Internationally educated new comer professionals to Canada are facing two common systemic unfair employment barriers, 1) credentials not recognized, 2) wealth of knowledge and experience they bring from the world is not valued by the employers in Canada. The irony is internationally educated professional were granted permanent resident status due to their credentials and experience along with their professional skills.

One Voice Canada is a not for profit organization, based in Toronto and we have launched a petition against this unfair human rights practice in the labour market and in few weeks 900 + plus people had singed the petition online so far. This petition is growing by the hour, It is great to see local Canadians are fully supporting this petition to help the new comers to Canada for a better economic life in Canada. We had received signature from across Canada and beyond borders now. This petition is getting the attention worldwide without any media support.

An example of Thorncliffe Park in Toronto Canada, is presented here to understand the real picture of new comers socioeconomic problems to Canada. Thorncliffe Park is a home to more newcomers per square foot than anywhere else in Canada. It is the most densely populated neighborhood in Toronto. A population of 28,000 to 30,000 people live in Thorncliffe Park.

Sixty three percent (63%) of the entire population in Thorncliffe Park have a post-secondary education which is three times higher than the academic profile of any community in the GTA. Yet this community is facing over 27% unemployment or underemployment ratio, which is more than three times the average unemployment rate for the city of Toronto.

In fact, it is higher than the unemployment ratio recorded in 2012 for Spain 26% (2012), Greece 26% (2012) and Afghanistan 15% (Source: Trading Economics).

Most newcomers who experience unemployment and underemployment perceive the root cause to be racism and discrimination. Many newcomers, particularly those with an advanced level of education, feel frustrated and disenchanted because they cannot find commensurate employment, since their foreign credentials are not recognized.

When they cannot find desirable or suitable employment in accordance with their qualifications, they feel the loss of social status. They were once respected in the social circle of their country of origin and now become feel humiliated after receiving Canadian permanent status in the Canadian social fabric.

Add your voice to this petition today and be part of this growing movement of support towards new comers to Canada.Please do support the petition by visiting the following link and encourage your circle of influence to support the cause as well.

https://www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/the-honourable-lisa-raitt-the-honourable-yasir-naqvi-canadian-experience-a-systemic-unfair-employment-barrier-to-new-comers

-----------------------------------------------------------------
http://onevoicecanada.org/
http://www.linkedin.com/in/aamirkhj
https://sites.legalshield.com/aasites/Multisite?site=hub&assoc=aamirkhawaja

Employment figures are open to all, lack of social and cultural information among canadian
employers to be eager to hire qualified newcomers is hugely lacking....there are so many employers open to good talent but the internal reference systems slows it all..

"Oh you should know somebody from inside........keep networking"

Canadians did not call us - newcomers, we were hoping for better career lifestyle so they welcomed us but totally miscalculated the millions of numbers of applicants eager to
leave their home nations... Sadly it is very easy to start debates on unemplyment but once
a path is found very weak helping hands are seen to help to other newcomers and make
a difference......there is loads of talent but slowly Canadians are respecting the under rated
asian talent being wasted.....

How many newcomers who find their true employment instantly start helping qualified talents who are just starting to find life in Canada....???

Amit, the point is Canadians marketed their immigration program as "land of opportunities" to the outside world, the rude awakening for new professional immigrants comes after landing that, their credentials are not recognized, wealth of knowledge and experience they bring from the world is not valued by the employers in Canada.

Professionals coming from all over the world have no issue in understanding social norms and cultural fabric of Canada. Americans never ask before hiring that, "Do you have any American experience?" it only exists in Canada. US embraces world knowledge and build their country on it. Canadian lacks imaginations in engaging and embracing world knowledge.

My petition has been signed by over 900 people all across Canada, they all came to Canada from various part of the world, their signature is a testimony of the employment barriers exists across Canada for new professionals.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
http://onevoicecanada.org/
http://www.linkedin.com/in/aamirkhj
https://sites.legalshield.com/aasites/Multisite?site=hub&assoc=aamirkhawaja

I admit using the verbiage of "Canadian experience" as a filter is at best lousy and discriminatory. Having said that, my suspicion is there is a vast disconnect between what the private employers' needs are to what the Govt thinks those needs are.

Maybe, there is excess supply of workforce and if so, employers would tend to use filters as part of the recruitment process. As harsh as it may sound, private enterprises are under no obligation to provide employment to anyone.

