FSW WORLDWIDE

[ivicts]

Sure. My experience as someone who did his masters from one of the top schools in Canada and lived there for 2+ years. If I talk about jobs, then keep in mind, that I am talking about software (backend) with the focus on ML and data, unless specified otherwise.

1. There are not that many jobs in Canada. I got more interviews when I was applying to EU (and I need a sponsorship) vs. when I was applying to Canada. I had about 2-3 YOE working at a top Russian tech. company and EU took that in consideration; Canada just throw it out of the window and told me that I need to start a junior/lower-mid. The interview process is significantly harder in Canada. Get ready for Leetcode, system design, conceptual questions, super specific questions about some frameworks. Because there are not that many companies, startups act like FAANG because, well, they can. Too many people (see immigration numbers), not enough jobs. My close friend at Zynga told me that they received about 2K applications for a position; after all the filters, they had to make the interview super difficult to hire just 1-2 engineers.
2. Pushing LGBTQ propaganda. I am ok with every type of people. However, when companies openly state that they will hire A. mainly because he/she is non-binary, trans, gay, etc. I start having problems with that. There is a freedom of speech in Canada; however, God forbid you say anything about not understanding their lifestyle. Even if it's just a comment about how this lifestyle is unusual for you. In most cases, this is an instant write-up or termination. Happened to my former lab mate who was from Saudi Arabia. Had to change the lab and pretty much redo his masters
3. Rent and house prices. Do I need to explain myself?
4. Loneliness. This is big for me. Amount of times I was looking at old photos I took in Moscow... It's hard to find friends if you don't have a large diaspora here. Canadians are very nice as people but it doesn't mean that it will go somewhere in terms of friendships. If you are a single guy or girl, you will hard time finding a partner from Canadians. Thus, you are on your own 24/7. No, meetups/gyms/hobbies don't help or work. I tried everything. Good thing is that having no friends helped me to publish 3-4 articles in top journals
5. Everything is just so expensive. You will have a decent life but it will be borderline impossible to move to another level. Everyone else has that another level and for me, another level might be different than for someone else.
6. Medical care: in 2017, a wait time was 3-4 months. I don't even want to know what is happening right now. Oh yeah. Dental is not covered by free healthcare. You are so screwed if you have a bad tooth. So, a piece of advice. Go back to your home country every year and fix your teeth there. OR buy a private dental here
7. Everything is legacy. I got so used to just renting a car in Moscow (per hour rent) that when I got to Canada and realized that I cannot do it here, I was shocked. You have to do it old-school way; Hertz or smth. else. Oh, and it's not per hour. It's per day. Like it or not, you will need a car sooner or later
8. There is no job security. You can get fired just because. This makes you feel like you are always on the edge.
9. Infrastructure for public transportation sucks. Why is there still no train going from Waterloo to Toronto on weekends? "We are building new routes". Yup. Been like for 3 years. Still nothing
10. There are 2 seasons in Canada: construction and winter. The problem is that you get such a low quality from construction workers that I am consistently surprised why people immigrate as engineers, software, etc. Just learn trades and you will make so much money. I hired a guy to fix a fridge. A guy came, took 400 CAD to tell me that PCB is broken, took another 320 (for parts) + 140 (for labor) to fix the fridge. The fridge broke again in 1 week because... PCB was not a root cause but it was giving false alarm due to other faulty part. How I know? Well, another tech. came and fixed it; another 300 CAD. Why didn't I call 1st guy? Because he would come for extra price. So what that it's his fault for not diagnosing it correctly? You still pay for his mistakes.
11. Speaking about mistakes. The general level of service you get in Canada is super low quality. Everywhere. Just because you paid for it doesn't mean that you will get good service. It takes a long time to find someone who knows what they are doing; barber, plumber, electrician. Once you find him/her, take his/her phone number and follow him/her everywhere. In Moscow, I would just go to a barber that is closest to my home. LOL. Did that in Canada. Ended up shaving my head.

That's it so far. If I remember something else, I will add it.

EDIT: Most of the things I have written are pertained to GTA and Kitchener/Waterloo area.

hi @MajorGrom , you have lived in Singapore as well right? How does Canada compare with Singapore? Which one is better according to you?

