March 29, 2006 Leaving Canada, the best thing a Canadian can do.
Here are some of the reasons that I am a firm believer for the past 10 years or so that for a Canadian, the best thing to do for your life, career and future is simply -> to leave Canada.
Realities of Canada:
1) No jobs, No opportunities
Yes, this is true. Why? Because the market is completely saturated. There so many Bachelors degrees being pumped out of Universities across Canada that a B.Sc. or a B.A. has become completely useless.
People graduated after four or five years of undergrad and find themselves unemployed. Or (if they are lucky) working full time at the place they were working part time as a student.
Canada is a dry well for jobs, no matter how many times you throw in the bucket, you won't come up with any water. Some mud perhaps.
2) Immigration patterns have ruined the country
Yes, this is true. Unlike the U.S. that invites people to all places. Canada has people clustered in only three area -> Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
What is the result of this? Thousands and thousands of Indians, Pakistanis, Chinese, Koreans, Japanese etc all jammed packed liked sardines in small areas.
They are working in factories, driving taxi cabs or delivering pizzas. Then when their children grow up they have the immigrant dreams, but since there are so many of them in these areas that all the spots are taken!
3) Why do this new generation stay in Canada then?
Good question. The answers are surprising simple -> insecurity, lack of self confidence, being very stubborn, refusal to face reality, false belief that Canada is better, inability to leave the parental home.
This is especially common among certain minorities that have a culture that promotes grown men and women to live at home with their parents.
The culture promotes elitism, where they only associate with the same type. (Further adding to the total lack of community feel that exists among Canadian cities. No assimilation or integration whatsoever.)
This new minority generation has been so brain washed by their parents, that they lack the self confidence to move to another place and achieve their goals and take advantage of the great opportunities that exist abroad. Hence, they stay and suffer in Canada.
April 07, 2006 Canada Immigration - Modern Day Slave Trade
Q: Why does Canada welcome Immigrants? A: Canada's population is shrinking and getting older. Government is supposed to pay for maintaining the standard of living and health care of the old citizens. But how does the government find the money for it? The solution: Immigration Canada allows around 250,000 immigrants per year to enter Canada along with C$2.5 – C$ 5.0 billion of foreign reserves that these immigrants bring along with them.
Q: How does Canada find their gold mine? A: Marketing! Advertisements! And incentives to private immigration firms. Big and small immigration firms lure the third world human commodity by giving a glossy picture of Canada such as the land of opportunities, freedom and prosperity. In the past, the slave traders lured people from African villages by telling the same story and eventually sent to slavery. The MODERN DAY SLAVE TRADE by Canada is not any different!
Q: What happens to the immigrants after they come to Canada? A: The architects of Canada's immigration have devised a social/government system (known as "systemic discrimination" to "utilize" this man-power to the advantage of the host population. In this system, with a 0.9 probability, the immigrants irrespective of their skills or profession will end up working in the blue collar jobs under white management.
Q: How does the "systemic discrimination" work? A: Some of the tools the Canadians used to keep the immigrants out of decent paying jobs are as follows:
(1) Every job other than labour jobs requires "excellent communication skills…that is your ability to speak in English with Canadian accent". This will eliminate 99% of immigrants who have slight to thick accent. (2) Require "Canadian work experience….".. You can't have Canadian experience without getting a Canadian job in the first place! (3) The selection for majority of jobs ( > 85%) in the private sector is done through "referrals". The referrals come from "networks". Networks are made mostly through social gatherings. And the Canadians, unfortunately, tend to socialize with their family members and friends from their own community. As per an Asian immigrant "his community and social networks are with taxi drivers…so eventually he became a taxi driver". Meritocracy has no place in Canadian labour market. Nepotism is the norm. (4) Canada has laws to prevent "discrimination". However, technically none of the above "requirements or methods" is against the law. (5) Most professions (e.g. Engineering, medical, law) require professional registration. YOU NEED Canadian experience to get the registration. If you have no registration, you can't be an independent practitioner in your profession.