Even in the US, when the economy was in the toilet in 2008 through 2010ish, similar filters existed without the verbiage of "American experience". Employers sought advance degree candidates although there is no evidence an advance degree candidate would do any better than the one without. Employers drastically cut down on non-immigrant visa sponsorship - an indirect way of saying no "American experience" - and so on. Bear in mind, I am not in IT; hence, dynamics may be different.

As someone who has hiring authority, I've also experienced recruiting candidates of foreign origin - here's an example - three candidates of Indian origin with similar backgrounds / education / experience - one articulated well on a phone interview while the other could not stitch a decent statement together. The third one had a resume with errors (typo, chronology mismatch, etc, etc). As an employer representative, the first one offers me the confidence to move forward while the rest do not. In fact, I ended up hiring the first one. If immigrant candidates such as the second and third ones are in majority, employers are going to reject candidates regardless of the spectacular achievements in their home country.

I am not offering any justification for the issue on hand; rather, there is another side of the story that appears to get overlooked. Maybe private enterprises and the Govt should address that part as well to improve the conditions of the new immigrants.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Dimple2001

Dimple, I agree with your rational and the question is not to hire the poor ones for the job, just because he or she is a new immigrant. All I am asking compare "apple to apple" where employers are not ready to compare relevant experience, instead they prefer "Canadian Experience over World Experience" How Canadian experience is different in Accounting, Finance, Healthcare, Hospitality, Banking, from the rest of the world. These are just mere examples of professions.

I am an experienced career and employment counselor and I meet qualified Accountant every day having 10 years of work experience in a multinational companies such as Deloitte, Earnest and Young, KPMG from the world however now they working as a security guard job or delivering pizza in Toronto.

Doctors and healthcare professionals are driving cab in Canada. These are just simple examples of how quality Human Capital is being wasted in Canada. All I am advocating for new immigrant is because world experience should be "embraced" in Canada not "disgraced". That can only be achieved by being open minded to new professional immigrants and creating diversity in the work force so fresh ideas in the workforce move Canada ahead of other developed countries.

I will encourage every one to add your voice to this petition today and be part of this growing movement of support towards new comers to Canada. Please do support the petition by visiting the following link and encourage your circle of influence to support the cause and signed it for better Canada.

https://www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/the-honourable-lisa-raitt-the-honourable-yasir-naqvi-canadian-experience-a-systemic-unfair-employment-barrier-to-new-comers

-----------------------------------------------------------------
http://onevoicecanada.org/
http://www.linkedin.com/in/aamirkhj
https://sites.legalshield.com/aasites/Multisite?site=hub&assoc=aamirkhawaja

Dude ,

If there are obstacles , you need to overcome them .. Be it language , skills what ever ... If you need to re designate your self , that s the way to go ..

Doctors & health care pros are driving cabs in Canada because that is what they want to continue doing ... I have seen doctors , engineers & accountants who have come out of the survival job spiral concentrated on their careers , re validated their qualifications by doing bridge courses / alternate courses and are working in their original careers ..

Like I said , where there are obstacles , there should be will to overcome them as well ..

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fido.

Fido, I agree with your comments as well. Yes I know very few new immigrants who are less than 1% who actually came out of their survival jobs and eventually find their career. So far none of them from the health sector, I have a trained Physiotherapist from India, she has done Masters in Physiotherapy from Australia. She has 10 years of working experience in India, she is not able to find Physiotherapist Assistant job as well. Now working in the call center.

Why all the call center loves new immigrants professionals? why every call center is full of new immigrants? I wonder why?

Dude, seeing and believing. I meet new immigrant professionals every day and they come from all over the world facing same issue over and over again.

Any way I believe raising voice for new immigrant professionals is the only solution for a paradigm shift in Canadian mind set.

For those interested to support new immigrants professionals please add your voice to this petition today and be part of this growing movement of support towards new comers to Canada.

Find below the link where you can sign the petition, please copy and paste in your browser to find the petition.

https://www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/the-honourable-lisa-raitt-the-honourable-yasir-naqvi-canadian-experience-a-systemic-unfair-employment-barrier-to-new-comers

-----------------------------------------------------------------
http://onevoicecanada.org/
http://www.linkedin.com/in/aamirkhj
https://sites.legalshield.com/aasites/Multisite?site=hub&assoc=aamirkhawaja