Newcomers to Canada -- Your experiences?

[lanseyouyu7688]

Maybe somedays i would use these tips. Collecting it.

 

[cheguevera]

"Mostly depressing stories.
So its not such a good country after all?"

Honestly, Canada is great country and the most welcoming I never visited. BUT, like any other place, there are people who naturally discriminate and segregate between people for their life to have a sense. Some of these people migrated to Canada and unfortunately brought with them this kind of attitude.
I am an immigrant myself and never experienced any discriminatory attitude or a sensed exclusion from any native Canadian but I experienced discrimination and racial profiling from immigrants over and over again here in Vancouver. In many cases lies and deception not to mention the bad attitude. In banks, stores or public offices you are more likely to receive good service or be treated with respect by the secretary or the costumer service employee if you look like him/her. This is just a reality...
Any body who come to Canada and experience these kind of behavior will no doubt tighten its immigration policy.

 

[capriraj]

"Honestly, Canada is great country and the most welcoming I never visited. BUT, like any other place, there are people who naturally discriminate and segregate between people for their life to have a sense. Some of these people migrated to Canada and unfortunately brought with them this kind of attitude."

YOU SEEM TO HAVE ONLY ONE AGENDA, and that is against ASIAN especially Indians etc.. Is it because they are more successful than you?

If you really want to make a life in Canada, I would suggest you to change your ATTITUDE, and everything will change. Otherwise its people like you who start the real racism in the first place.

I can say that I live in the UK for the past 8 years and trying to be a Canadian. There are stories here too, but I guess A SMILE changes that.

 

[canloverdream]

Hi there,

Thank you guys for revealing something many people come across every day but keep quiet.

Going through this thread i realise that racism is everywhere. Having lived in london for years then moving to newcatle in the Uk i have experienced racism from pakistani since i lived in their community. It is such a shame that this sort of ignorant attitiude is privelant in canada as well amoung the asians. Strangely enough i dont get negative attitude from the indigenious people but onl from the pakistanis which says alot about them. While i lived in London i didnt notice this as it is such a multicultural place and i thought that canada would be the same.

 

[canloverdream]

Sadly though few asians have this attitude many are not like that and are nice people that want to make a better life for themselves as we all are.

 

[cheguevera]

Hi there,
Mr. capriraj! you dont know who I am nor where I come from.
You may ignore what I said if you decide to live in denial. Those who experienced similar attitude are in the forum. Will you describe them as losers to?
The reality is that I see beyond my personal achievements and hope that who ever come to this country enjoy his life like other did before him. And, I will speak against any racist attitude- heard it or saw it- to preserve the values of this country even against people of my own community and hope you will have the courage to do so.

 

[PommeDeRoute]

As a native-born Canadian I´m curious about what it´s like to be an immigrant to Canada. If you are an immigrant/newcomer to Canada, can you tell me:

1 - Was coming to Canada a good thing or a bad thing in your life, overall? Or mix of both?
2 - Do you find that Canadians are welcoming of immigrants in general, or are they xenophobic or rude to immigrants?
3 - What do you miss most about your home country? What do you like best about Canada?
4 - Where are you from (country or at least continent)?

Just curious about what it´s like -- thank you for any experiences you choose to share!

1-Best thing ever. People are actually still human beings here.
2-Not only welcoming, but very forgiving of imperfect French. I have never experienced any racism here whatsoever and instead of Quebecers insisting on French only (which would actually help me improve) I find them very willing to speak English.
3-What I miss most? Not having to wait in endless lines in banks, restaurants, health care facilities etc. I miss the customer-centric mentality and the convenience of the US. What I like most? The sense of community here, the sense of belonging, the stimulation of living in a bilingual environment.
4-USA

 

[CharlotteJ]

Whatever it is and will be or whatever your attitude or look, believe me, it is and will always be WAY WAY WAY WAY better BETTER than where I live:

The Netherlands!!!

The Dutch truly think and assume they are the best of the entire world, deserve it all and should be given it all and whatever is not Dutch, isn't good, doesn't matter or won't be of much importance.

Try to be an immigrant like me who has adopted herself, adjusted herself, speaks the language fluentely and been working all her life and been paying taxes more than the average Dutch and yet again, I ll always be considered and told to be an " Allochtoon" and not an 'Autochtoon" ...

Here in The Netherlands, the media, the newspapers, the people at school, on the street, in the shops, at work, anywhere, really everywhere, always refer to you having other skin color and/or hair structure than blonde and blue eyes as " Allochtoon" ... and believe me using the word is as insulting as calling a black person a nigger which calls ferocious reactions across Canada, UK and/or USA, but here, they easily call you " Oh, that, the Allochtoon girl" ... yeah...

Don't complain, be happy, we are all Canadians of all color and range or age or relgion and should be smiling at each other and keep building a strong nation and economy all together and above all:

DON'T LIVE ALONGSIDE OF EACH OTHER, BUT WITH EACH OTHER!

 

[toby]

PommedeRoute:

I saw a message you wrote to a Francophone a few weeks ago in what seemed like perfect, elegant French. I am surprised to read that you need to improve it!

Charlotte: Are you saying that you are not yet in Canada, but still in the Netherlands? I thought you had landed some months ago.

What you say about cultural prejudices in Holland really surprises me. Based on travelling in Holland, and communicating with a Dutch friend for more than 20 years, I had the impression that Netherlanders were unfailingly tolerant and accepting.

 

[CharlotteJ]

PommedeRoute:

Charlotte: Are you saying that you are not yet in Canada, but still in the Netherlands? I thought you had landed some months ago.

What you say about cultural prejudices in Holland really surprises me. Based on travelling in Holland, and communicating with a Dutch friend for more than 20 years, I had the impression that Netherlanders were unfailingly tolerant and accepting.

