Esughusughu: On the new immigrant struggle; Before moving I already set my mind on doing survival jobs knowing it was going to take quite a while before getting licensed in my profession. What I was not prepared for was the struggle in getting a menial job, and no! I wasn't doing anything wrong. For a full month I was only able to get 2-days job through an agency ( I registered in ALL i could find), finally what seemed like a breakthrough came during the last week of another month. I was sent to this warehouse for a seasonal job, the work was damn excruciating, but I didn't mind. I found out from another temp who was a regular at the company that the job would last for 6 months, I was happy I found something doing. Just 2 weeks after, the agency left a voicemail they got another job for me, lol! I already knew what that meant. I don't know if it's supposed to be painful, but I was hurt momentarily. The downside of everything was the website of my profession was updated a week before I landed of which I wasn't aware of, and the new changes makes it almost impossible for foreign trained graduates to practice. I never considered a post graduate program in my field because it was not going to be helpful. I have other options to explore and by God's grace will succeed.
You see ehn! Hang in there!!! You see as people are congratulating @emmytoluwa, you will be congratulated soon. Do not give up and keep doing your best. We all have different experiences in this journey, from several IELTS attempts or single attempt just to score a high CLB, to LVO delays in months or speedy 2weeks to get the PPR mail.. Or going the EE or PNP route to just get the ITA....you will see that our paths are different, but success is the destination and that is guaranteed. You have come so far and you are nearer than you first started. I am sure you will come here and testify soon. Take care
Delta007: I try to stay away from debates about settling experiences because everyone's experience is (going to) be different; so as usual, i did not bother reading the post you quoted. We are all unique with different abilities and react to circumstances very differently. Canada will not work for everybody...that's a given. Nobody can define how successful you will be in Canada, except you!
I agree with you, everyone will have unique experiences.
And to add, getting the PR visa does not guarantee a job.
Euouae: Culled from Quora I am a new immigrant to Canada under express entry. Is it easy to find a job here, or will it take time?
Personal experience as well as the experience of my friends:
We paid a huge amount of money to be even able to come to Canda, we have Master`s degrees (officially acknowledged in Canada) but in order to get a job in our profession, we need to be a member of an association. But the association asks for more money and is not going to approve us sooner than in about a year. There are a hundred of other things that need to be paid, paid, paid to everyone and for everything if you want to start a new life. It`s been a couple of months and there has been only 1 interview that ended with “our workload is not as high to hire you, sorry”. The rest of them have succesfully ignored us. And we did everything other people have written here - we took many courses on how to write a great resume, cover letter (those were also proofread by a professional), we bought appropriate outfits, were friendly and postive, practiced job interviews, kept practicing english and so on and so on…
But nothing has moved during these couple of months. We are still right where we were. And it seems that Canada just needs us to pay, pay, pay, but is not willing to give us even a chance to start a life. Wherever you turn - you need to either pay a few hundred dollars for another application/accreditation/registration that you have probably already done and paid for a couple of times in other places, or you don`t have Canadian experience, or they are not hiring (even if you offer to volunteer for free, and yes - we have offered to volunteer for free).
We immigrated through a provincial nominee program because apparently “Saskatchewan lacks structural engineers”. And here I am - a professional structural engrineer with 10+ years of experience, a WES accredited Master`s degree, offering to volunteer for free for a couple of months, just so that they let me have that start and gain at least a little Canadian experience, but no one cares. Linkedin, Indeed, Monster and many other job sites are full of vacancies for “Structural engineers”,they ARE in demand and many of those positions stay open for a long time yet they are not considering immigrants nontheless they NEED to fill those positions.
All our friends warned us that Canadians don`t give a damn about you if you are an immigrant and it will be impossible to work in your professional field. I didn`t believe them. I thought they must just be lazy or not know how to prepare themselves and work hard for it. Now I see that they were right. Unfortunately.
And it makes me very sad that there are so many people that do sincerely want to be a good new resident, have a job and be good at it, bringing some value to Canada and its inhabitants. There are professionals who are great at what they do, I consider myself to be great too, I`ve built amazing projects, starting from small family homes, ending with stadiums for tens of thousands of people and airports and other amazing projects, yet here I am in Canada, offering to assist a drafter for free (that`s basically the lowest possible position without any responsibility at all) and they don`t even look at me. So - in your place I would expect the worst and be prepared for it. Have a great amount of savings for everything that you`ll need to pay for (and you`ll need to pay a lot), keep fighting and hoping, but it will be many months until you get at least a step further. So - just be ready for it. All the best to you!
