myself established(Job, steady income, ..etc) they joined me..... I am sure not everybody will agree..but it worked for me...
Well hope this all makes sense..and helps some of you out..good luck and all the best..."Welcome to Canada"
