NEED HELP AND ADVISE WITH MOVING TO CANADA

[david1697]

Hello board members,

My spouse applied for Canadian LPR and our entire family was granted LPR status in Canada.

Ever since we landed and returned to US my wife was browsing Canadian job sites, trying to get an interview for a job.
She was applying for jobs directly related to her Skilled Imm. Code, as well as for jobs in other fields.
She even used our Canadian mailing address in resumes, so it wouldnt look at first glance that someone was applying from abroad (and, presumably, needed a sponsorship). Lately, I have added my efforts, also applying for various jobs in Canada.

But, to no avail. We don't even get a call to an interview.

I personaly am doing fine, me and my spouse are both employed full time in US.
We are not doctors, engeneers nor in IT or Oil sector, but we are solidly middle class income wise.
I would not move to Canada right now if it was up to me , but my spouse really wants to and wants our kids go to school/college, mature and live over there.
And I understand why: it's more secure over there for children, it's more peaceful, people are gentler towards each other (which I can't deny, even though I love US very much) and quality of life is perhaps higher in Canada, despite incomes and buying power being lower than here. These are the things that are more important for a mother of growing children than her own personal comfort. And for me, whatever my family wants is what I will stand by and support.

But my question is this: how do we go about finding a job in Canada? Could anyone give any advise, as to how we go about finding a job? After applying for so many jobs with zero responce I am getting a feeling that there are no professional jobs ,or even entry level jobs .And if there are any jobs then they are either not advertised on the net or are filled by personal reference, or are competitive to the point that you may never land an interview or actual job (simply because there are always dozens upon dozens of candidates who are better qualified than you and who apply for each advertised job that you apply for).

So, what shall we do? How can we get a job?

If we don't move there within a certain deadline our permant residency will no longer be valid (we will not be able to meet 730 days in 5 years requirement), and to be fair to all the other LPR's our family will NOT try to get into country past the deadline. As much as the regulaiton is unfair in current economic conditions, where people are unable to find jobs and therefore forced to stay out of Canada, still, these ARE Canadian regulations, and we will not make a home of our new adoptive country by breaking any of the rules it has imposed as a condition of accepting us as one of her own. So, please don't ask or suggest anything in that regard.

But how do you find a professional job in Canada as a newcomer, in current economic conditions?

Please advise!

 

[aashay12]

i dont know where ur from....dont come to canada...
come yourself first...and see.....you will end up in disapointment if u leave everything and come with family.
its not easy....i was there for 2 weeks and came back to US.
Its expensive as hell....and they need to change that....but they wont.
so stay where u are and visit to see and experience it instead of jumping to Canada with whole family.

 

[david1697]

Hello and thank you for your reply.

As I see it, we don't have much of a choice, in terms of coming or not coming.
Our entire family will loose our LPR in Canada if we don't move by a dealine where we can show that we can fulfill 730 days our of 5 years requirement in Canada.

My main concern is to find a job. If things are merely more expensive, but life style is higher, ,my family and myself will accept it.
As long as we have professional jobs and can pay for our necessities. We are not crazy about things being cheap and more affordable.

We have luxurious life style here by Western European (and probably by Canadian as well) standards. We have luxury car, we live in a luxury building with all kind of 5 star hotel amenities, we can afford to buy what is considered a brand name apparel in Europe and we can afford to spend a week in overseas vacations/cruises every year. We are not hungry for material rewards.
These things are nice to have but are not most important things in life.
Our children are more important, their peace, security and happiness are more important than cheap goods and affordability.
Many people may disagree, but that's at least how our family feels.

However, how can we survive in Canada if we can't get a job? And how do we go about finding a job in Canada?
That's most important concern for us now.

 

[steaky]

You don't need to move before the deadline, but need to actually come (for a visit) here to do the landing formality before your PR visa expires. With regards to your question how you can survive in Canada if you can'tget a job, do you have substantial income in Europe to sustain your lifestyle in Canada?


@ aashay12:

Canada prices are not that expensive as hell compare to food prices in China. It's just cheaper in the US.

 

[david1697]

steaky,

We have all landed in Canada and are Canadian LPR's.

 

[Leon]

So you are not even able to get interviews for jobs? Have you looked at various job portals and applied in various cities?

