From the day we fill out
our immigration forms,
finding a job is at the top of
our mind. Will we get a job?
Will it be in our profession?
What happens if we don’t?
Immigrants have to spend
months, sometimes even
years, re-qualifying only to
have yet another door slam
shut in their face. No Canadian
experience!
Immigrants face so many
obstacles and challenges
when arriving to a new country,
don’t we deserve a break?
Doesn’t the government
want us to contribute to the
economy and life of
Canada? Or does it want
skilled, educated immigrants
to become frustrated and return
to our native lands?
The only way to help resolve
this issue in my opinion
is for the federal government
to make it attractive
for corporations to give
immigrants their first job —
either through a tax break
or a financial incentive.
When speaking with community
leader Milton
Wong, one of our profile
subjects this issue, this topic
came up. I asked him what
he thought of the idea of
giving companies who hire
new immigrants a tax break.
Always up for a debate,
Wong raised the argument
that if the government gives
a tax break to companies
that hire immigrants, why
not then to others like disabled
people, single mothers
or the elderly, too?
But it does. Don’t youth
get a break when they join
the workforce? Don’t
mothers get extended maternity
benefits? Don’t senior
citizens get lowered
property taxes? Why not to
immigrants who bring skills
to this country and several
generations of taxpayers?
Of course, many organizations
already do promote fair
hiring practices and encourage
diverse workplaces, but
the reality is that immigrants
face an extra set of obstacles
in getting hired because of
language, foreign credentials
going unrecognized, lack of
Canadian experience and
even some discrimination.
I say immigrants need a bit
of a break


Exerpt from Editorial of July/August issue of The Canadian Immigrant Magazine.

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