EDIT:
Thinking about this topic and reading other comments, I have come to the main question - why does Canada even have immigration programs to let people in the country if then it`s not even willing to let them start a life here?
A question to canadians - I understand that there are hundreds of thousands of immigrants/refugees who just come to Canada to suck out the social support while not moving a finger themselves, are not willing to integrate, not willing to learn the language and who disrespect the country and its people who have welcomed them. But if there is a person who comes to your office, a qualified, educated, well-presented person who is willing to pay the taxes and integrate and work and be useful to the society and make friends - why don`t you even give them a chance to work? Why are you so unwelcoming? Why is it so hard to be compassionate and understand that the majority of skilled workers who have come to Canada and are really willing to integrate, have left absolutely EVERYTHING that they have had in life in their home country and they are desperate to start a life from a scratch. And if you don`t give us a chance, our lives are ruined. And I`m talking about living, breathing human beings, why wouldn`t you at least give us a chance to start somewhere? We will try and do our best to learn the skills you need, practice your language, learn about your culture and way of living, integrate ourselves into your society, just give us a chance and see for yourselves!
When you have sold your house, sold your car, left your job, left your friends and relatives in your home country and have immigrated to Canada - you arrive with absolutely nothing. You don`t have anywhere to live, you don`t have an income source, you are basically risking to become homeless in a very short time if your savings are not enough to survive the months while you basically beg for a chance to even volunteer for free, yet no one is willing to reach out a hand and let us work.
Me and my friends - we’re all highly educated professionals from the best Universities of Europe, we speak fluent English, we respect Canada and its citizens, we are willing to integrate but from tens of sent job applications, only 1 replied and even that didn’t end with a job offer. It’s been two months of a constant struggle, and all our inquires are being somply ignored. The savings are starting to dry out and we are in panic. Yet no one gives a damn about us. We come humble to your country but it’s obviously not enough…
I just cannot understand… And it’s frustrating and very, very scary…
The problems with this post are, in my opinion: 1. His mindset. 2. He didn't set realistic expectations. 3. He wasn't well informed before leaving his home country.
I am yet to land, but I already have an idea of the challenges I may encounter, I already have the job outlook information regarding my profession and I know how hard it may come...
I feel the first priority of a freshly landed immigrant is to "protect the POF", that is if there is any sef, lol. Get any job you feel relatively comfy with and you can do, as long as it pays the bills. Once that is out of the way, and there is some level of income, you won't feel pressured and you will be able to make clear and good decisions abt your preferred profession... At this stage however, one needs to be careful not to get the " comfort zone syndrome "
Landed on the 12th, came in via local arrivals because I was in America for a couple of weeks before landing. Before I knew it, i saw way out of Calgary airport without seeing Customs or Immigration. Turned back to go to Canada Border Services and the lady was surprised i passed through. I had to explain that I am coming from America and did not enter through International Arrivals. She took my passport/ COPR and came back in 2 mins with it stamped.
Was a bit irritated with the process sha because I did not hear anything like Welcome to Canada etc but then again it was good because I did not have to queue up or wait my turn or answer any questions.
13th & 14th- Got my SIN, Opened bank account, Health card processed....They were all quite straightforward
Weather is manageable if you dress right.
QUEEN OF CALGARY @vcole wasup!
CALGARY PEEPS WASUP? Please what's next? Any upcoming immigration services program in Calgary? Any link up whatsapp group?
Lmao, you came in via local and you're expecting "WELCOME TO CANADA" greetings... Lol
The customs at the locals won't be used to giving such pleasantries
Welcome to Canada, Dear!! There you go
P.s I just sent you a p.m, I am interested in the Calgary grp too
Sounds like You are in Missisauga / Brampton. More like Brampton. That McLaughlin rings a bell. Czaratwork cooks good afang soup. Make I post her number here? Hahahaha. (Runs away).
Wayo people everywhere. Naso i missed one call one day. As an applicant, i dey try return my missed calls. Naso i come return the call, the next thing i heard was welcome to world financial group ....... i dialled the extension she left for me, luckily she was not on seat to pick.
