Very Very Tough life ahead in Canada

[mrbeachman]

Why not?

A gambler, for example, can still feed himself/herself and continue the same or similar lifestyle from winnings in the casino or racecourse in both the new and former country. Job offer is not necessary in order to walk into the same lifestyle one left at home.

Correct.

So, why would a gambler move to Canada and simply not move to a place with lower cost of living, nicer weather and friendlier people?

I do all my work on the internet. Canada never gave me a job. I was miserable there. I got a long term chronic illness because of bad food.

I had enough, packed my bags and moved to Asia. I still make the same money (actually, less because Canada never had any real economy besides hope that oil will stay high forever, so dollar is tanking). Still, a portion of organic chicken breast costs $20 in Canada.... it costs me less than $2 here.

Anyone who's moving to Canada to get a downgrade in lifestyle needs to get their head examined.

 

[number411]

Why not?

A gambler, for example, can still feed himself/herself and continue the same or similar lifestyle from winnings in the casino or racecourse in both the new and former country. Job offer is not necessary in order to walk into the same lifestyle one left at home.

I'm sorry but a gambler is totally irrelevant example for EE skilled-worker immigrants. Maybe he is self-employed and that is a different category. We are not talking about self-employed immigrants here, we are only talking about FSW immigrants and this group depends on a job for survival.

Also, what percentage of immigrants are professional gamblers (0%)?

I agree with Leon below. What we can do outside of Canada is to work on the bold highlighted statement and build those skills which might help get a job faster.

When you immigrate to a new country without a job offer, without friends or extended family, you can't really expect to walk into the same lifestyle you left at home. If you have no connections that can help you get a job etc., you will have to do it yourself and you will have to be prepared to start at the bottom and work your way up. Very few people have the right skills to walk into a good job right away. And if you don't have a friend in the world, it will take some time to make enough friends to fill your schedule.

 

[number411]

Correct.

So, why would a gambler move to Canada and simply not move to a place with lower cost of living, nicer weather and friendlier people?

I do all my work on the internet. Canada never gave me a job. I was miserable there. I got a long term chronic illness because of bad food.

I had enough, packed my bags and moved to Asia. I still make the same money (actually, less because Canada never had any real economy besides hope that oil will stay high forever, so dollar is tanking). Still, a portion of organic chicken breast costs $20 in Canada.... it costs me less than $2 here.

Anyone who's moving to Canada to get a downgrade in lifestyle needs to get their head examined.

I'm glad that you moved to a place where you are happier. Of course, Canada is not for everybody. But blaming the country for personal problems isn't useful. I got sick and I had no job, so I blame XYZ.. I have heard this argument so many times from so many people before. In most of the objective rankings on education, healthcare, HDI, Transparency index, Canada fares better than nearly all the Asian countries except Singapore, South Korea or Japan. And the cost of living in these Asian nations are not low, either.

On chicken breast, Walmart.ca lists one for $10/850 gm and Indian bigbasket.com lists one for $7.2/850gm. I don't see a big price disparity here and I couldn't find any organic item to compare. But in general, yes, it is known that cost of living is higher in CA because of the low canadian dollar, imports and vast distances to transport stuff.

http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/maple-leaf-boneless-skinless-chicken-breasts-fillet-removed/6000191279307
http://www.bigbasket.com/pd/40007801/real-good-chicken-breast-boneless-300-gm-pouch/

 

[ttrajan]

House rent is costly in Canada. I paid $1500 for 2 BHK flat in Edmonton and now paying $200 for the same size flat in chennai. Also car insurance is costly in Canada. Food items are okay.

 

[mrbeachman]

I'm glad that you moved to a place where you are happier. Of course, Canada is not for everybody. But blaming the country for personal problems isn't useful. I got sick and I had no job, so I blame XYZ.. I have heard this argument so many times from so many people before. In most of the objective rankings on education, healthcare, HDI, Transparency index, Canada fares better than nearly all the Asian countries except Singapore, South Korea or Japan. And the cost of living in these Asian nations are not low, either.

On chicken breast, Walmart.ca lists one for $10/850 gm and Indian bigbasket.com lists one for $7.2/850gm. I don't see a big price disparity here and I couldn't find any organic item to compare. But in general, yes, it is known that cost of living is higher in CA because of the low canadian dollar, imports and vast distances to transport stuff.

http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/maple-leaf-boneless-skinless-chicken-breasts-fillet-removed/6000191279307
http://www.bigbasket.com/pd/40007801/real-good-chicken-breast-boneless-300-gm-pouch/

Incorrect on just about every account.

I spent 20 years in Canada and am certainly not blaming Canada for my personal problems. Many Canadians like to make this assumption if one simply expresses the facts about no jobs, unhealthy lifestyle and record antidepressant prescriptions in the country.

