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alexross

Hero Member
Jan 11, 2018
410
321
Life is very stressful and tense; tensions just change face in different scenarios. Before getting PPR, I was stressed about getting PPR. Now, I am tense about finding a job and somewhere to stay in Canada. I have a 2.5 years gap in my career as I was stuck in India during the pandemic.
To those who live in Canada or have been there, would employers find the pandemic an acceptable excuse for a career gap? I did teach IELTS during this time to make ends meet, but that can only help with a teaching position. I really wanna be a researcher.

Background: PhD in Environmental Chemistry, from University of Florida, USA - 2018
Post Doc experience: University of Florida and University of California - May 2018 - June 2019.
In June 2019, I had to leave everything and return to India for a few months due to personal reasons. The hiatus, which was supposed to last 6-7 months, became a gap of 2.5 years :/ due to corona.
Just hoping to get a relevant job. A post-doc is fine in the beginning.
Career gaps are not that big of a deal in Canada from what i have seen. Especially since you have a good enough reason for the gap no one will care about it, you will be fine.

I have seen tons of previous h4 spouses from US come to Canada with years of gap due to not being able to work in US on a dependent visa. They don't face difficulties in getting a job as long as they do well in interviews. All the best to you.
 

fdelliott2

Star Member
Oct 13, 2021
81
64
Have you tried the call trick by our very own @GandiBaat? I saw his post on another thread and that nifty trick has helped me so much. I get put on to the agent queue in about 6-8 tries (each call takes me less than 15 seconds using the shortcut highlighted below):

-----
"So you know how it goes? You call the immigration, they say something like "Setlay Are"? Which in french means press 1, I guess? Wait till they start asking about press 1 for UCI and immediately press 2. Then wait till they start saying "Afghanistan Blah Blah.." and immediately press 1. Then (This is the secret sauce) press 2 and then 0.

This ensures you are in line in less than 20 secs. If they say "Busy" just hang up and try again with same sequence. I usually get in 8 tries or about 3 minutes. Then there is a MASSIVE wait. Today I waited for 50 minutes.

So in short :

When you hear "UCI" Press 2
When you hear Afghanistan Press 1 and then 2 and then 0.

If you hear busy, repeat.
"
I had luck today hitting 3 then 0 (after Afghanistan)
 
  • Like
Reactions: wonderbly

hsiddd

Star Member
Dec 9, 2021
66
78
Punjab
Category........
FSW
Visa Office......
NDVO
NOC Code......
4012
App. Filed.......
28-11-2019
AOR Received.
28-11-2019
Career gaps are not that big of a deal in Canada from what i have seen. Especially since you have a good enough reason for the gap no one will care about it, you will be fine.

I have seen tons of previous h4 spouses from US come to Canada with years of gap due to not being able to work in US on a dependent visa. They don't face difficulties in getting a job as long as they do well in interviews. All the best to you.
Thank you so much. This provides some relief :)
 

MJ Mumbai

Star Member
Feb 25, 2020
129
43
Life is very stressful and tense; tensions just change face in different scenarios. Before getting PPR, I was stressed about getting PPR. Now, I am tense about finding a job and somewhere to stay in Canada. I have a 2.5 years gap in my career as I was stuck in India during the pandemic.
To those who live in Canada or have been there, would employers find the pandemic an acceptable excuse for a career gap? I did teach IELTS during this time to make ends meet, but that can only help with a teaching position. I really wanna be a researcher.

Background: PhD in Environmental Chemistry, from University of Florida, USA - 2018
Post Doc experience: University of Florida and University of California - May 2018 - June 2019.
In June 2019, I had to leave everything and return to India for a few months due to personal reasons. The hiatus, which was supposed to last 6-7 months, became a gap of 2.5 years :/ due to corona.
Just hoping to get a relevant job. A post-doc is fine in the beginning.
Hey By the way...you mentioned that you taught IELTS? How do you do that ? Is there a proper license/ permission/ certification required for this ? Was this at an institute or freelance ? Would like to hear about your experience teaching IELTS.
 

hsiddd

Star Member
Dec 9, 2021
66
78
Punjab
Category........
FSW
Visa Office......
NDVO
NOC Code......
4012
App. Filed.......
28-11-2019
AOR Received.
28-11-2019
Hey By the way...you mentioned that you taught IELTS? How do you do that ? Is there a proper license/ permission/ certification required for this ? Was this at an institute or freelance ? Would like to hear about your experience teaching IELTS.
Yep, I did. No certificate/license required if it is freelance. Mine was entirely online one on one or a small group (3-4 people) sessions. If you open an institute, that needs to be registered under state govt. I think
 

dankboi

VIP Member
Apr 19, 2021
3,687
11,099
London, United Kingdom
Category........
FSW
Inflation isn't the main factor driving Canada's sky-high housing costs, experts say
A federal government committee is examining inflation and housing prices in tandem

As Canadian housing prices continue their dizzying climb to record highs, the federal Conservatives are defining the problem as a "housing inflation crisis."

