Looking at immigrating to Canada is like seeing the world as it appears from an airplane. You get a great overview but can make out very little detail. The overview approach is necessary and useful but it often fails to give us a taste of what life on the ground is really like.
The path that immigrants take from their first interest in moving to Canada to their integration into Canadian society is broadly separated into phases. Most immigrant do go through these phases until they are settled comfortably.

Settlement phase: encompasses the time immediately following arrival when an immigrant needs to find housing, schooling for children and first-time employment.
What is particularly frustrating of an immigrant's path is the fact that it is so full of promise and potential at the beginning and disintegrates in spite of the immigrant's and the community's best efforts. It is at this point when an immigrant realizes that he or she will not achieve the anticipated professional standing that the initial enthusiasm for Canada can turn to quiet desperation.
The settlement phase is a trying time for any immigrant. For most immigrants this is a time when the financial clock begins ticking away.
Many bring a reasonable amount of money to survive for a limited period of time but the uncertainty over how long this period is going to last can be very difficult to cope with.
The other often cited hurdle during the settlement phase is the reluctance of many employers to hire immigrants who do not have "Canadian experience," meaning a record of employment in Canada. As a consequence, many immigrants are forced to work below their qualifications or to engage in volunteer work in the hope of obtaining references, which can then be used as proof of "Canadian experience."
Under current conditions, many immigrants eventually give up the attempt to have their qualifications recognized. Instead, they return to school to obtain a Canadian qualification. This often adds years of study to a person's life when they are already qualified professionals, not to mention the financial strain of tuition fees and lost revenue.
Even if, after a number of years, immigrants meet with the success they had initially hoped for, in the intervening time they will have distanced themselves from the community to such an extent that it is very unlikely that they will ever be won back.

Adaptation phase: Adaptation means increasing self-reliance. As immigrants move from the initial settlement stress to taking a more active and better informed part in planning their own future, they gain a feeling of being in control. When they have met all immediate needs and begin to plot and put in place their long-term strategy in Canada, e.g. deciding where to live long-term and which professional path to pursue. This phase is characterized by increasing autonomy.

Contribution phase: when an immigrant has achieved their goals with regard to social status, employment and a feeling of being at home where they live. At this point they no longer rely on institutions for support but are able to contribute to them on a voluntary basis. At any of these stages, three dimensions of integration are of importance: language, employment and community.

Language refers to the ability of the immigrant to communicate at a satisfactory level with his or her linguistic environment.
Employment refers to the immigrant's ability to earn a living at a level appropriate to his or her skills and.........
community refers to the social integration of an immigrant.

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Orginally posted by sahib98

Even if, after a number of years, immigrants meet with the success they had initially hoped for, in the intervening time they will have (distanced themselves from the community) to such an extent that it is very (unlikely that they will ever be won back).

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The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up - - Paul Valery

Sahib98 nice article & great research! The way you divided the immigrants is really very realistic.

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Visit-
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CanadianDesan/

sahib
in matters like this, please ALWAYS, mention where the article is from.
In this case it is from the website
http://www.ocol-clo.gc.ca/archives/sst_es/2002/obstacle/obstacle_e.htm

For thsoe of you who have thought this article was written by a desi, I have a small suggestion. Please READ carefully. The following lines make it clear that it has been written by a non south asian writer
"Many bring a reasonable amount of money to survive for a limited period of time but the uncertainty over how long this period is going to last can be very difficult to cope with. "

it is very easy to blame system for all the problems, BUT, perhaps we too need to understand where we lack.

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DIE HARD !

Thanks Chor_Per_Mor for the link. It was good to view the rest of it. I was browsing the South African forum and thought the article on 'Obstacles and Opportunities for Immigrants' was great for those deciding to immigrate to Canada. As i now see although it was an excerpt from the link it was brief and to the point. I see it is from November 2000 and the rest of the details are not up to date.