Posted on: 05-06-10 22:05:57
Quote:
I was quite gung ho when I joined the forum. It was/is reflective of the enthusiasm I feel at the prospect of migrating to Canada for good.
However, when the negativity is so strong and solid, its somewhat scary. In the sense, that, we are making this move with our eyes open. Moreover, we are taking our children alongwith us. For any rational adult, its a very big step. Uprooting and then setting root again in a foreign land.
Canada isn't a cakewalk as far as settlement is concerned and it can certainly be tough initially (just like any other country including the US - the issues may be a bit different everywhere but they are there). However there's sensible advice/caution that you should consume and nonsense/venting that you should ignore, the onus is on you to do this sifting.
There are thousands upon thousands of desis in Canada who live a very happy life, are well settled and would not move anywhere else (myself included)! Not all of them write on CD, so you're not exactly getting an accurate cross-section in the responses to your post.
IMHO, Some key attributes that help you make it in Canada are below (in that order of priority)
1. Communication/networking skills
2. Awareness of your environment and the flexibility to adapt
3. A positive can-do attitude
4. Job skills / Degrees / Certifications
Notice I've placed Job skills at #4. Obviously does not mean that they're not important, but it is a folly to assume that if you have job skills and degrees but lack in #1-3, you'll have employers lining up outside your door. In my 10 yrs. here, I have yet to meet an immigrant who was really good with #1-3 and wasn't well settled or was constantly struggling to find/retain a job. And I have met a few frustrated desis who've had a rock-solid paper resume and degrees, however lacked heavily in soft-skills but had no clue that they did. Now when they don't get hired, the recruiting manager or agent likely isn't going to tell them "Your soft-skills suck!", that's not the style here. They're more likely going to be dealt a softer blow, sometimes to the tune of "You're overqualified". Many folks are unable to process this for what it really is and blame Canada and the system.
Many folks who're frustrated also look at success as simply landing and finding a job. And althoug being gainfully employed is a really important piece to your overall success in a new country, it is hardly everything. It depends on your financial condition, but if you land here carrying a mountain of stress on your shoulders about finding a job, it makes your search that much harder. Instead, the right attitude is to land and for the first couple of weeks, focus on getting the basics out of the way (accomodation, your bank accounts, SIN, health card) AND getting acquainted with the system/people. Get on public transit, travel to downtown TO (or wherever you're landing), take in the sights etc., i.e. spend at least a week acclimatizing yourself with the basics here and de-stressing yourself in the process. Then start the job search with a positive attitude and be patient. This is not an easy process if you're new and you need to tap all your reserves to brush off disappointments and stay focused.
Your posts so far show a healthy dose of maturity and the soft-skills required to make it in Canada. I think you'll do just fine. Don't worry initially about starting great initiatives to help desis in Canada, help yourself first. If you've made up your mind to immigrate, start by immediately refusing to associate with opinions or people who are blatantly negative and defy common sense and rationale. Forums like CD aren't the best to garner "opinions", you'll get a whole spectrum and no clarity. Rather use CD to find out more factual information on things like job sites, accomodation, bank accounts, immigration procedures etc.
Good luck!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Are you there?
Two very sensible posts! Thanks to both 
Thanks bluelobster. That really helped. I guess, I was only looking at part of the picture, and presuming the whole. What you wrote, made a whole lot of sense.
Thanks unitz.
First and foremost, when we apply for migration, we are about to settle down in any country say India or Gulf. It takes 2-5 years in gulf and 5-10 years in India for the process of migration to complete and say another year to completely migrate. By the time we apply and till the process is complete say in 3-5 years, we are completely settled and our salaries also are doubled and tripled because of experience and perhaps some lady luck who takes liking for us since we have applied for migration and the same lady luck deserts us after we land in canada for 2-3 years. 
After this, we migrate with great enthusiasm, deaf and dumb to anbody who tries to warn us
not to leave job and migrate, we are determined to migrate and ready to face all challenges (i.e trying to be adventurous which is foolish after 40 with 2 small kids in hand ). let me give two examples :
One mechanical engineer from India applied when he was 21 years old and out of college he was earning Rs. 8000-10000 salary applies for migration. It takes him 8-10 years to migrate and by this time he is earning Rs. 80000/- + car+allowances. He migrates and has to start from scratch not only jobwise but studywise which is utterly foolishness.
Second case, ours, husband electrical/maintainence engg with 15 years experience, when applied in 1996 for migration, salary Dhs 6000 and after 3 years promoted and salary dhs 15000 that too tax free +car +rented apartment plus we develop our own business. Now we migrate and has to start from scratch.
We are not complaining about that too. If while applying for migration, canadian Govt, says that without canadian education, experience or reference or licence, it is next to impossible to get job, I wonder how many people will apply for immigration.?
OK, here also, we overlook that fact that, we are cheated. We migrate to canada, attend few workshop, go to Govt HR who tries to improve on your CV, We attend co-op and work voluntraily to canadian experience and reference. By this time 6-8 months are gone.
Instead, when we visit Govt HR, they should guide us to take canadian education and licence instead of fooling around with improving our CV. During this period, when our experience and talents are wasted, people will talk all rubbish and nonsense about networking, influences and you just have to open the door, once door is opened then you don't look back, it is smooth sailing. We sit and wonder, which is this stupid door people are talking about etc etc.