That description dovetails neatly with the ongoing debate about Canada's inflation rate, now at a 30-year high of 4.8 per cent. But some experts warn that pairing housing costs with inflation could obscure the actual causes of surging home prices.

"These issues have predated our conversations about inflation, or even concerns about inflation," said Murtaza Haider, a professor in real estate management at Ryerson University.

"To assume as such, we would make the mistake of thinking that if we solve the inflation problem, we will solve the housing problem and that would be a big mistake."

The House of Commons is examining the effects of inflation on the Canadian economy through a special parliamentary committee that launched in January. The first meeting of that committee saw a thorough discussion of housing prices, but some who took part say the committee risks conflating two issues which are distinct in some ways.

"I don't think we can call this just an inflation problem," said Sahar Raza, a manager at the National Right to Housing Network.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inflation-trudeau-poilevre-pandemic-supply-chains-1.6261611
Raza and Haider both appeared in January as expert witnesses before the parliamentary committee on inflation.

Following his appearance, Haider said discussions about housing prices have "some but not much relevance to the ongoing discourse on inflation."

Conservatives blame government spending
Conservatives, meanwhile, point out that housing prices in Canada surged by 33 per cent from March 2020 to November 2021 — something the party blames on what it calls the federal government's reckless spending during the pandemic.

The price of the average Canadian home hit $713,500 in December 2021, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA).

Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre has repeatedly called on the Liberal government to take responsibility for a housing inflation crisis. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
"The inflation in house prices followed the government printing about $400 billion of new cash, dumping it into the financial system, much of which was lent out in mortgages," Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre told CBC News.

"More dollars chasing fewer goods means inflation, and in this case, housing inflation."

Poilievre said that what he calls Canada's housing bubble is set to burst if no change is made to government policy.

In an email to CBC News, a spokesperson for Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland did not describe rising housing costs as the result of inflation. Freeland herself has consistently avoided Poilievre's attempts in the House of Commons to make her use that term.

"Housing affordability remains a priority for the federal government and, as we have said previously, we will take further action in the upcoming budget," wrote Adrienne Vaupshas, adding that the Bank of Canada is focused on "price stability and inflation."

Prices have been rising steadily for decades
But many housing experts point out that Canadian housing prices have been rising steadily for more than 20 years now, far predating the recent spike in inflation.

CREA sales figures show a 318 per cent rise in home prices since 2000, suggesting today's high housing prices have been decades in the making.

Experts say those soaring prices have multiple causes.

Haider points to a slowdown in new housing construction as the primary cause. He said that trend began in the 1970s and left Canada with far fewer homes per resident than the G7 average.

Raza said the "financialization" of the housing market is a bigger factor than inflation. She said changes to taxation rules for investors and developers would do more to lower prices than broadly trying to reduce inflation.

"These are major gaps that don't even come into the picture when we're just talking about inflation as this overarching concern," Raza said. "The housing sector is experiencing something very specific."

Others say that Canada should change the way it calculates its inflation rate to better include housing prices — which have risen more than six times faster than the general inflation rate since 2000.

A clearer picture of inflation
Such a change could give the government a better sense of the increase in living costs facing Canadians, according to a new report by the non-profit research and advocacy group Generation Squeeze.

A report by the group released last month called on Statistics Canada to review how it factors housing prices into its inflation numbers. Inflation is currently calculated using the consumer price index, which does include rent and mortgage costs.

"It's alarming that the relentless escalation of home prices has had seemingly little impact on reported levels of inflation, because rising prices have increased un-affordability for anyone who didn't already own a home, while creating wealth windfalls for those who already did," Generation Squeeze said.

The report said a change to that calculation would give policy makers a more accurate sense of housing prices, making it easier to craft policy to improve affordability.

"Increasing housing supply, revamping tax policies and protecting renters are all important — and so is ensuring that accurate information about inflation drives our monetary policy," Generation Squeeze said.
 

ElvisRamaj

Hero Member
Apr 26, 2021
824
1,861
33
Tirana, AL
Category........
FSW
NOC Code......
0114
Inflation isn't the main factor driving Canada's sky-high housing costs, experts say
A federal government committee is examining inflation and housing prices in tandem

As Canadian housing prices continue their dizzying climb to record highs, the federal Conservatives are defining the problem as a "housing inflation crisis."

