Is Canada Worth It?

[David_TVO]

We (TVOntario) want to know what life in Canada is like for new immigrants. What's it like to come to Canada? What are the biggest challenges? Is it passing through the scrutiny required to immigrate? Is it getting used to a new culture? And, once you've gone through it, is it worth the effort?

We interviewed a group of highly skilled immigrants and asked thier opinions. Now, with immigration policy under review, we want to hear from you. You can see the videos on our website, and you can leave your opinions in the comment section on our blog. We want to know what you have to say about
Canada.

You must past this link into your browser:
bit.ly/yourcomments

 

[Baloo]

Please note that you must have a FREE TVO account in order to comment on posts.

 

[schwarzeradler]

We (TVOntario) want to know what life in Canada is like for new immigrants. What's it like to come to Canada? What are the biggest challenges? Is it passing through the scrutiny required to immigrate? Is it getting used to a new culture? And, once you've gone through it, is it worth the effort?

We interviewed a group of highly skilled immigrants and asked thier opinions. Now, with immigration policy under review, we want to hear from you. You can see the videos on our website, and you can leave your opinions in the comment section on our blog. We want to know what you have to say about
Canada.

You must past this link into your browser:
bit.ly/yourcomments

Sorry, but most of us on this forum are still waiting (for years now) to immigrate. Until we have landed and lived in Canada (Ontario), I do not think that we would be able to answer or leave a honest opinion or comment.

Thanks

 

[David_TVO]

Re: "Sorry, but most of us on this forum are still waiting (for years now) to immigrate. Until we have landed and lived in Canada (Ontario), I do not think that we would be able to answer or leave a honest opinion or comment. "

We would still want to hear from you. How long is the wait time? How can it be improved (Office locations/processing etc.)? Do people think Canada is racially profiling? Why do you want to come to Canada?

 

[Baloo]

We would still want to hear from you. How long is the wait time? How can it be improved (Office locations/processing etc.)? Do people think Canada is racially profiling? Why do you want to come to Canada?

David,
It is somewhat disingenuous to try and inflame the situation with a question like "Do people think Canada is racially profiling?".
I have watched the immigration reports from The Agenda, they are usually informative - you really don't need to provoke people to get a reaction.

 

[David_TVO]

David,
It is somewhat disingenuous to try and inflame the situation with a question like "Do people think Canada is racially profiling?".
I have watched the immigration reports from The Agenda, they are usually informative - you really don't need to provoke people to get a reaction.

I understand your concern. However, the intention is not to provoke, but to solicit opinions from those applying for permanent resident status in Canada. There are certain countries with higher than usual backlogs (Iran, for example), and we need to understand why. There is also growing concern over family sponsorship, and the fact it is becoming increasingly harder for older parents to be sponsored. Is that age profiling?

Thanks for your comment, and if you think there is a better way to word the question, please post it here. Also, thanks for watching The Agenda, we will be running programs on Immigration for the next three nights. (Jan. 31 - Feb 2nd 2011)

 

[Baloo]

Can I ask, how many of these questions have been directed at the government, specifically the immigration minister? Did you get any meaningful answers?
You obviously have a feeling of what immigrants have to deal with, sadly the personal experience of many immigrants is worse than many Canadians realize.

As an applicant in the family class, one of the big issues for me is not just that immigration marriage fraud still persists. It troubles me that it is nearly impossible to deport those who commit immigration fraud, therefore there is very little consequence to the fraudulent activity. This directly impacts those who apply in the spousal/common law streams.

It is my experience, after many years of visiting Canada for personal and business purposes, that many Canadians seem to be getting tired of welcoming new immigrants.
In general, cradle Canadians are not aware of the immigration process, as an example:
At present I am in Canada with my Canadian wife, many acquaintances have expressed amazement that I am not allowed to work. This amazement soon turns to an ill formed opinion that I am a freeloader being "kept" by my wife. My wife and I have given up trying to explain the situation to anyone, except for other immigrants. It is far easier to tell people that I am a technical consultant (Which is my role when I am outside of Canada).

Is it either feasible or sensible to have an totally open door policy on Canadian immigration policy? Most people would doubt that, and that doubt seems to mandate that the system has to practice age and or other types of profiling.

Canada does need skilled and productive immigrants, however there appears to be a disconnect between the NOC list and what Canadian companies really want. In many ways nepotism is the order of the day in Canada. Who can really justify the "no Canadian experience" excuse, in many cases the immigrant is far more suited to the role because of the wide range of experience gathered outside of Canada.