If you want to do this, you should pick a province where it looks like there are plenty of jobs in your field, go there alone, visit companies in person and drop off your CV. If you get lucky, maybe something will come out of it. If you stay for a couple of weeks, can't get any interviews, go back. Then send your wife a couple of months later, maybe to another city.

If you want to jump in feet first, you would have to move somewhere, start with a survival job and continually look for better until you get something decent.

 

[david1697]

Hi Leon,

Yes, that's correct, we don't get any responses at all. It makes me doubt theere are any professional jobs at all for newcomers who don't have vast network of relatives and friends already established in Canada.

The only replies we had were for pyramid scheme ("travel agencies" selling memberships and similar), sales/comission based jobs and those who charge few thousands of dollars upfront fees "guaranteeing" to find a job.

When you say "visit companies in person" you mean take a week off from work , travel to Canada and walk into random companies where I would like to work, introduce myself and leave resumes? Doesn't it sound like a very long shot ?

 

[Leon]

Hi Leon,

Yes, that's correct, we don't get any responses at all. It makes me doubt theere are any professional jobs at all for newcomers who don't have vast network of relatives and friends already established in Canada.

The only replies we had were for pyramid scheme ("travel agencies" selling memberships and similar), sales/comission based jobs and those who charge few thousands of dollars upfront fees "guaranteeing" to find a job.

When you say "visit companies in person" you mean take a week off from work , travel to Canada and walk into random companies where I would like to work, introduce myself and leave resumes? Doesn't it sound like a very long shot ?

So what have you been doing so far when you say your only replies were..

you have only been posting your CV on some websites? You need to contact employers directly. Unless your skills are in high demand, the employers are not looking for you, you need to look for them. Contact job ads, contact companies that are not advertising, send in your CV, tell them that you will be available for interviews on a certain date. If you go there for interviews, visit some more companies in person. It may be a long shot but if you get lucky, you find a job while if you sit at home waiting for somebody to contact you, you may be waiting forever.

 

[david1697]

Thank you Leon.

In all fairness, we are very stubborn , persistent and resilient couple (I am talking about myself and my spouse).
We would ultimately fail in US if we weren't. We both were brought here as teenagers , met each other when she turned 20 and I was in my early twenties, and were pretty much on our own without any support whatsoever (actually had to support her mom and extended family on more than few occasions, with my parents deciding not to stay here permanently and moving back).
So, I kind of take it with a grain of salt when I hear someone not knowing me or my spouse personally advising us not to just sit and expect employers come to our feet We actually lived through many challenges and know better than that. I am confident that most people would succumb and break where we persevered (uniqueness of our situation was in our not having any extended support, while everyone we knew in our age group, and social circle we were born into, had luxury and comfort of parents, siblings, uncles and aunts providing all kind of support, including material, to attend prestigious colleges, pursue careers at high speed and move on while we were struggling just to stay afloat.
But, as I noted above, we didnt fall, we were capable of standing on our feet and raising beautiful children (just got a letter from high school yesterday, congratulating my daughter for making into honor roll during her first year at high school. Very tough , difficult program at a school with less than perfect pool of students. Just makes us so proud, of being parents raising such a great child, given all the challeges we have had to overcome in past).

So, I hope it doesn't come accross as we are type of individuals who received things in silver plate or expect anything in life to come easy.
That's beyond debate.

What makes me concerned is a feeling that jobs are either not advertised over there (and those taht are advertised filled before ads are posted), or else there is such a scarcity of jobs in Canada that it's impossible to get through enormous and disproportionate competition for each posted job.
Which means , economically speaking, things are not good and there are just no jobs for all practical purposes (unless you have vast network of family and friends, which we don't have to begin with. And which puts Canada in par with any third world country with worst economy imaginable, because no matter where you go and how bad things are, you will get a job if you have a "network". I know this well, because country I was born in and come originally from had this heavy preference for personal "networks" and fixing things under the table).

To sum it up: I like Canada for what it is. We have visited there and, as I stated before, my wife wants our kids to go to school and college there, to live and be happy there. We believe there is higher quality of life in Canada if you are professionally employed, even if you get paid less.
So, we wish to move there and look for a job, to make sure we are not going to end up squandering all our savings and getting on welfare rolls.

But it looks like we may have to give up our LPR statuses alltogether, if what I observe is what current job market in Canada is.