That description dovetails neatly with the ongoing debate about Canada's inflation rate, now at a 30-year high of 4.8 per cent. But some experts warn that pairing housing costs with inflation could obscure the actual causes of surging home prices.

"These issues have predated our conversations about inflation, or even concerns about inflation," said Murtaza Haider, a professor in real estate management at Ryerson University.

"To assume as such, we would make the mistake of thinking that if we solve the inflation problem, we will solve the housing problem and that would be a big mistake."

The House of Commons is examining the effects of inflation on the Canadian economy through a special parliamentary committee that launched in January. The first meeting of that committee saw a thorough discussion of housing prices, but some who took part say the committee risks conflating two issues which are distinct in some ways.

"I don't think we can call this just an inflation problem," said Sahar Raza, a manager at the National Right to Housing Network.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inflation-trudeau-poilevre-pandemic-supply-chains-1.6261611
Raza and Haider both appeared in January as expert witnesses before the parliamentary committee on inflation.

Following his appearance, Haider said discussions about housing prices have "some but not much relevance to the ongoing discourse on inflation."

Conservatives blame government spending
Conservatives, meanwhile, point out that housing prices in Canada surged by 33 per cent from March 2020 to November 2021 — something the party blames on what it calls the federal government's reckless spending during the pandemic.

The price of the average Canadian home hit $713,500 in December 2021, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA).

Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre has repeatedly called on the Liberal government to take responsibility for a housing inflation crisis. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
"The inflation in house prices followed the government printing about $400 billion of new cash, dumping it into the financial system, much of which was lent out in mortgages," Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre told CBC News.

"More dollars chasing fewer goods means inflation, and in this case, housing inflation."

Poilievre said that what he calls Canada's housing bubble is set to burst if no change is made to government policy.

In an email to CBC News, a spokesperson for Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland did not describe rising housing costs as the result of inflation. Freeland herself has consistently avoided Poilievre's attempts in the House of Commons to make her use that term.

"Housing affordability remains a priority for the federal government and, as we have said previously, we will take further action in the upcoming budget," wrote Adrienne Vaupshas, adding that the Bank of Canada is focused on "price stability and inflation."

Prices have been rising steadily for decades
But many housing experts point out that Canadian housing prices have been rising steadily for more than 20 years now, far predating the recent spike in inflation.

CREA sales figures show a 318 per cent rise in home prices since 2000, suggesting today's high housing prices have been decades in the making.

Experts say those soaring prices have multiple causes.

Haider points to a slowdown in new housing construction as the primary cause. He said that trend began in the 1970s and left Canada with far fewer homes per resident than the G7 average.

Raza said the "financialization" of the housing market is a bigger factor than inflation. She said changes to taxation rules for investors and developers would do more to lower prices than broadly trying to reduce inflation.

"These are major gaps that don't even come into the picture when we're just talking about inflation as this overarching concern," Raza said. "The housing sector is experiencing something very specific."

Others say that Canada should change the way it calculates its inflation rate to better include housing prices — which have risen more than six times faster than the general inflation rate since 2000.

A clearer picture of inflation
Such a change could give the government a better sense of the increase in living costs facing Canadians, according to a new report by the non-profit research and advocacy group Generation Squeeze.

A report by the group released last month called on Statistics Canada to review how it factors housing prices into its inflation numbers. Inflation is currently calculated using the consumer price index, which does include rent and mortgage costs.

"It's alarming that the relentless escalation of home prices has had seemingly little impact on reported levels of inflation, because rising prices have increased un-affordability for anyone who didn't already own a home, while creating wealth windfalls for those who already did," Generation Squeeze said.

The report said a change to that calculation would give policy makers a more accurate sense of housing prices, making it easier to craft policy to improve affordability.

"Increasing housing supply, revamping tax policies and protecting renters are all important — and so is ensuring that accurate information about inflation drives our monetary policy," Generation Squeeze said.
Once single TAX will bring those prices down like an avalanche.

Freaking investors have no business in buying residential properties. If a regular family pays 1% of the homes value in taxes, a business should pay at least 5% since its primary goal is not to habitate it but to profit from it.

We will see how the market will self-regulate pretty damn fast.
 

ElvisRamaj

Hero Member
Apr 26, 2021
824
1,861
33
Tirana, AL
Category........
FSW
NOC Code......
0114
Go for pnp options if you could. Lower your crs to 460+ for OINP. I don’t think it is a good idea for preITA outlanders to wait for all program draw resume.
You are right, provincial nominations are the only sure way to hope for ITA at this time.

I thought OINP would conduct a Tech draw yesterday, perhaps next week then.