I hear that it is safer to have a heart attack in a Toronto cab than at home, because there is a high probability that your cab driver is a skilled medical professional. ** If the cab driver/ medical practitioner was helping save your life would you care if he had Canadian experience?

The really bad thing about immigration in Canada is the huge waste of skills, time and money. The cynical amongst us will venture the thought that the money that immigrants spend helps the Government. The problem comes when those immigrants either fail to gain employment and or leave the country - word goes out and Canada will eventually suffer. There have been plenty of posts on this forum comparing Canada with Australia, new Zealand and other countries. When Canada is eventually desperate for immigrants, the country will have a hard time attracting them.



Are full length programs of The Agenda available online?
When will there be another open discussion program? Please get the immigration minister and other interested parties together with immigrants.
Maybe TVO should run a roadshow to canvass immigrant opinion.

** urban myth.

 

[David_TVO]

Are full length programs of The Agenda available online?
When will there be another open discussion program? Please get the immigration minister and other interested parties together with immigrants.
Maybe TVO should run a roadshow to canvass immigrant opinion.
** urban myth.

All Agenda episodes are availabe online at tvo.org/theagenda or available on youtube.com/user/AgendaStevePaikin.

I also like to say you raised some great points in your last post. Do I have your permission to post your comments into our Agenda Blog, so all that all our producers have a chance to respond. I've also passed along your suggestion for a open discussion with the Immigration Minister to our Executive Producer. Let me know about using your comments.


Thanks

 

[Baloo]

Please provide me the direct link to the blog and I will post them.

 

[Mundo]

Good to hear that the immigration policy is under review. I would like to contribute my experience since I'm a landed immigrant and have been in Canada for 3 years now. Who knows our suggestions will be considered. It will help the new ones planning to migrate.

First, I'll tell you, Canada doesn't recognized the degree, profession and years of experience that the landed immigrant has earned in his country of origin. I have come to realize what Canada meant when it says it welcomes skilled workers- are actually those in the category of labourer, janitors, warehouse men, cabbies, security guards and the llike. Immigrants with regulated professions like engineers, foresters, pharmacists, etc. are not needed here because Canada has its own already. I suggest Canada should make it clear that they only need people to fill in the manufacturing or construction industry.

If Canada would like to recognize the skilled professions of immigrants that are considered regulated, I suggest that these immigrants should be given the chance to challenge the licensure exams instead of telling them that their education had to be assessed again, that they have to go to school again, that they have to undergo apprenticeship, my God! this is time consuming and an immigrant who is new had to make a living to feed his family, pay high rent, etc. He can't afford to go to school again. If the Canada Visa office had already scrutinized all the documents submitted and recognized the education, profession and experience of that individual, why is it that when that immigrant arrives in Canada, all these credentials are not recognized whenever he starts applying for a job? I hope the Canadian government can give a chance for these professionals to challenge the exams. If they pass, it means that they are at par with the Canadian professionals. Give at least a maximum of 3 times for them to take the exams and if they still fail, then that's the time they'll be asked to go back to school.

In fact, I tell you the truth, I'm planning to go back to my home country. Most of the immigrants in the skilled category feel they have lost their dignity. I am even telling these to those who are planning to immigrate that if they are not hard up and they can still eat 3 times a day in their country of origin, don't go to Canada. Jokingly, I add, be prepared to forget who you are for you're nothing when you arrived in Canada- eat your pride and start flexing your muscles- you don't need your brains and Canada don't either.

PS. I also see this "immigration" thing as a way to provide for the pension of those who are going to retire as well as those in welfare. Skilled immigrants who come here are hardworking and honestly pay their taxes. By working and continuing paying taxes, retirees are assured they have pensions. Immigrants also bring lots of money before they can land in Canada. A family of 3 are required to bring at least Cad$12,000. Just imagine if there are around 100,000 a year coming- that's a lot of money for Canada! Immigrants just have to struggle and government support is little.

 

[Baloo]

Mundo,
Can I ask, would it be beneficial to test applicants in certain professions before they attempt to immigrate to Canada?
Or would it be more useful to assess and approve applicant qualifications in the early part of the application process?


And finally, how much additional time on the application process would be acceptable to perform these tasks?

 

[kchakus]

I would like to add to Baloo's comments.