I think sometimes you need to look beyond statistics because life is not based on numbers. Canada may be great in many things, but ultimately it is the life and happiness that counts. Besides, being behind countries like Singapore and South Korea who were literally third world countries just 20 years ago shows how much in decline Canada really is. So, thank you for those stats as I wasn't even aware of them. Statistics are mostly lies anyway. If Canada was so great then why are there so many suicides nowadays in Alberta because people are losing jobs? Who the heck commits a suicide just because they can't keep up with the Joneses anymore? If people had friends, family they wouldn't be so tied to material things. They could just go out for a beer and think about options later. But they can't. Because Canadians have no friends.

Also, who ever said I had no job? I did quite ok for the 20 years I spent there being self employed. I almost have my condo paid off in Toronto and have pretty decent savings. So, at 42 I am ok. I didn't burn any bridges with Canada.

 

[Leon]

Friendships in some cases work differently in Canada than in some other countries but it is not true that Canadians don't have friends.

 

[mrbeachman]

Friendships in some cases work differently in Canada than in some other countries but it is not true that Canadians don't have friends.

Let me try and phrase it differently.

Yes, of course there are friendships in Canada. When I was at the university I had plenty of friends.

However, it all becomes rather dull and depressing once people start to work or even worse have a "career".

Contacts are rarely made and the entire focus of one's life becomes this "career" that really isn't a career at all just the obsession to get a mortgage and toys.

Another thing that bugs the hell out of me is people around you. If you are an immigrant, try to remember people that lived in your appartment building back home. People drop by, your neighbors are your friends. It just doesn't work like that in Canada. As a matter of fact, you want to be friendly to someone, you are automatically labeled a creep and a weirdo.

So, no thanks. Like I said 10 million dollars would not get me back to that country. Where is the joy?

 

[number411]

So, no thanks. Like I said 10 million dollars would not get me back to that country. Where is the joy?

Sorry to know that you didn't find your joy in Canada and hope you are finding it in whatever country you're in right now. In a lighter vein, you're not the first one to complain about the career ratrace and to go searching for happiness in Asia. Asia has showed millions of people that happiness is not to be searched outside in friends/country/culture but to be found within oneself.

 

[Ottawa-applicant]

People drop by, your neighbors are your friends. It just doesn't work like that in Canada. As a matter of fact, you want to be friendly to someone, you are automatically labeled a creep and a weirdo.
[/quote]

This I'm incline to agree with you on this, I don't even know neighbors in my building floor. Even tho I tried to get to know some of them, but even my next door tenant doesn't like to talk to anyone. People in general here like to be left alone, which I don't blame them nowadays anything you say or do could be considered something else lol.

 

[mrbeachman]

Asia has showed millions of people that happiness is not to be searched outside in friends/country/culture but to be found within oneself.

Yes.... unfortunately I wasn't raised to be a monk. And even monks have hard time sticking to this philosophy.

 

[nope]

As a former college student, and now an immigrant to Canada, the part about friends is spot on (it's an American trait too). You get to know people in college, and then for the rest of your life you gradually, or suddenly, stop meeting people who are friends and then stop doing anything with anyone except your family. My parents were like that as I grew up, and I'm like that now. When you immigrate as a professional, you're past the stage where you make friends here.

I've lived in Asia and elsewhere, and people from there must find this place completely blah.

 

[Leon]

I've found that when you live in an apartment or a condo, most people do not like their neighbours being that close to them and would rather forget that they exist. It changes if you move to a duplex or a house. Sure you might not be compatible with your neighbours but I've had neighbours who were friends and I know other people who have too. You may also be able to make friends with coworkers sometimes or the best one if you have a hobby or join a club, you meet people through that. However, friendships don't always run deep in Canada and I've found the same in the US. People tend to move a lot and once they are gone, don't be surprised if you lose touch.

 

[rahul20978]

House rent is costly in Canada. I paid $1500 for 2 BHK flat in Edmonton and now paying $200 for the same size flat in chennai. Also car insurance is costly in Canada. Food items are okay.

And are you earning 2.5 to 3 lakhs a month in Chennai, which would translate to about 5000 - 6000 CAD?
Is housing in Chennai that cheap, (10000 for a 2 BHK)? In Bangalore, I'd be paying at least twice that for a 2 BHK in a decent locality.

 

[ttrajan]

Yes I am Engineering Manager and earning Rs.3 Lakhs pm in Chennai. We are around 10 engineers migrated to Canada in 2012 and came back to India last year due to layoff in Alberta because of oil crisis and no job available in the market now. We don,t want to work in super stores. 2BHK rent varies from $200 to $300 depending upon area in Chennai.

 

[Karachi007]

Yes I am Engineering Manager and earning Rs.3 Lakhs pm in Chennai. We are around 10 engineers migrated to Canada in 2012 and came back to India last year due to layoff in Alberta because of oil crisis and no job available in the market now. We don,t want to work in super stores. 2BHK rent varies from $200 to $300 depending upon area in Chennai.

What is the Job market of Civil Engineer ? Can you please share your experience.