 

[auzair]

Hi everyone. I had a question about PNP which I asked in another thread but no one answered there, so I am asking it here since this thread is quite active.

A friend of mine is availing the services of an immigration consultant who guided him through the process of New Brunswick PNP. Then the consultant created Express Entry profile on my friend's behalf. Now, the consultant says that the CRS score of my friend's profile is 796 which includes 600 points of PNP nomination but he is not receiving ITA for the past couple of draws. My understanding is that in "No program specified" draws, every applicant is sent an ITA if their CRS score is above the cut-off score so my friend should have received an ITA by now. But the consultant is saying that it doesn't work like that for PNP. Consultant referred us to following information on the official IRCC website:

“no program specified” rounds are open to candidates from all Express Entry programs (Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Workers, Federal Skilled Trades and a portion of the Provincial Nominee Program).

Consultant says that even if the CRS score is above cut-off, there is no guarantee that my friend's profile will be picked for ITA. I want to confirm if this is the case or not? What exactly does "a portion of the Provincial Nominee Program" mean here?

I should add that the consultant is not sharing the login credentials of the Express Entry profile and has shared only the screenshots of the EE profile.

 

[Deleted member 1083629]

hi @MajorGrom , you have lived in Singapore as well right? How does Canada compare with Singapore? Which one is better according to you?

I lived in several countries because of internships and research grants.

To answer your question; Canada>>>>>>Singapore. I would never apply for PR in Singapore (if they would have that option). Canada does have problems but nothing like in SG (at least for me).

 

[GandiBaat]

1. Agree about JD.
2. Lol I was there when it happened. He was asked: "Maybe you will find a nice girl or a guy if you are into that". And he answered: "Nope. I don't understand how guys can be with other guys. To me, that's unacceptable. In Saudi you can be killed for that. Maybe, if I live in Canada for some time, I will be more open and understand more". He gets called to his supervisor office and that's it. He gets kicked out of the project. Our supervisor framed it as "hate speech".
3. Houston, Dallas, NOLA, Berlin... I can write a huge list of major cities that are more affordable. And one more thing; in most cities, the further you live from the center, the cheaper it gets. North York is not exactly cheaper than Liberty Village
4. It's much easier in certain cities; I spent 3-4 months in Barcelona and I still talk to my Spanish friends I made there. It's smth. about south vs. north culture
5. Skipping
6. Most companies DO NOT provide dental and vision unless those are large and well-established companies. However, it's tough to get into 1 unless you intend to work for a non-tech company as a tech. guy. In that case, it's another long discussion with pros and cons.
7. Yes and I used another one called ShiftRide. They are terrible, IMO. Cars are not near you, so you have to take a bus/Uber to get to the car. Maybe, it's better now than it was when I was using it.
8. They are both at the will. Not sure what do you mean by "better in Canada"?
9. Skipping
10. Lol it's a saying in Canada.
11. Maybe. In Moscow, if I wanted to get something done right and I couldn't take chances, I would just use the most expensive option. Not the case in Canada. I used internet provider and I paid 70$ for that. Support sucked. I switched to another provider that would charge me 50$. So much better.

1. No Canadian company is worth wasting time in CS/IT field. Most Canadian startups suck. Plain and simple. These folks do not know what they are doing. Best is to --I hate to admit-- stick of established american companies. Other alternative is british companies. JD is a universal problem.

2. Personally, this is my opinion only, but the part "Nope. I don't understand how guys can be with other guys. To me, that's unacceptable. In Saudi you can be killed for that." is indeed troublesome. It can certainly be at the very least construed as hate speech depending upon the person. I personally will never say something like this. I will just say : "Oh, I do not swing that way" and leave it at that. Just express my choice and no need to judge the intimate choices of others.

3. Canadians are crazy when it comes to real estate. Its a national delusion that Canadian real estate is a AAA rated high yield bond and is devoid of any forces of market and can only go UP. The politicians to their utmost to keep this delusion alive by doing everything in their power from limiting land supply to massive delays in permits. Basically, you have to walk on water to make an affordable home in Canada. One of these days it will catch up to them and I have a sinking suspecion that day is drawing closer than most people realize.