I had applied in 2005 in the excitement that I would land in Canada by 2010 and latest by 2011 and start a new lease of life. But alas! what a change. If there is one man that can affect the fortune of thousands it's the immigration minister. He blindly introduced the fast track system to expedite the immigration process, an excellent move by any means, but at what cost. At the cost of people who have been waiting for years to take a risk of their life to start a new life. Now these so called backloggers are made to wait more and more.
Really start to get under my skin. Is it really worth going to Canada after all these years?
If Canada really wanted skilled labours, it should be have systematically gone through applications and selected a combination of experience with youth to meet its demand for laborers and people who could make a difference to the economy. But that was not be. The old timers were bluntly just shunted out. This is not the way to treat people who really want to help a country by taking huge risk of immigration with whatever savings they had.
It's a shame to say the least.

 

[kathe]

Thanks to the post initiator and the contributors who candidly pictured their own experience. As a wannabe immigrant, all factual sayings are invaluable when mull over pros and cons. We shall dream the achievement to some extent as well as have to learn/ know the potential predicaments to set an efficient strategy (ies) for unseen future. Actually tomorrow is ever uncertain especially in this fast pace world. But..... What if we let equip ourselves with protective measures not to lose a battle, worth it?

 

[schwarzeradler]

First of all, being one of the millions of applicants still waiting for the past 3.5years to hear anything about my case from the authorities concerned for processing my file, London in this case, I am glad to see people who have first hand experience and information , people who have already landed and live in Canada, coming out and speaking of their personal experiences.
I would also like to thank the thread initiator and TVO too, for their concerns.
This will enable many of us to rethink, weigh both the pros and cons again, whether or not to continue pursuing the process.
It is really not enough to say my family or part of my family members live in Canada, and as such leave back every other thing, including but not limited to a built career, friends, etc etc and wander into an unknown territory, hoping for the best.
I plead to many more landed immigrants who visit this forum to please come out and drop a few lines, as this will help people like me and many more who think and assume that the grass at the other side is greener.

Thank you.

 

[odin2404]

Good to hear that the immigration policy is under review. I would like to contribute my experience since I'm a landed immigrant and have been in Canada for 3 years now. Who knows our suggestions will be considered. It will help the new ones planning to migrate.

First, I'll tell you, Canada doesn't recognized the degree, profession and years of experience that the landed immigrant has earned in his country of origin. I have come to realize what Canada meant when it says it welcomes skilled workers- are actually those in the category of labourer, janitors, warehouse men, cabbies, security guards and the llike. Immigrants with regulated professions like engineers, foresters, pharmacists, etc. are not needed here because Canada has its own already. I suggest Canada should make it clear that they only need people to fill in the manufacturing or construction industry.

If Canada would like to recognize the skilled professions of immigrants that are considered regulated, I suggest that these immigrants should be given the chance to challenge the licensure exams instead of telling them that their education had to be assessed again, that they have to go to school again, that they have to undergo apprenticeship, my God! this is time consuming and an immigrant who is new had to make a living to feed his family, pay high rent, etc. He can't afford to go to school again. If the Canada Visa office had already scrutinized all the documents submitted and recognized the education, profession and experience of that individual, why is it that when that immigrant arrives in Canada, all these credentials are not recognized whenever he starts applying for a job? I hope the Canadian government can give a chance for these professionals to challenge the exams. If they pass, it means that they are at par with the Canadian professionals. Give at least a maximum of 3 times for them to take the exams and if they still fail, then that's the time they'll be asked to go back to school.

In fact, I tell you the truth, I'm planning to go back to my home country. Most of the immigrants in the skilled category feel they have lost their dignity. I am even telling these to those who are planning to immigrate that if they are not hard up and they can still eat 3 times a day in their country of origin, don't go to Canada. Jokingly, I add, be prepared to forget who you are for you're nothing when you arrived in Canada- eat your pride and start flexing your muscles- you don't need your brains and Canada don't either.

PS. I also see this "immigration" thing as a way to provide for the pension of those who are going to retire as well as those in welfare. Skilled immigrants who come here are hardworking and honestly pay their taxes. By working and continuing paying taxes, retirees are assured they have pensions. Immigrants also bring lots of money before they can land in Canada. A family of 3 are required to bring at least Cad$12,000. Just imagine if there are around 100,000 a year coming- that's a lot of money for Canada! Immigrants just have to struggle and government support is little.

Accepted ... Life's hard! But hey, we, ourselves, are all reponsible for what life doles out to us.

Canada accepted you in ... what you do with it is up to you. There is another post in this forum about somebody (from India), who found a job in his field within 2 days. So, there's success stories and stories of struggle - and these are everywhere.

I do not believe tearing down a system will ease your struggles. A little more effort and a bit of luck sure can!

Best of Luck buddy, 2011 will see you happy