Q: How about getting into business? A: Those few "star" immigrants leading a decent life in Canada are into trade or service businesses primarily targeting their ethnic group market. The government is pro-white. "Government services" are one of the biggest business area where the services are delivered though private companies. And obviously the contract goes to the white-business partners of the politician in power. (Please make a Google search for the key word "Canada Sponsorship scandal" for details).
Q: How successful is the Canadian Immigration gold mine project? A: Very successful. The marketing department (www.cic.gc.ca) is doing a very good job. The victims of this trade often do not tell their stories because of shame. And also, once you become a coloured citizen of Canada, you are pretty much stuck here.
Q: Does the media come to the rescue of the oppressed like in any democratic society? A: NO! The mainstream news media is controlled by the white host Canadians.
Q: How do the oppressed immigrants in Canada reciprocate? A: So far THE SILENCE of the victims is the norm. However, a brave few have spoken with websites like: www.NotCanada.com
Q: How about the coloured politicians in Canada? A: They are the creation of the "System" They work for the system!!
Q: What advice do you have for an aspiring Immigrant to Canada? A: If you are educated and professional, stay away from Canada. If you are a labourer or truck driver and NOT planning to raise your children in Canada, come on and have some fun!
Time to take a look at selection process flaws Mar. 11, 2006. 01:00 AM ALLAN THOMPSON
A Statistics Canada study on so-called reverse migration out of Canada made the news recently, and for good reason.
The groundbreaking research, the first of its kind, used immigration records combined with census data and tax information to examine the rate at which new immigrants leave Canada. (You can find a copy of the summary and a link to the complete study at [www.statcan.ca].)
Over the years, we have paid a lot of attention to who gets in to this country, but scant attention to who stays. The study revealed that about a third of male immigrants who were between the ages of 25 and 45 when they arrived in Canada ended up leaving within 20 years.
And more than half of those who left Canada did so within the first year of getting here.
For most experts, the startling results led to an inevitable conclusion: Canada needs to pay much closer attention to the policies and programs to help new immigrants settle in and find work.
That means we have to come to grips with recognizing foreign credentials. Presumably, fewer newcomers would give up on Canada if they were able to work right away in the professions for which they trained.
But the study also found that the rate of reverse immigration was dramatically higher among immigrants who entered Canada in the business and skilled-worker classes.
Family-class immigrants and refugees were much less likely to pull up stakes.
If a business were losing this many employees — despite investing in an exhaustive and expensive selection and training process — the chief executive officer would be demanding answers.
Apart from the issue of doing more to help skilled workers to adapt to life in Canada, I think the study tells us something else. It tells us we need to take a closer look at how we choose immigrants.
No one has challenged the conventional wisdom that skilled worker immigrants are by far the most likely to contribute to Canada.
For years, immigration officials have been telling us — and telling a stream of immigration ministers — that it is a given that skilled worker immigrants contribute more to Canada.
As a result, our immigration program has been turned on its head since the early 1990s, with nary a hint of protest from the Canadian public.
There was a time when the majority of immigrants came here because of their family ties. A smaller proportion came as skilled workers chosen for their education and job skills.
But that ratio has been completely reversed.
It was thought that family class immigrants were having a harder time settling in than they used to and that they didn't make as much of a quantifiable contribution to the economy. So, in recent years, the vast majority of our newcomers have come in through the skilled worker class. Only about a third are admitted because of their family ties.
Notably, the recent StatsCan study shows that the immigrants most likely to stay in Canada are immigrants chosen for their family ties, or admitted as refugees.Does this data not suggest that family class immigrants — as a group, if not as individuals — might well be making more of an economic contribution to Canada than previously believed by virtue of the simple fact that they are here for the long haul?
Don't get me wrong. I am not suggesting that we turn back the clock, or revert to the old system of bringing in 70 per cent of our immigrants through the family-class stream.
But we do have to wrap our heads around the fact that the nature of immigration is changing. Our world is shrinking and many people are more mobile. Many no longer regard Canada as the land of milk and honey but, rather, a good place to work and live for awhile.
For some people, changing countries is akin to moving to another city or region. It is not regarded as a permanent move. And yet, our immigration system is built on the notion that all immigrants are here to stay forever.
