Here we will discuss challenges for New Immigrants in Canada
Canada was discovered in 1535 and since then it has been a center of fantasies and rumors for people living away.
Sometimes there were news of huge gold deposits in Canada and sometimes there were dreams of
vast form land waiting to put seeds in it. From Canada, rocks were taken
to UK, but no gold was found in them so rocks were used
only for road building and; yes, there was a vast fertile land,
but uneven and full of bushes and trees.
Now in 21st century, thousands of educated professionals
around the world are thinking about immigration to Canada. They do not have a complete picture of
what they are going to face in Canada. Most of the educated
professional immigrants are doing odd jobs in Canada
and it is not because they are making good money in these
jobs but because mostly Canadian employers do not consider them for any job
related to their education and experience.
Now the question is why?
If we list reasons, they may be given as follows;
1: Lack of trust:
New immigrants do not have Canadian work references,
which is a necessity for getting a job in Canada. Officially work reference means some one who can tell about your
skills, your behavior, and your character, etc. Click here for unofficial description
2: In job workshops; they tell job seekers that 85% job
market in Canada is hidden. Hidden Job Market means; jobs offered without advertisement and only employers, managers, supervisors
and some of employees of the organization know about them.
3: Difficulty in communication.
4: They need you for jobs; Canadian do not want to do.
5: They are reluctant to change their workplace environment.
6: Some of employers suppose that the quality of work of Canadians is always batter than others.
7: Canadian employers need to oblige people in their social circle.
8: Once Prime Minister Harper was asked by the interviewer of a multicultural channel that why he has not abolished the Right of Landing Fee (instead of reducing it to 50%)?
He abruptly responded ( without thinking ): "It is so many million dollars". This means that millions of dollars prevail on minds of policy maker.
9: Employers and Canadian Immigration Department have no
coordination in making the immigration policy. Canadian immigration
policy is obsolete. It does not reflect the actual needs of labor market.
Regarding immigration one of the minister of Ontario Government once
said, "No more academics needed." Immigration policy needs
complete revision keeping in view the wisdom and skills, and not the money in pocket of
people landing on international airports of Canada.
10: Mostly Canadian employers, managers and supervisors are not trained
for utilizing multicultural workforce.
What ever the reasons are, we have no control on them. We
can only adjust ourselves according to prevailing conditions in job market of Canada.
Most of the new professional immigrants start with general
labor (mostly through Employment Agencies) for survival.
If you do not have a very good physique, please do not
write more than 25 pounds of weight you can carry as workplace
deaths and injuries record is not very impressive in Canada. Do not
try to visualize the situation of Canadian job market from jobs posted on internet.
After getting driving license and becoming familiar to the
city, some of immigrants start pizza delivery and some try for taxi
or truck driving license. Some of them find better choices in
odd jobs. After some time a few of professional immigrants go for studies,
but job finding is still a challenge for them. Socially, after entering in
Canada you are just like any other person came from
abroad; refugee or undocumented worker (illegal
immigrant) and you need to show your Photo Identification
(Photo ID) where ever you go. One of the banks did not
accept my back home passport as photo ID another bank
accepted.
You should think on following points before making a decision about immigration to Canada;
1) Do you really need immigration?
2) Do you think that there are too many problems in the country you are living in and are you confident that these problems will be solved with immigration.
3) Is Canada, the only choice for immigration? You should consider immigration to countries other then Canada as well.
4) Do consider the cultural difference that you and your family will face after immigration to Canada. You may loose 50% of you culture, values and traditions, but your kids may loose 100% of them. So be prepared.
5) Are you willing to work as general labor after immigration? General labor means; labor work in fast phase environment under constant monitoring.
6) People living in third world assume that all human weaknesses/ limitations belong to their land and as soon as they will land in a developed country they will be free from all such things, but actually all humans are sons and daughters of same father and mother and our weaknesses and strengths are all common.
How will you feel if your instructor or teacher (in a public funded institution) don't know the subject, he or she is teaching you or if they force you to come to school for full day even after the final exam of the term, because they are being paid on hourly basis.
7) Racial and religous discrimination is a fact. You and your kids will have to face it, especially in small cities. It is a feeling and no law can control feelings of people.
No intelligent person will leave a proof for you that you can present in the court of law. They will not say that they are kicking you out because they discriminate you.
8) If you do not look like Canadian, you will be suspicious for many people.
9) Corruption and targeting is a part of every society and Canada is not an exception. Government give big money to English as a Second Language ( ESL ) Schools for Adults.
Some of these schools have a reputation to fail more and more students to get more and more money. Teachers and bosses belonging to a certain religious group target students and employees of a religion they don't like.
10) Please do not compare Canada with United States, there is a hell of difference between them. United States is a totally deregulated society (except security measures after 9/11) whereas Canada is an overregulated society. In an overregulated society, bureaucracy and technocracy dominate and they exploit the society especially newcomers.
Now, according to new regulations of Ontario Government, you will need to be certified even for the job of a security guard.
11) People working at a managerial job in home country should not assume that they will get at least a supervisor or foreman job in Canada.
12) Canada didn't make colonies, so foundation of progress of Canada is not based on fresh blood of slaves like many European countries, but it is based on exploitation.
Most of the people landed here were exploited by those who landed before them. In construction of some difficult portions of coast to coast railway track, 10 Chinese died for every kilometer, but
it is a story of the past and now society is civilized and every thing is done in a civilized way.
According to new changes in immigration policy, first preference is to people with Canadian experience, second preference is for those with job offers and third is for those of 38 professions.
If you have a genuine job offer, it is very good, but do not think it will last forever and be prepared for an odd job for survival, because work is one of three NOT DEPENDABLE Ws of Canada.
In my opinion, if you have a job in your profession; from job point of view, do not come to Canada. If you have other reasons for immigration, choice is yours.