What you suggest (going door to door, meeting random people, drop resumes etc) may work if you are single and 18-20 years old , adventurous young kid who has parents house to fall back if things go south. It's a bit of a responsibility to handle when you have a family and kids, and even taking a week long vacation is something you can't do more than once every 6 months in US (or else you get fired). To spend it randomly knocking on doors, in hopes that someone will roll a welcome mat is somewhat idealistic , not realistic, method of looking for a job (if you ask me).

If there are websites we can utilize to look for jobs, please refer those to us, we will be glad to come for an interview if selected by a real, existing company out there. But if networking is all there is, then we better off to return to country of our origin (which we will never do, because we can't stand the culture of corruption and nepotism that favors "ones' own" over a merit. This is not why we moved to Western Hemisphere and chose to bring up our children in Western European culture, as opposed to our native culture of low moral standards.

 

[rhcohen2014]

so first of all, it's important to pick an area in canada you would like to live and focus your job search there, which it doesn't seem has been done yet. while there are websites for job searching, some of them are area specific, and it's hard to just say "i'm moving to canada and am looking for a job". Canada is quite large, so unless you pick a city, i can't see much luck to be had with job searching.

most, if not all cities, in canada have immigrant service organizations that can help guide newcomers with jobsearches in the area. There are even mentor programs that help skilled workers build their network. the organization i have dealt with in Ottawa does this, and the mentorship program is great! i've even had one career counselor print out his entire contact list and say, "here, you tell me who you want me to introduce you to, send an introduction email to me with your resume, and i'll forward it to them." People will notice if you are serious about getting a specific job, and they will certainly help newcomers. also, each province has an employment service organization, so again, figure out which provence you want to focus your efforts on and google it.

Finding a full time job is pretty difficult anywhere you go, even in the US. Quite frankly, there is far LESS competition in Canada than the US, especially considering Canada as a whole has the same population as California does. From what i've learned, it's to be expected to take 6-8 months of job searching, and quite frankly anyone who just blindly sends applications through the black hole of the internet expecting responses is just fooling themselves. geting a job takes hustling and human interaction. if you can't afford to take time off to go explore an area and learn about opportunities, then start cold calling companies or find people on linked in and ask them for their opinion on the market in the area you wan to go to. Start following companies you are interested in, and start introducing yourself. There are many people and companies that don't mind this, so to say it's idealistic and doesn't work just sets you up for failure and to me suggests it hasn't even been tried yet. What's the worst that can happen?

it's not easy at all. it's just what's done to get the ideal job opportunity. just like in the US, opportunities don't just fall into people's laps. it takes a LOT of effort and some time. if it's important enough, and time, energy and focus are spent on finding full time work, then find full time work will eventually be found.

In ontario, some quality jobsearch websites have been:

employment ontario
peter's new jobs (membership is free for 30 days and it's one of the best websites for jobs)
charity village
linked in

 

[david1697]

rhcohen, thank you so much for your reply!

Could you tell me about the local organisation in Ottawa that helped to introduce you to the employers? or any similar organisations in Ontario that could do the same for us? I would very much appreciate it. Feel free to send it to my inbox if you do not want to share it with public.

In regards to first part, I didn't mention it, but we focused much of our attention in Toronto GTA and Ontario province as whole. So, to be exact: we did target employers in Ontario, specifically in Toronto/GTA.
We also stayed and traveled on East Coast after landing in Canada (from Niagara Falls through Montreal, spending most of our time in Toronto), and we liked it. I would say my wife liked it so much, she genuinely wanted to move.
It makes me very sad when she tells me how much effort she put into it and how she would regret if we gave it all up... I am ready to help, but I don;t know what to do. For all the time we spend sending resumes we didn't get any responce other than from what appears to be pyramyd schede jobs ("travel agencies", promising comission for selling membership and reqruiting other memebrs and similar), or outright suspicious requests to pay many thousands of dollars in fees, in exchange for a "guarantee" to find a job for us. Needless to say, we didn't pursue any of those offers.

It was only yesterday , after I posted here, that someone suggested we try Alberta. And I will be applying to their government jobs along with my spouse starting tomorrow, but it's my understanding that cost of living is much higher in Alberta and weather is very cold (especially in Edmonton and Northern parts of the prvence). Still, if we get a offer of employment and it's acceptable to us we will take it.

I am really thankful for ANY information/links and referrals to genuine job banks or organisations that help newcomers to settle.

