Been here almost a year, Canada not so great

[Kanamen]

Dear Kanamen - Welcome to you on this thread,

You are already there in Canada. Will apprecaite if you would share your real life experience and knowledge to enlighten us who are awaiting for their PR process to complete so that we come prepared.

Best regards,

Thank you my friend.

My friend you can determine from my signature I LOVE CANADAof my expressions and thoughts about my LOVELY CANADA.I don't wanna add more to avoid to start any more conflict ion.

GOD BLESS CANADA AND GOD BLESS ALL OF US

 

[Kanamen]

I wrote a number of previous posts before moving here in 2010 from Australia. At the time we were very excited to start living in North America and were looking forward to new opportunities.

As a person who has lived in 5 different countries in my lifetime, I can now honestly say that I am really disappointed with Canadians. Now, maybe it's different in cities other than Toronto, but these are my personal thoughts.

1) Finding work here is a real struggle. I'm not used to being in a culture where people just simply don't respond to resumes and job enquiries across the board. I cannot get my head around the fact that after enquiring about almost 60 different positions in my field of expertise, only ONE person has ever bothered to actually respond to me. In Australia, I never had a problem moving from one position to another - agencies always took the time and trouble to meet with me, look me in the eye, shake my hand, find out my goals and get me a job. They don't get paid otherwise! Here, all these guys must be going out of business, because it is NOT just an immigrant problem, born and bred Canadians have the same barriers. It's incredibly frustrating and soul destroying.

2) Networking - it seems like just about the only way to get a job is by networking. You have to know someone who knows someone who knows someone etc. For newcomers who don't know "anyone", this can be tough. Skills are secondary, it's "who you know" that seems to open the doors around here.

3) People talk a lot, but don't follow through with actions. I've lost count of the number of times people have promised and committed to all sorts of things and not delivered. This is a place where you quickly learn not to bother holding your breath.

4) Toronto has to be one of the ugliest cities on earth. Suburb after suburb is just a revolting bland landscape of uniformity. It's actually depressing.

5) Canadians are very quick to say "no". Seems to be too hard for them to think beyond themselves and say "yes" to new ideas and opportunities. They seem to be quite insular.

So at the end of the day, IMHO it's really not all that special. Things are very tough here, opportunities are minimal and the general attitude sucks. I can't see our family making this a long term place to live.

If you are ready to relocate to Saskatoon,I give you guarantee to get a suitable job in your field within a month just for a promise ,not to upset at first attempts.
Good Luck

 

[kawakaze]

I studied in Australia for 2 years (2006-2008), and in short, i can say that australia is a paradise for me. perfect weather, nice people, easy to get jobs, etc. unfortunately, they want higher IELTS for PR application, which I dont have.

 

[vermas]

Thanks dear. That says a lot about your feelings and emotions.

Best regards,
vermas

Thank you my friend.

My friend you can determine from my signature I LOVE CANADAof my expressions and thoughts about my LOVELY CANADA.I don't wanna add more to avoid to start any more conflict ion.

GOD BLESS CANADA AND GOD BLESS ALL OF US

 

[mycan]

What a great thread and honest postings!!!

I am dropping my job in Gulf and landing in Canada in March 2012.

It is not depressive, rather if you look deep into it, is very informative
" to chalk out what to expect and prepare oneself well to handle the issues positively."

THANK YOU bkuper for starting this thread and honestly sharing what you feel.

THANK YOU all contributors for your inputs/suggestions.

Please keep this thread alive.

mycan​

 

[Altit]

Well said, fully agree with your view !

Dear Friends

I am writing this becasue it made me to do so...your present decisions makes your future life.if you have decided to move to canada than accept it with all her pros and cons..you are moving into a multicultural socienty where every one is from different background..i can understand as a new commer how u feel not to get a job what u desire for ..Dear The foundation of sucess, regardless of your chosen filed is attitude, if attitude is such a critcal factor in success we must ask that how our attitude will affect our goal?..you need to become a seeker of good and must focus on the positive site..a freind of mine is recently migrated to canda and if you believe me he was one of the lukiest man who was making a hell amount of money..but now he is on survival jobs and he is much happy becasue he did join univeristy for the bridging purpose so he can re enter into canadain market ,, he is workign for 3 daz in night and going to univeristy at day time..still he is happy..stand with courage and face the difficulties will bring you a good luck..if you look back with the people who migrated from east africa they are now mayors of some of the major cities in canada..this is the hard work of there farfathers did for them.. so what you will do for your generations...

simple is if you want to cut hundred trees in a day... you need to sharpen your axe...go do some fresher courses ..and than you will see the change and how canada wellcomes you...