4. You can do what I did. I brought a friend complete with their family with me when I moved. We both gel well. We both help each other. Really, you need ONE and just ONE really good friend. As far as relationships go, for immigrants, its best to get one from the home country itself. IMHO. Cross culture relationships are HARD and best time to waste on it is during undergrads. Sometimes "Easy Mode" is a misnomer. It should be called "Sane Mode".

5. I have positive experiences with UPCCs in BC. That being said, like all things, healthcare in Canada is being "beaurocratized" to the limit. Most of the time you are untangling the red tape than working on healing.

6. Its a labour thing. If I want to fix a toilet in India, I do not need to take an "appointment" and wait for a week for plumber to show up. I just go to the hardware shop and ask the shop keeper for a plumber, he will get me one in minutes. Not like this in Canada. Its acute labor shortage in trades that is fueling this mess. Same with barbers etc. Too few of them.

7. I do not drive till now so cann't comment.

8. I believe "better" in the sense of safety net of EI and labour laws etc. US labour laws are downright exploitive.

9. Canada can give Indian government a run for its money in terms of developing new infra.

10. Constructions... Well, they do not makes houses and Condos in Canada. They make tokens for real estate appreciation in value. Many of new constructions are so bad that its practically impossible to live there. I shit you not, someone tried to make a three bedroom apartment out of 450 sqft floor space in Vancouver. The season part is much better in BC though. We have a real summer and fall here. But that means year round construction.

11. True. Its a labour thing.

 

[ElvisRamaj]

Just want to share my timeline:

• ONIP Nomination received: 04/04/2022
• EE AOR: 22/05/2022
• PPR: 03/10/2022

Good luck to you all!

Hey man, congratulations !

Are you inland or outland ?

 

[Deleted member 1083629]

1. No Canadian company is worth wasting time in CS/IT field. Most Canadian startups suck. Plain and simple. These folks do not know what they are doing. Best is to --I hate to admit-- stick of established american companies. Other alternative is british companies. JD is a universal problem.

2. Personally, this is my opinion only, but the part "Nope. I don't understand how guys can be with other guys. To me, that's unacceptable. In Saudi you can be killed for that." is indeed troublesome. It can certainly be at the very least construed as hate speech depending upon the person. I personally will never say something like this. I will just say : "Oh, I do not swing that way" and leave it at that. Just express my choice and no need to judge the intimate choices of others.

3. Canadians are crazy when it comes to real estate. Its a national delusion that Canadian real estate is a AAA rated high yield bond and is devoid of any forces of market and can only go UP. The politicians to their utmost to keep this delusion alive by doing everything in their power from limiting land supply to massive delays in permits. Basically, you have to walk on water to make an affordable home in Canada. One of these days it will catch up to them and I have a sinking suspecion that day is drawing closer than most people realize.

4. You can do what I did. I brought a friend complete with their family with me when I moved. We both gel well. We both help each other. Really, you need ONE and just ONE really good friend. As far as relationships go, for immigrants, its best to get one from the home country itself. IMHO. Cross culture relationships are HARD and best time to waste on it is during undergrads. Sometimes "Easy Mode" is a misnomer. It should be called "Sane Mode".

5. I have positive experiences with UPCCs in BC. That being said, like all things, healthcare in Canada is being "beaurocratized" to the limit. Most of the time you are untangling the red tape than working on healing.

6. Its a labour thing. If I want to fix a toilet in India, I do not need to take an "appointment" and wait for a week for plumber to show up. I just go to the hardware shop and ask the shop keeper for a plumber, he will get me one in minutes. Not like this in Canada. Its acute labor shortage in trades that is fueling this mess. Same with barbers etc. Too few of them.

7. I do not drive till now so cann't comment.

8. I believe "better" in the sense of safety net of EI and labour laws etc. US labour laws are downright exploitive.

9. Canada can give Indian government a run for its money in terms of developing new infra.

10. Constructions... Well, they do not makes houses and Condos in Canada. They make tokens for real estate appreciation in value. Many of new constructions are so bad that its practically impossible to live there. I shit you not, someone tried to make a three bedroom apartment out of 450 sqft floor space in Vancouver. The season part is much better in BC though. We have a real summer and fall here. But that means year round construction.

