All,
I had written down comments about Khalid Subhan as he was painting a picture that is not common here in Toronto!
For fkl, I am writing collectively without any offence to help understand what job market is here, how employers looked at you & when employer could kick you out.
There are three things important for new immigrants:
1. Out of Canada experience
2. Out of Canada education
3. Regulated Profession
Your out of Canada experience is not recognized at all by top-rated Canadian employers; esp your experience in India or Pakistan or Bangladesh or Middle East. So your first 6 or 12 months here are tough. Initially in finding a job & then adjusting with it. Be careful, when employer is giving you a job title like Senior lead or Senior Developer or Senior Manager when you don't have Canadian experience! There's something here!
Canadian job market esp for IT is fast-paced and short-lived. This means full time permanent jobs are limited and short-term jobs are plenty such as programmers, developers etc only for 3 months or 6 months with wage ranges between $55-75 per hour, 8 hrs/day & 40 hrs /week. So look at your employer, what he is paying you, why he has selected you (he is not your guardian to offer you a job while you are out of Canada, there's some profit for him to bring thru LMO etc.) and when can you leave him with POSITIVE REFERENCE. New IT hires from India or Pakistan are the target victims of such employers with JOB OFFER. Like a top Canadian financial group is targeting new immigrants for their Insurance Product sale -on commission basis only- no matter what qualification/experience you carry! So you know what I mean here, be careful of such traps!
Positive reference is backbone of getting new job in Canada. If you came here thru LMO/Job Offer then see what your employer need is! Reference is like a credit history and you will end up a final question from prospective employers 'why had you left your last job?' Also note, Work Permit rules here are the most tough leading to harsh realities!
Though officially, no one could ask or deny out-of-Canada experience but that's fact here. Be a junior programmer or a Senior Manager..... you have to start from scratch. How difficult it is when a senior lead is being put on a junior/learning programming curve & asked to learn Canadain style of work productivity in a week's time! So be careful, what your small-not-a-top-notch employer is expecting from you!
Due to this mentality of employers, attrition rate is too high. Don't be victim of this when you are 3 or 6 months old in Canada and with family of 3 kids and short of funds. Finally you will end up in labor jobs or PizzaPiza, Macdonald, TimHorton washing tables or serving tea ( @ $10.25/h) with all your Java, C++,.NET or ASP skills! Isn't that disgusting for IT skills holders, may Allah saves you from this situation!
No degree needed for IT because it is skill; if you are in grade 4 or 5 or 6 but speak English well and know programming language or Apps development, that's all, employer needs. So no issue however if you want a permanent job or study then such degrees need to be assessed called credential assessment. A minimum of out-of-Canada-Masters (after assessment) is good here to start life (means a job of $80/hr) and you could live a good life for 1 year! Next year you have to plan again, that's North America unlike India or Pakistan where you could survive a single job for more than 10-15 years!
Engineering like Medical, is also a regulated profession but not Computer Engineering. That is considered as a skill!
Hope this gives better idea to fkl & others waiting-in-immigration-line!