Feed your mind with good thoughts can take out you from any of the problem....


GOOOD LUCK....

 

[korean guy]

Dear Friends

I am writing this becasue it made me to do so...your present decisions makes your future life.if you have decided to move to canada than accept it with all her pros and cons..you are moving into a multicultural socienty where every one is from different background..i can understand as a new commer how u feel not to get a job what u desire for ..Dear The foundation of sucess, regardless of your chosen filed is attitude, if attitude is such a critcal factor in success we must ask that how our attitude will affect our goal?..you need to become a seeker of good and must focus on the positive site..a freind of mine is recently migrated to canda and if you believe me he was one of the lukiest man who was making a hell amount of money..but now he is on survival jobs and he is much happy becasue he did join univeristy for the bridging purpose so he can re enter into canadain market ,, he is workign for 3 daz in night and going to univeristy at day time..still he is happy..stand with courage and face the difficulties will bring you a good luck..if you look back with the people who migrated from east africa they are now mayors of some of the major cities in canada..this is the hard work of there farfathers did for them.. so what you will do for your generations...

simple is if you want to cut hundred trees in a day... you need to sharpen your axe...go do some fresher courses ..and than you will see the change and how canada wellcomes you...

Feed your mind with good thoughts can take out you from any of the problem....


GOOOD LUCK....

Hi Altit,

I totally agree with you.
Although I have seen a lot of people with difficulties here, a lot of them still tend to manage through their difficulties.
So, I still see Canada as a land of opportunities.

Cheer up all of you and good luck.

 

[ayazf]

Thanks Kanamen sir and ayazf sir. +1 for you both.

Haha its raining +1 today.

thanks and +1 to u too for accepting and being humble.

 

[fromdubai]

Thank you all for your replies to my post.

For those who wanted to know why we left Australia, the reason is complex. We have more family here in Canada (Toronto specifically) than in Australia and we are in a different stage in our lives, being in our early 40's. We still love Australia very much and the decision was not easy. We also have a son who is growing up without much close family. Plus we like to travel, and Australia is really far from everything! There are other reasons which made up the final decision, but those are the main ones.

For those of you still waiting for your visas and dreaming of a better place, I think that it is going to be a hard reality check when you land here. Nobody gives a toss about your well-being at the end of the day. Even the family we have here have turned out to be a bitter disappointment. When we visited prior to moving last year everyone was all big talk about the things they we going to do for us and how they would help us. Well, the reality is that we've barely even heard from them and they have not given any thought to us as new immigrants. Again, they just come across as having their heads buried in the sand and occupied so totally with their own lives that we have just given up on having much to do with them. Other people may have different family experiences, but this seems to be typical of the average Canadian - very self absorbed and unwilling to go out of their comfort zone.

We didn't move here and expect to make a fortune. However, it would be nice to catch a small break and be given an opportunity to use 20 years of experience and get a decent job.

I'm in hospitality field as both an Executive Chef and Food and Beverage Director. What really annoys me is that chefs are on the eligible job list and they make a big deal about how they need qualified people like myself. Well, as I said earlier I have sent my resume to over 60 hotels and recruitment agencies and I'm still treading water.

Totally agree with you, had the same experience ..

 

[bkuper]

Interesting replies to my original posting!

At the end of the day, I would never say to anyone "don't come here", but I do believe that most people who land here are going to get a major shock. My impression is that there are many people out there still waiting for their visas who have a fantasy about Canada in their heads. They don't want to hear anything negative because they are so focused on getting their residency and believe that by simply staying positive "things will turn out alright".

Unfortunately the real world just doesn't seem to work that way!

Good luck to you all, though.