11. True. Its a labour thing.

ApplyBoard and Shopify aren't too bad. AB is a little toxic but their tech. is pretty good.

In regards to relationships. It's easier to get married when you live in 1 country. Starting to date when you are in Canada and your SO in another country is hard enough. Getting married while all you had with each other was long-distant relationships is even harder. Then another LDR for a year (approximately) while PR is getting processed; what if it gets declined? Now, you have to re-apply OR move to your home country. So messy and not very straighfotward.

 

[ivicts]

I lived in several countries because of internships and research grants.

To answer your question; Canada>>>>>>Singapore. I would never apply for PR in Singapore (if they would have that option). Canada does have problems but nothing like in SG (at least for me).

btw are you a researcher in ML or CS? How difficult is it to get a research job at Canadian University after getting a PR? What about without a PR? Research job is LMIA-exempt, right?
The salary is really low right?

Hahaha, do you mean the quality of life in Canada is better than SG? I guess money-wise, SG is better in terms of salary and low taxation rate.

 

[ivicts]

Hi all,

I have a question about the pdf that needs to be uploaded for the “Work Experience” section for Post ITA. Let’s say I have two companies that I worked for that I want to claim points for: A for 2 years and B for 1 year. For the Post ITA work experience section, will I need to:

1. Upload two pdf documents, one for A and one for B
2. Upload one combined pdf for both A and B

Which one is it 1 or 2?

 

[Seekerofita2019]

Hello,
If one submit bank statement as proof of work exp is it necessary that salary credit should be mention in the statement as in mine statement transfer credit is mention can one can highlight it in order to show the salary credit? Pls help

 

[AlmostThere2]

Hi all,

I have a question about the pdf that needs to be uploaded for the “Work Experience” section for Post ITA. Let’s say I have two companies that I worked for that I want to claim points for: A for 2 years and B for 1 year. For the Post ITA work experience section, will I need to:

1. Upload two pdf documents, one for A and one for B
2. Upload one combined pdf for both A and B

Which one is it 1 or 2?

There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to document submission, I would recommend that you separate the two work experiences and send them separately. So, option 1.

 

[AlmostThere2]

Hello,
If one submit bank statement as proof of work exp is it necessary that salary credit should be mention in the statement as in mine statement transfer credit is mention can one can highlight it in order to show the salary credit? Pls help

Your salary will be mentioned in the reference letter along with the hours work and etc... As long as there is regularity in the amounts credited, they'll figure it out. What's most important, imo, is the fact that the money truly is yours and not borrowed, so you won't be a problem when you land...

 

[Deleted member 1083629]

btw are you a researcher in ML or CS? How difficult is it to get a research job at Canadian University after getting a PR? What about without a PR? Research job is LMIA-exempt, right?
The salary is really low right?

Hahaha, do you mean the quality of life in Canada is better than SG? I guess money-wise, SG is better in terms of salary and low taxation rate.

My background is in Applied Math. My research lies in optimization of machine learning algorithms. However, there is no market for my research in Canada. Google and Meta don't do that type of work in Canada; they do it in the USA.

It's easier to get a research job in Canadian university after PR but why would you? You will make more money serving coffee at Timmies than making groundbreaking research at UToronto or UWaterloo. Idk about LMIA.

Less racism. I was never told in Canada that I cannot present my work because "I am not presentable". I was never told in Canada that the reason why someone was able to become a chapter lead and not me is because he is SG/Norwegian/Swedish, and I am not; didn't matter in the end.

Money-wise, Canada is better than SG. Sure you make more or less the same, but you cannot afford jack in SG. Buying a car? Lol forget about it.

Lifestyle is also more suitable for me, compared to SG. In SG, there is a still an old "boss is right and we cannot go home while he is in the office".

Same with weather. I cannot stand hot and humid weather.

 

[Deleted member 1083629]

Hi all,

I have a question about the pdf that needs to be uploaded for the “Work Experience” section for Post ITA. Let’s say I have two companies that I worked for that I want to claim points for: A for 2 years and B for 1 year. For the Post ITA work experience section, will I need to:

1. Upload two pdf documents, one for A and one for B
2. Upload one combined pdf for both A and B

Which one is it 1 or 2?