Perhaps we need to re-think the selection process. It might make sense to take in more immigrants who have relatives here and who could rely more heavily on that family network for their integration.
At the same time, we could revamp our approach to skilled-worker immigrants and have more flexible rules for the new kind of mobile migrant who regards Canada as a good place to work and live, but not necessarily the only good place to work and live.
to leave Canada ?? pour aller ou ? tu parle de manque d'opportunité de chômage ... c'est partout pareil ! à nous de se faire accepter et changer cette image négative ... d'après ce que j'entend dire les canadiens sont plus tolérant , et leurs pays attire pluôt une immigration plus "qualifié " si je peux dire !
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/27/2006 12:33 by patience.
(S-2:V-286 ) Seigneur ! Ne nous impose pas ce que nous ne pouvons supporter, efface nos fautes, pardonne-nous et fais nous miséricorde.
Hello, I would like to congratulate you for your informative website. I think it's about time people found out the true colors of Canada - a racist country with the most ignorant people one could ever come across.
I grew up here and plan to move out, have been here for so long due to circumstances out of my control. I highly suggest you all move out as it's the only and best solution to the misery that exists here for none whites (and for some whites)
Racism in jobs, housing, schools and the dirty looks they give you when you walk down the street are all part of daily life for minorities here in Canada.
For anyone who's thinking about coming to Canada - DON'T! Only misery based on chronic poverty, chronic racism, horrible weather, out of control cost of living, ignorant people who feel as though being white is being superior to all others, etc, etc. I could go on and on about the reasons why one shouldn't immigrate to this sad country but the content on this website could provide further more information on that.
je sais pas où il faut aller, chacun peut choisir selon ses ambitions et ses convictions, ce ke fais c est que je presente une image fidele selon des etudes scientifique et des temoignages sur la realite du Canada, a toi de choisir, le choix c est un processus interne base sur des données, les données sont là! à chacun de voir ce qu il veut : le reve et l aventure, ou le realisme.
yussuf2005 may I ask you where do u live??? we should never generalize there are so many people who made it in canada the same way there are those who have not. since you have introduced this with statistics, studies have showed that it takes max 5 years for an immigrant to get the job they want in Canada so key word is patience and trying to get the canadian experience trust me afterwards the doors that seem to be so closed start to open one after the other, but you have to be willing to start from zero.
i have been living in canada for 7 years now and if i could turn the clock back i would never have set foot in this blessed country. I would rather do some voluntary work in some poor countries like ours rather fatening this govnt. What's holding me from doing it now?....well u may have guessed it..my life is here now ...it's within the first year of ur arrival or never..as years go bye one just gets anchored deeper and deeper in this country... the one thing i do not agree with u on however yussuf is racism...u said that canada is a racist country...believe me i have seen worse. Discrimination when it comes to job opportunities sure exists everywhere particularly in our country...
am living in canada, and i ve spent here more than four years, and nothing showing up to be changing in the near future, we re still working like slaves in call centers with master degrees...even with a fluent french and english and canadian experience nothing changes!, perhaps it could be the case elsewhere this theory of 5 years but not in canada...the stats if you read them all show also that immigrants who spend here more than 5 years end up by going back to where they came from! I personnally target through this forum people who have good standard of life in their home countries and not those who are living in unemployment, the main issue here that this country targets high skilled immigrants and when they lose their jobs, houses...in home country, and find nothing to do here just menial jobs (talkin about the mainstream not exceptions) canadians starts accusing immigrants of lack of good decision, and that they should do enough research before making any decision! and what was written in those articles was in somewhat confirmed by former immigration minister of canada : who said clearely that the system (immigration system) is broken!. you can view the interview on www.notcanada.com under :
Featured
Newspaper Article: CTV reports about NotCanada.com
Canada's Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Joe Volpe comments about this website: READ HERE
Canada's Economic Apartheid: The Social Exclusion of Racialized Groups in the New Century
The colour of Canadian poverty Apr. 28, 2006. 01:00 AM CAROL GOAR
The surprising thing about Grace-Edward Galabuzi, author of a new book entitled Canada's Economic Apartheid: The Social Exclusion of Racialized Groups in the New Century, is that he is a gentle, scholarly man.