As soon as i dropped the line i went to google world financial group and what i saw was so disappointing. i had placed them higher than IFG. for my mind i was like World financial group should be a more credible company than International financial group. When i saw they were into MLM, I just weak and prayed they never called me back. To think of the fact that she said she saw my resume online and was impressed. i was feeling like i don land world bank kinda job.
Another string of numbers keep caling my line. if i block dem go use another number next to the previous one to call me. naso i dey impromptu interview with one company and that wayo number called me. The interviewer quickly told me to off my phone. when i checked, i saw it was that series calling me. please who knows how to permanently block those numbers make dem no go pour sandsand for my garri.
True caller to the rescue!! Download d app Android or apple It will tell you the actual identity of the caller, you can also report it as spam and block it. You will never receive calls from the line again!
Go and sit down. You have a Canadian passport. You can leave naija anytime you want. Renounce that Canadian passport, buy a 1 way ticket, and return back to naija. If not lets hear.
Nobody get banned without a reason, the system will demand that you give a reason for a ban else it will not go through and i provided a reason when he was banned.
Ok..noted!
But please, you guys should step up o
Its really cumbersome having to refresh your browser every 5mins or bookmarking your last read page to catch up on things here..
Truth is, you guys have added value, but you can do better *thumbs up*
I was not going to respond but I will not let anyone spoil my reputation.
First of all, I think either yourself or Seun Osewa is very unserious. Great Ife people apply better cognitive reasoning to situations. I am shocked!! So let me clarify, and this is what happens when people fail to apply common sense to the most basic things. Did you expect I ask people to send their Driving Letter and copy of license to a public forum, then I help them to forward to FRSC from there?
I cannot count how many people sent me their letters and copy of license and I helped in the little way I can, to ensure my ex-colleague gets the letter out in good time. Or did anyone complain I collected a fee, rather I used my own resources to appreciate the FRSC team. I am not the kind of person that sits behind faceless handle and convulse shit. The people I have interacted with here, know me, my real name and where I work. So Mr. Justwise, you need to get your acts together. Thus, the ban is very good. And it is because of this kind of ill-thoughts actions NL is still at the stage where it is, the forum has failed to develop like the country called Nigeria.
PS, Osewa was not paying me, rather on the flip side, the users here spend their time and data to contribute to forum. People visit here to assist others, because Together Everyone Achieves More. It is a T.E.A.M. effort. This is what other countries have mastered. See how Brampton has bn taken over by Indians. Markam and North York by the Chinese. I am yet to see where Nigerians and Africans are taking over.
Please apply for Next Ban.
Ballerz....your head is there!!!!
Wats really baffling me is that, you weren't even given a reason for the ban.. Just like the Nigerian Police that will arrest you, detain you for days and you still don't know what you did wrong...lol
And this is to them Seun Osewa, its a nice work you and your team are doing... But men!!! You guys are long overdue for an upgrade, at least an android/iPhone app with push notification isn't bad for a forum like this that has over 3m users!!!
If you flood someone's house in the process of fixing a broken pipe, then you should expect lawsuits too. No problem flooding your own house though aslong as you pay your bill. lol
No problem as long as your employer allows it and file your tax accordingly. I am no senior though. We are all immigrants in the pursuit of happiness.
Lemme attempt this for a family of four with two pre-school age kids
Monthly rent.................853 Tenancy Insurance.........28 Groceries......................400 (being ultra conservative here) Internet/cable TV...........105 (I'm getting this free for signing a one year lease with my rental company) Phone bill......................110 (For two phone lines with Fido) Child care cost...............769 (After removing the government subsidy) Bus pass x 2..................190 Electricity bill..................50
These are basic expenditure you will encounter as a newly landed immigrant hence the request for POF. I didnt even add miscellaneous expenses. Now you have it. I hope this doesnt scare you off from completing your journey to Canada
See as the child care cost stands out like hulk!!!�
mclarry: Migration is not for everybody. If there's no interest in it, one should not be on this thread. Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant is the topic(and not a question) of the thread. Please let's get to read more experiences from our landed brothers and sisters out there to the benefit of those planning to land or even the newly landed. This is a life changing thread and not a gamble, families are involved.