Finally, having answered to your question about where we looked up for jobs, I also would like to add that GTA area, along with province of Ontario is our prime choice for settlement. Ottawa would be great, if we could find an employment tehre. Since we are from US, I think it would be easier for us and children to adapt in Ontario (East Coast, not too cold, similar to US infrastructure and wide choice/variety of things to do, great colleges/universities and etc.). However, if really good opportunity comes and it happens to be in Alberta or other provence, we will take it.


We are not income obsessed. We consider our financial stability and well-being to be very important for us, however it's not an ultimate deal maker or deal breaker. If we had to choose, we would prefer higher quality of life, peace and security in exchange of lower pay than higher income in combination with too stressful life style. So, in case some places are more to what our preferences are and you are aware of it, please share.

Again, thank you for your contribution to this thread. Much appreciated!

 

[rhcohen2014]

the organization i've been dealing with is Ottawa Community Immigrant Service Organization (OCISO). they have women specific job workshops, so many referrals to other career related organizations in the area, a career mentorship program, and i believe they help with transitioning children in schools. I'm sure toronto has something similiar. Also look up LASI world skills, which has partners in every provence and major city. Ottawa is great, and is very stable because it's a government town. The housing is quite affordable (compared to where i'm from in the US), and it's pretty hard to find something that hasn't had some sort of recent upgrade done (from my experience working in real estate). The only "issue" is there is a lot of emphasis on bilingualism for job requirements. Even still, i'm told to apply anyway becasue even though most jobs say this, noone i know from ottawa actually speaks french. also, when focusing the job search on the west side of ottawa, there is less emphasis on french skills. The good thing is newly landed PRs get access to FREE french lessons!

The fact you are from the US means you are already a step ahead of other newcomers becasue you know north american culture and could probably tranisition very easily. the same can't be said for people from other countries, and this is a big hardship for some. Keep in mind, the more popular cities such as Toronto and Montreal are going to be tougher to get started in. Seriously, Ottawa does not get the credit it's due!

Also, while it may be more ideal to get a job first, it may be necessary to move first and focus the job search when you settle somewhere. it's a lot harder to make connections when you are not available to meet in person, and organizations may not be willing to help until you are there. most are federally or provencially funded, so they can't actually help people who aren't legally landed as PRs or they risk losing their funding. yes, it's a big risk, and requires enough savings to last some time.

While Alberta may have a higher cost of living, the taxes are the lowest in all of canada... 6% to ontario's 13%.

BTW... when you use the term LPR, what does the L stand for? ive never seen this used before and can't figure out what it means.

 

[david1697]

rhcohen, you have provided very helpful information. We will start with Ottawa Community Immigrant Service Organization (OCISO) and move from there. If we had a choice between GTA and Ottawa, we would definitely prefer the latter. Perhaps my wife could have better success with OCISO and I will search everywhere else.

In terms of moving first and looking for jobs next, if I had some confidence that job market was such that it was realistic to find something before we run out of our savings I would do so. Not getting any responses after sending resumes didn't help to build our confidence. In any event, we will try what you and other posters recommended and hope for the best. Glad that I posted here and got so many responses.

In regards to LPR, it stands for Legal Permanent Resident. I was using a US equivalent term for Landed Immigrant in Canada.

 

[rhcohen2014]

i wouldn't make an assumption about the job market based on not getting responses from online job submissions. focusing job search just online does not result in a high rate of success, and it will definitely give you a distorted view of what's available. something to keep in mind.

when looking for other immigrant service organizations, just google the city name and "immigrant services". i'm sure the right organizations will pull up.

 

[david1697]

Immediately after we returned to US (post-landing) we started an extensive search online, and found databases with long list of various settlement organisations. Many were helping newcomers to open a bank account,offering workshops about renting an apartment, helping to create aresume and etc. Since we live in US a lot of those things would be relatively simple for us. I already have a bank account in Canada and was provided unsecured credit card upon arrival, which we kept in good status (never late, zero balance for most part) ever since, and which I believe can't hurt our credit history. Hopefully it would be helful when renting an apartment.

As to resumes, we use the same format we have in US when we apply for jobs in Canada, because I don't think it's much different in Canada from how it is in the US.
But I wasn't sure if any of those organisations provided a real assistance with job referrals (something we would need the most). Some organisations are always better than others. That's why when you referred to OCISO I was excited, because you have a practical experience working with them and you said they were helpful to you.

Thanks for all the help and advise!