UAE | Visa
Canada: It is tough finding a job that matches one's qualifications
The feel-good factor of landing in Canada, perhaps still the best place to migrate to, does not last long. Many professional immigrants find they cannot live just on the beautiful surroundings and need jobs - particularly in their own area of expertise.
- By Hubert Saldanha, Special to Gulf News
- Published: 00:00 June 23, 2006
Toronto: The feel-good factor of landing in Canada, perhaps still the best place to migrate to, does not last long.
Many professional immigrants find they cannot live just on the beautiful surroundings and need jobs - particularly in their own area of expertise.
But many newcomers face a wall of professional intolerance.
The majority of immigrants have made what is perhaps the most momentous decision of their lives.
They have left behind comfortable lifestyles and a certain status in their chosen professions.
The first thing they come across in the job market is the fact that their qualifications and experience amount to zilch here.
One such story is about a Filipina ophthalmologist who cannot continue in her field of work.
She now processes prescriptions in an eyeglass outlet in a mall. "I do it for my children, so that they can have a better life," she says.
She will have to re-qualify to meet the 'Canadian' standards if she wishes to return to her work of choice, and to do this, she will have to devote years of time and money in study - something she cannot afford to do.
There is an electrical engineer who worked diligently to reach a managerial position back home. Today, he drives a forklift.
Protection needed
These are just two examples of the 'lucky ones', according to new immigrants.
To land a job, any job, one has to have the all-important 'Canadian Experience' - a dilemma the government has yet to address.
While professions like medicine and engineering in Canada require local certification because of practice legalities, this option is beyond the capabilities of most new immigrants.
Professionals then have little choice but to take up menial or "survival" jobs. But there is also the upside of immigration.
A few who enter this country manage to make it big, thanks to some forward-looking companies and businesses.
These companies have joined hands with mentorship programmes to take on staff that they train and tailor to their specific operational needs.
But such companies are unfortunately, too few to really make a difference in the lives of the thousands who come every year.
Sadly, however, the government has done little to ensure that the cream of the crop it attracts to these shores is settled smoothly in their new environment.
Hubert Saldanha is a journalist based in Toronto
Latest news
- Sharjah boy tops Indian board's class 12 exams
- Dubai number plates auction raises Dh27m
- Youngsters dance and raise cash for charity
- Dubai departments upgrade services
- Get yourself a free test for diabetes
- Ensuring a safety net for intellectual property
- Reader's issue addressed
- 5,552 illegals held in Dubai this year
- Man cleared because he took drugs in France
- Man charged with trafficking women
- Auditors to probe Mizin graft case
- Breaking down cultural barriers with photographs
- Abu Dhabi Crown Prince visits Islamic centre
- Police's secret source scheme reaps rewards
- Phone Sharjah transfusion centre now toll free
Community Reports
-
Mirror, mirror show me the way
Driver on Salam Street had so many boxes and fruits piled into car, he would not be able to view rear or right side mirrors
-
Parents should be more vigilant
Reader's picture highlights risk of negligence by caretakers
-
Warming up to ‘Mobilise the Earth' theme
Dubai school dedicates a whole week to celebrating Earth Day with can-collection drives, sapling plantation and painting competition among others
-
Drivers using mobiles put others' lives at risk
Speeding is dangerous for the driver and other motorists