 

[aussie_singh]

GOOD COMPARISON BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND CANADA AND FEELING LUCKY AS A AUSTRALIAN CITIZEN WITH CANADIAN PR VISA WHICH GIVE ME MORE FREEDOM TO ME FOR COME BACK AUSTRALIA IF THINGS WILL NOT GO IN RIGHT DIRECTIONS................

 

[time 2011]

Hot discussion. I was waiting for this kind of topic for actual comparison between Australia and Canada. People with first hand experience can enlighten others. Thanks bkuper to start this thread. Now can we discuss specifically that what are pros and cons in both countries. I am in Australia from last three and half years on bridging visa now, chances of PR are slim. Luckily recieved Canadian PR. Now after reading this post, my mind shaken.
From my experience in Aus when you are a newly landed immigrant(Does not matter PR or Temporary) you have to struggle to get job, accommodation(very expencive, most people live in sharing). I know many people(PR) who after two years of their landing has not got the jobs in their field and they are stuck in doing other jobs. Mechanical engineer driving taxi(I don't know why people call it low job when it is earning livelyhood for someone), an MBA/Accountant doing process work, IT professional working in petrol station, professional cook working as security guard.This may be a shock for them initially, but slowly becomes a professional field and then by time period people make it a comfort zone. I know a mechanical eng from top institute from his nation, working as courier driver from last ten years, he does not want to change his field because his earning is decent, atleast better than an engineer at his level(Do not think thatt this country will place you as high level engineer in any organisation). I know a IT professional, worked in Saudi Arabia for ten years in IT, now from last two years working as labourer in factory in Australia.
Do not think that your next generations will be treated as natives, thay will still be recognised by their colours, their accent may be changed but colour will remain same.
Australia is a lovely country, full of opportunities(may not be in your own fields but, other options can be exlpored). People keep on changing their fields, they have multi skills, suitable to the time and market. Yes IT can ugrade and engineers and Doctors can pass the accreditions. Canada may be the same. Waiting from other experienced friends.

 

[fromdubai]

Interesting replies to my original posting!

At the end of the day, I would never say to anyone "don't come here", but I do believe that most people who land here are going to get a major shock. My impression is that there are many people out there still waiting for their visas who have a fantasy about Canada in their heads. They don't want to hear anything negative because they are so focused on getting their residency and believe that by simply staying positive "things will turn out alright".

Unfortunately the real world just doesn't seem to work that way!

Good luck to you all, though.

Well that's true. I was rather much disappointed when I landed Toronto airport. Things were not rosy as it appeared from statistics and ranks in the media. Probably I lived all my life in Dubai and had travelled to several countries made me compare with several cities around the world.

 

[time 2011]

Any inputs

 

[dante0000]

It's not surprising that some people have struggles with resettling, this stuff's hard and some people have more advantages and/or will get more breaks than others. But there's no point in wallowing in self-pity or blaming other forces. If you're going to do that, you may as well go home and at least be where you are familiar. I'm coming from the United States where I feel confident I'm inured to the particular problems you speak of here. Of course most jobs go to the networkers. Employers get better employees more easily that way. Of course people will let you down. They have their own lives to lead, their own struggles to manage; how much energy do you expect them to spend on your life and struggles?

So what do you do about it? Your network, no matter how paltry, is better than you think. Spread the word around, talk to as many people as you can. Friends, relatives, neighbors. Everyone knows someone. Contact leaders in your industry to ask for informational (not job) interviews. Find out about what it takes to break in, ask them if they know of anyone else you can talk to. Remember to properly thank them afterwards (an email is fine). They will be more generous than you (or me, anyway) might expect. If you have a skill, that skill has an association. Join it and get active. Go to seminars, hang around afterward to talk to the presenters, attend the mixers.

Want to respond to a published job ad? Don't send your resume to Human Resources, they'll probably get 500 resumes and there's no way they're looking at every one. It doesn't matter how perfect your resume is if they don't see it. Do a little research, learn about the company. And then send your resume to your future boss with a cover letter that shows you spent some time learning about the job and the company--he'll only get a couple, he'll look at it, and if he sends it to Human Resources, it'll go to the top of the pile because it came from him and not you. Six carefully choreographed applications are worth more than 600 pro-forma job-ad responses.

Good luck to everyone.

WELL SAID! YOU ARE A SURVIVOUR