Let me tell you, a sort of web is woven around us after migration and it is difficult to get out of this web. Because you have lost the previous job and there is no sign of jobs in future. Wait till economy improves but how long?
Instead when we had to take decision before migration, if we are well settled and earning good salaries, then it is better either not to migrate or say delay migration for some time or take 2 months leave and come and try for job and if you don't get job, go back to your previous job.
Mind you, A person who is well settled and already earning good salary, migration for them is pure hell and at the same time, if you are jobless in India and you migrate then it is pure heaven because you are ready to do any job to earn salary.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
Mahatma Gandhi
Quote:
Originally posted by geetakhanna
Having lived abroad for many years, I would have thought, it would be like going to another western country.
It is therefore, very vexing for me, the reaction of the Indian community there. Nowhere, have I every seen such feedback.
Let me share with you guys (those who may be interested, and not think I am some SPY/TROUBLEMAKER), I lived in Singapore for a few years. The practice there was that IT consultants would put up their CV's on various websites like monster and jobsdb. Then they would go through various rounds of interview and if selected, the paperwork would be processed. They would arrive in Singapore on an EP and their family would get a DP (dependant pass). This I am sure must be common procedure for many countries. If the person liked it, after a few months/years, he would apply for a PR, which would be accepted/rejected.
Now, there were a few IT Consultants/resource guys, who would get a tourist visa, put up with friends/whoever. They would go around all agencies, handing out their CV's and making themselves known. Thereafter, they would return back to India. Most of these guys (if they were actually good), did manage to land themselves decent jobs and come to Singapore within a few months.
As you might recall, my first question to you was - did you work in Singapore and other countries on a EP? And that is where the whole difference lies. In a place like Singapore/USA/ME?Europe, one first applies for a job, gets selected, moves to the country and if he/she loves it, applies for a PR, and later, citizenship. The crux of the matter is that these countries want qualified people to come to their country, work, and help the economy even if for only a short period. That is why an EP is issued from say 6 months to about 3 years and is subject to renewal. With a job in hand and that too many times, as an expat, life is always good, and so there is hardly any negativity for people who shift from other countries to these "professional" friendly countries.
However, Canada and Australia work in a different fashion altogather. They want more of consumers for building up their economy and work on the principal that once an immigrant comes here, he helps in increasing consumption, and if at all he is able to save, it is a bonus (because that savings mean that he is producing more than he consumes). While the primary motive for getting an immigrant is to add to consumption and also to service the ageing population, getting an educated professional is only a collateral benefit in the sense that:
1. They do not need any outside professionals to run the major things in this country since they are capable of doing it themselves (which is automatically proven since people from other countries want to come and live here rather than the other way)
2. When an educated professional comes to this country, he is better equipped to survive and feed himself than become a burden on the government's social programs
In a country like Singapore - the floating population (tourists and people on WP or EPs) on any given day is more than a million people - which is more than 15% of the actual population. This proves that the govt there invites people to "work" and increase production/productivity, and while doing that, they will naturally consume too.
So, Singapore does not invite immigrants - it attracts foreign talent and then it keeps people who went there to work and their work was liked by Singaporeans. On the other hand, Canada invites to immigrants - and then leaves it to them to prove themselves without any help.
Quote:
Originally posted by geetakhanna
Frankly, I can understand a migration process as above. I can't understand why an immigrant would just pack his bags, take his belongings and migrate to a new land without a job in hand. Again, I am not criticising please.
With the explanation above, this is the reason people pack their bags and have very little choice but to come here without a job in hand, since technically, one cannot be offered a job as a PR unless he is a PR!
So when you became a PR in Singapore, you DID NOT migrate - you went there for a job. Using your analogy, it was like a person moving from Bihar to Mumbai after having got a appointment letter and housing confirmation in hand. With such a things, one gets settled almost immediately!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Chandresh
Advice is free – lessons I charge for!!
Hi Geeta
Chandresh, BL,Gopal Pai, TK , tullyjs and many others have given some really good pointers. Whether they are overstated depends on which end of the stick you are looking it from. The info is a good spectrum of conditions you can expect and lets you plan for best and worst case scenario.
I've been in some of the countries discussed on this post. Those are the places where we go with good credentials and a JOB. That makes all the difference when we have a family.
To compare Canada and other countries (where job is required to enter) is like comparing Charted Accountancy and IIT in India.
1. CA - Anybody who has stipulated qualification can register easily and be accepted.But relatively hard work before we come out successfully.
2. IIT- Very tough to get into. There are challenges once inside but more or less smooth sailing.
There are people who are on both sides of the scale in CA and IIT and many who will fall inbetween or into other universities and institutions.
We just analyse and take which ever suits our risk level. When you land here , if you settle down as per 'your comfort level' give a pat on your shoulder and think that your analysis/ ground work paid off. Others may still shrug it off as plain simple luck.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Please let your smart brain analyse first. Mine is taking rest.
yes life in canada for an immigrant is not easy....its best if you come with a frame of mind of not expecting much and going through the grind. rest as said ...its a can of worms.