On the flip side, I have been preparing myself for the new life studying for relevant professional qualifications, working with a CANPREP mentor to be job ready in canny and processing admissions for studies to acquire a canny qualification, in my opinion, will help me integrate and adapt to their academic standards. My spouse is also preparing so we can be of benefit to each other and make life easier. We have plans to do a survival job as well as volunteer during the waiting period for the dream job. We have an idea about the neighborhood we will be looking for accommodation, an idea about school for the kids, shopping and other social amenities.
We also do online research every other day and sometimes make phones calls to people to get real answers. I read and learn from this thread regularly. I sieve out what is important to us and add to the heap of information already in our kitty. Shouldn't people be doing same in here? My thoughts.
Now with all the above, we feel very confident about the future, what about you?
amokemi: I will advise that you thread softly on this work permit thing. A few people have had their fingers burnt and money down the drain cos of this. If you read this thread from the beginning you will see response to your inquiry. It is almost impossible to get a work permit from Nigeria.
@salford thanks @dupysho lmao @" i comment my reserve" @ehrnie i started the APEGA registration after seeing you and dupysho's comment. I was only asked my PR status, infact, i put my Nigerian address, and went on till the payment section, na there i press pause, because this their non refund policy is scary, hope to change it to a Canadian addy later, will complete registration wn i get COPr...
For now, LVO is testing my patience, the wait is frustrating already....
Calgary: Pros. warmer weather, larger Nigerian community, more multicultural, stampede, close to banff, real international airport, very good transport system (ctrain), no pst, a little lower income tax, easy access to tranacanada highway, calgary zoo.
cons: lots of police and traffic cameras lol, crime rate has risen, schools are becoming overcrowded (the city is fast developing), longer wait times at hospital emergency ward, 70
Regina Pro: less traffic, lot of government jobs, easy access to transcanada highway, less populated, easier to get jobs, cheaper housing, summer is warmer, car u syrance is cheaper (government owned), phone bills and internet are cheaper(government owned)
cons: Winter is colder, nightlife is poor, not many places to shop, property taxes are high, 6% PST, beer is more expensive.lol
Thanks Salford, i guess Regina is cool for a new immigrant wt low budget...
I hear there are some incentives in Regina for new immigrants, child care, housing, and one TEA like that, are there any other ones?
Also do they have negative effects (while on such programs or in the future), i hear conflicting infos in some grps that you can't stand as a sponsor for a visiting relative/friend for obvious reasons, any other "side effects"
I don’t want to derail the thread any further but I really wonder if it’s so hard to write in a polite manner in order not to offend others....
[/b]*YOU CAN GET YOUR POINT ACROSS WITHOUT BEING RUDE, CONDESCENDING OR INSULTING*[b]
If you cannot, then you do not have to comment. I really don’t see anything wrong with moving on if a particular post does not apply to you. You can easily move on to the next post that applies to you. Wakapass tinz....
Please let’s start learning how to relate with one another, a lot of us are about to make the move to an extremely diverse country. If you cannot communicate effectively with your fellow Naijas, how would you be able to relate with the very different cultures in Canada. The Indians, Chinese, Parkistanis, etc.
It’s so funny that the major culprits are the supposed ainit IJGBs.
Okay so back to Canada matter.....
How will they move on when their destiny is tied to it (pun intended).....na play i dey o ....*picks race*
That's so not true. Dupyshoo (as she stated) has completed her APEGA licensure...and she hasn't landed. I am in the assessment queue and I have not landed...so, I'm not sure what your friend means.