I don't want to generalize them but believe me, when being an immigrant or a foreigner in the Netherlands, you will find out that perhaps only 10% is friendly and tolerant and the rest isn't. There is also the fact that in or around larger cities merely in the Western parts of the country, there are more undutchables who live and work and that way affect their neighbours or environment, but elsewhere it will be a whole different story.

Your friend is Dutch as you mention, so he/she can not be experiencing and telling you the truth when it comes to being an immigrant or "Allochtoon" in here and deal with the daily life as good as he/she does experience it.

 

[maxvol]

Here are your answers:

1. Coming to Canada was the best thing I have done in my life, after all I am proud to be Canadian, this is my home my land and my people, and I will not trade it for anything in the world. The experience I've had in this country is beyond what I could possibly have imagined in any other country in the world, Toronto being one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world.

2. We are welcoming to immigrants, however we need to change our conservative way of thinking about certain things such as doing business with non-Canadians, management style, opening ourselves to foreign culture, educating ourselves to other culture and also understanding how we can share this world and work with people more productively, actively for a better tomorrow. Its also important to understand our short comings and limitations and take criticism constructively. We have an outstanding cultural mix of people if used wisely can contribute positively to the whole global economy.

3. I miss the most about my home country is I didn't get a chance to spend more time, left home country when I was 3 years old.

4. South East Asia

 

[jes_ON]

As a native-born Canadian I´m curious about what it´s like to be an immigrant to Canada. If you are an immigrant/newcomer to Canada, can you tell me:

1 - Was coming to Canada a good thing or a bad thing in your life, overall? Or mix of both?

I am from the US, but have traveled a lot and lived in several countries. For me, "mix of both" definitely applies. Where I live, it is impossible to attain a US-standard "middle class" lifestyle with a professional salary, it is simply too costly. Housing is substandard (still struggling for potable water). However, I do not live in a major city, and that is apparently the cost of escaping the crowds, traffic, etc. of large urban areas.

Where I live in Northern Ontario, it is a kind of crossroads of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and even 4th worlds. Sorry to use that tired classification of global socioeconomic development, but I hope you understand what I mean. truly you see all of it here.

2 - Do you find that Canadians are welcoming of immigrants in general, or are they xenophobic or rude to immigrants?

Being white American, I often "pass" - so I don't experience what many immigrants do. I have had the fun of listening to people rant about how awful Americans are (when they don't know I'm American) - you'd be surprised how often this happens. One thing that surprised me was the level of Canadian nationalism - and of course the partner of this nationalism is xenophobia.

But it's a mixed bag. Many people are incredibly friendly and helpful, even when they know I'm American


3a - What do you miss most about your home country?

1) People who take initiative. A desire and a willingness to change the status quo. People here are so passive... And hearing "It's not my job" got old really fast.
2) Transparency and accountability in government. Yeah, OK, the US is not the best in the world, but it is light-years ahead of Canada. What constantly surprises me the levels of corruption - everyday corruption, high level corruption - in contrast to our ingrained idea of Canada.
3) Reasonably priced consumer goods. Most things cost 2 or 3x here what it costs in the States.
4) Good roads.

3b - What do you like best about Canada?

Four seasons, a real winter, a fabulous summer. Crown land that is, open space, lots of lakes, lots of fish. And people who take summer vacation seriously.

 

[jes_ON]

3-What I miss most? Not having to wait in endless lines in banks, restaurants, health care facilities etc. I miss the customer-centric mentality and the convenience of the US.

Ditto!

 

[CharlotteJ]

Canada has a laid-back attitude and people are used to live within their own means and are more in close contact with nature and "life" around them which explains the differences between life in US or Europe with that of Canada.

I myself like USA a lot, but in Canada I can have peace on mind and really have that what is really necessary and good for me instead of buying and piling up things around me that I don't even need or to receive better care and/or attention with a big wide smile because I mean " money' and not necessarily because I am a "human". The attitude in USA is sure more liberal and fun but also to a certain level, beyond that, one shall be disappointed.

Being a Northern European myself, living and working in a "nanny" state while sure working hard for the money, paying high taxes and insane prices for almost anything we eat, breath, wear or use and the gigantic network of institutions and local governments etc and bureaucracy, Canada isn't that surprising and so a bit easier to digest and understand than when being from USA.

Canada is laid-back, less populated, much bigger and is still in the process of creating an identity and shaping itself by merely immigrants who in recent years found their influx into it, while USA has been a hub for quite a while and at least 2 centuries, welcoming merely Europeans and later Asians and above all most "brains" and shaped by wars, conflicts, money matters etc and knows a larger population and far bigger cities.

I don't think we can compare Canada with any other country on this planet except with perhaps Australia and/or New Zealand.

But yes, we are all Canadians and we should be proud of being one, once we embrace this all and accept our roles in our new society and start thinking of " being a change" then we can all together change it for the better and take up the challenge with USA or some Nanny states across Europe, but the question is:

Do we need that? ;D ... hmmm ... I am ok with the way it is ... that makes each visit to the southern neighbour for any reason, holiday or work, the more fun and interesting otherwise it will become dull and boring.

 

[HurryJacky]

I searched this forum and disappointingly enough, read this depressive discussion.
Canada should be one of the most welcome countries in the world. But it seems that there are many adverse environmental factors impacting our newcomers.
Training / education: all over again and not recognized.
Job: not secure. Low income. Even sexual abuse and verbal threat.
Living: high housing price
Neighbourer: discrimination and rude.
Tax: high tax.
Law: Nasty legal system and high cost of legal charge.
So should we still stay or apply for canada immigration?
any good experience we could share?