Option 1.

 

[Rohit Chhabra]

1. No Canadian company is worth wasting time in CS/IT field. Most Canadian startups suck. Plain and simple. These folks do not know what they are doing. Best is to --I hate to admit-- stick of established american companies. Other alternative is british companies. JD is a universal problem.

2. Personally, this is my opinion only, but the part "Nope. I don't understand how guys can be with other guys. To me, that's unacceptable. In Saudi you can be killed for that." is indeed troublesome. It can certainly be at the very least construed as hate speech depending upon the person. I personally will never say something like this. I will just say : "Oh, I do not swing that way" and leave it at that. Just express my choice and no need to judge the intimate choices of others.

3. Canadians are crazy when it comes to real estate. Its a national delusion that Canadian real estate is a AAA rated high yield bond and is devoid of any forces of market and can only go UP. The politicians to their utmost to keep this delusion alive by doing everything in their power from limiting land supply to massive delays in permits. Basically, you have to walk on water to make an affordable home in Canada. One of these days it will catch up to them and I have a sinking suspecion that day is drawing closer than most people realize.

4. You can do what I did. I brought a friend complete with their family with me when I moved. We both gel well. We both help each other. Really, you need ONE and just ONE really good friend. As far as relationships go, for immigrants, its best to get one from the home country itself. IMHO. Cross culture relationships are HARD and best time to waste on it is during undergrads. Sometimes "Easy Mode" is a misnomer. It should be called "Sane Mode".

5. I have positive experiences with UPCCs in BC. That being said, like all things, healthcare in Canada is being "beaurocratized" to the limit. Most of the time you are untangling the red tape than working on healing.

6. Its a labour thing. If I want to fix a toilet in India, I do not need to take an "appointment" and wait for a week for plumber to show up. I just go to the hardware shop and ask the shop keeper for a plumber, he will get me one in minutes. Not like this in Canada. Its acute labor shortage in trades that is fueling this mess. Same with barbers etc. Too few of them.

7. I do not drive till now so cann't comment.

8. I believe "better" in the sense of safety net of EI and labour laws etc. US labour laws are downright exploitive.

9. Canada can give Indian government a run for its money in terms of developing new infra.

10. Constructions... Well, they do not makes houses and Condos in Canada. They make tokens for real estate appreciation in value. Many of new constructions are so bad that its practically impossible to live there. I shit you not, someone tried to make a three bedroom apartment out of 450 sqft floor space in Vancouver. The season part is much better in BC though. We have a real summer and fall here. But that means year round construction.

11. True. Its a labour thing.

So you're saying that the real estate is artificially kept at a higher value by not releasing land for construction, is that it?
If so, what is the construction work that is being done all the time?
regd. #5, i seem to remember reading a post from you about broken healthcare system in Vancouver, so you're saying that is not the case? Apologies if i'm confusing this with someone else's post.
On a lighter note, that 450sqft apartment must be just doors banging against either a wall or another door

 

[cansha]

My background is in Applied Math. My research lies in optimization of machine learning algorithms. However, there is no market for my research in Canada. Google and Meta don't do that type of work in Canada; they do it in the USA.

It's easier to get a research job in Canadian university after PR but why would you? You will make more money serving coffee at Timmies than making groundbreaking research at UToronto or UWaterloo. Idk about LMIA.

Less racism. I was never told in Canada that I cannot present my work because "I am not presentable". I was never told in Canada that the reason why someone was able to become a chapter lead and not me is because he is SG/Norwegian/Swedish, and I am not; didn't matter in the end.

Money-wise, Canada is better than SG. Sure you make more or less the same, but you cannot afford jack in SG. Buying a car? Lol forget about it.

Lifestyle is also more suitable for me, compared to SG. In SG, there is a still an old "boss is right and we cannot go home while he is in the office".

Same with weather. I cannot stand hot and humid weather.

That car thing is by design in SG. They have no space for parking as space is at premium price. To counter that they do have very good public transport infra so most do not need a car (second hand info from friends).

But, I never wanted to move to SG as one of my friends had told me that in certain areas they would not rent apartments to certain nationalities. I do not want to live in that kind of country.