@blackbuddie you are just a superstar!!! Can you kindly bold your contributions in posts you respond to, pls. I dont want to miss out any of your detailed responses... pls indulge me
@dupyshoo GREATEST GBA GBA!!! Awon ti Oba University *thumbs up*, so I am asking you and @ehrnie, I got from a friend that you can't register or proceed much wt APEGA registration until you land, is this true or there are ways to go about it? Kindly clarify. Thanks
Lol. I have no beef with the U.K. My family is still there and they're are doing well, thank God. However, My beef is with this thing that looks like folks can't make up their mind to move to Canada from the U.K. Yet they invested time, money and energy to apply for a Canadian PR? Something must've triggered that. Which is wanting "change" and a better quality of life. You can't be in heaven and apply to go live in hell, then come and be doing comparison between heaven and hell. I would think that decision was made before they decided to invest money and time. Also if really this argument about UK v Canada is about deciding where to relocate, this thread is titled Living in Canada...so na for Canadian things and all things Canadian . A thread can be opened for Living in the UK/Life as an immigrant (well we all know that the word immigrant is a derogatory word in UK) so may be change the title for the UK thread . But mad love for the UK though
I am in love with you...thank you
I once said same thing to dupysho earlier on this thread, she didn't take it lightly... I quickly stayed in my lane
There is absolutely no reason why anyone should assume the gender of another person when it's undisclosed. That's the reason why adding your gender to your profile or making it public is an "option" and not the norm. So, yes I should complain. Most especially when it has become a recurring decimal of genders being assumed to be male by default. It has so many undertones to it. Does it mean that only a male has a functioning brain and the ability to make meaningful contributions to a topic and a female does not?
Since this has happened several times not just to me but to other female contributors on this platform it is worthy of mention and I do not think it's something that should keep happening. A contributor can be asked a question or mentioned without any allusions to gender.
No be only madam. Hello Oga, Madam or Oga-madam. No I do not. It's illegal to possess any other drivers license alongside the Alberta DL. So you submit all drivers licenses in your possession to the registry.
I think menial jobs are minimum wage paying jobs. $13.60/hr now in Alberta. Those are like Wal-Mart cashier jobs, kfc/mcdonalds etc etc front desk kinda jobs. I may be wrong but I assume these are what menial jobs here are. I met a lady recently who works part time as a customer service representative at superstore and said she gets full dental coverage and added health benefits from that job because its unionized. It was interesting to me to hear that a "menial job" had a benefits package. Most jobs here are applied for online or by dropping your resume off at the office of the proposed employer or by word of mouth.
Interesting @menial jobs....its funny but these are the things that separate us from developed economies....nice one vcole
Na wa. This assumption that everyone is a "bro can come off as quite distasteful. Being male is not the default human gender oh. I'm female .
Lmao, vcole, (I wanted to jump and pass, but couldn't resist it) I can't believe you are complaining.. You have the option of adding the "f" or "m" to your monika.
Yes I landed with my Nigerian license. It was to expire this October while my husband's had already expired. Both were the frsc biometric licenses. We wrote the knowledge test and passed and then submitted our licenses to obtain the gdl exemption which took 3 weeks after which we took the advanced road test and obtained our class 5 licenses.
Ok i want to get this very clearly... To get your license in Canada, ALL YOU NEED IS YOUR VALID DRIVER'S LICENSE FROM FRSC, BETTER STILL, THE BIOMETRICS ONE THEY DOING NOW?
Only get a permanent family home when you and your wife are working, in your respective line of work and the get your kids. Things would have been a lot easier if I had done it this way rather than the way I adopted.
THE SATISFACTION YOU GET AND THE WAY YOUR SELF CONFIDENCE IS BOOSTED WILL BE WORTH ALL THE EFFORT. ONCE YOU HAVE SETTLED IN YOU W........ We once had a heated discussion abt the bolded part earlier in this thread...i think it's apt
Oga einsteino, it's really up to you to do whatever you wanna do.
Automobile accidents/airplane crashes won't stop you from traveling by road or air, would it? so why would a "failed" relationship stop you from doing whatever... kindly do not derail this thread with your personal issues.
This is majorly what i like about Canada. The over-exposure in America is too much. Exposure is a double-edged sword- it comes with good and bad. Then again I'm thinking of a different kind of exposure. I would rather bring up my kids in Canada than in America. Canny is a mixture of Conservative yet Liberal just enough not to be boring
You know @yokus, i was thinking the same thing.. wat context of exposure are we talking abt, canada has one of the highest ratio of educated people in the word...
The so called exposed cultures have more bad than good...my view from what I have read so far and from everyone's experience here is that Canada is more balanced, it settles in-between the exposures of UK and the culture of USA..
Travel / Re: Living In Canada/Life As A Canadian Immigrant by Oyamade: 9:26pm On Mar 04, 2018 
....*picks race* 
but then again it was good because I did not have to queue up or wait my turn or answer any questions.
lol