He uses facts, not polemics, to make his case. He acknowledges that Canada has been good to him since he fled Uganda at gunpoint in 1982. There is nothing angry or strident about him.
But passion is not measured in decibels. And Galabuzi is nothing if not passionate about resisting the formation of a non-white underclass in his adopted home.
The Ryerson University professor admits he chose the title for his book partly to jolt Canadians out of their complacency. But he does see real and disturbing parallels between the racial stratification of South Africa from 1950 to 1994 and what is going on in urban Canada — especially Toronto — today.
He is not accusing individual Canadians of racism, Galabuzi emphasizes. He is asking them to look at the way their labour markets and power structures systematically relegate people of colour to the lower ranks. He is asking them to explain why poverty is disproportionately concentrated among blacks and south Asians. He is asking them to face the fact that Toronto is becoming an increasingly segregated city, with non-whites living in its least desirable neighbourhoods.
"These trends are becoming institutionalized. Not by fiat, not by the state, this is not South Africa and it never will be. But when you look at what's going on in Canada's urban centres, an underclass is starting to emerge and it's very clearly racially defined."
He cites a 2003 Statistics Canada study, which showed that poverty was much more prevalent in Toronto's racial enclaves than in the rest of the city. In areas where more than 30 per cent of the population was Chinese, the low-income rate was 28.4 per cent. Where South Asians predominated, it was 28.3 per cent. Where blacks were dominant, it was 48.5 per cent. (The citywide rate was 22.6 per cent).
The same pattern was evident in unemployment rates. In Chinese enclaves, the incidence of joblessness was 11.2 per cent. In South Asian enclaves, it was 13.1 per cent. In black enclaves, it was 18.3 per cent (the citywide rate was 8.6 per cent.)
All three racial groups were over-represented in low-wage, precarious jobs such as sewing-machine operator, electronics assembler and taxi driver and under-represented in management, the professions and supervisory roles.
This combination of factors — low incomes, high unemployment, jobs that don't pay enough to pull families out of poverty and kids who see no prospect of a better life — can easily give rise to anger and violence, Galabuzi says.
"You're starting to see a dramatic increase in incarceration rates in these communities," he warns. "We're looking at real trouble down the road."
He rejects the comforting explanations that Canadians frequently offer for racial polarization.
It can no longer be attributed to differences in education, he points out. Visible minorities — thanks to Canada's highly selective immigration system — have a higher rate of post-secondary training than the rest of the population.
Nor does the old time-lag argument hold up. It is not just recent immigrants who are struggling to get a foothold on the economic ladder. Non-white citizens who have been in Canada for decades are stuck on the bottom rung. What's worse, their children are dropping out of school in disproportionate numbers, locking in a destructive intergenerational cycle.
"There will always be individuals who buck the trend," Galabuzi says, anticipating objections. "But as a group, they're doing poorly."
He does see a few hopeful signals.
The city is targeting resources at 13 troubled neighbourhoods before they become racial ghettos.
The labour movement is organizing Toronto's hotel workers, who are overwhelmingly Filipino and Caribbean. They are hired for "back-of-the-house" jobs — housekeeping, maintenance, food preparation, dishwashing — that pay $10 to $12 an hour and are let go when their bodies wear out.
And the non-profit sector is highlighting the racial dimension of poverty. The United Way of Greater Toronto took the lead, with its groundbreaking 2004 report Poverty by Postal Code.
Promising as these developments are, Galabuzi says, they are not enough.
Ontario needs an employment equity law that is effective and enforced. The province did adopt an Employment Equity Act in 1993. But former premier Mike Harris repealed it two years later and the governing Liberals have made no attempt to replace it.
Galabuzi is aware that legislating equality of opportunity in the workplace is controversial. But he contends that employers who discriminate on the basis of race — "blacks wouldn't fit in here, aboriginals are unreliable, ethnics aren't team players" — should at least be held to account.
He also believes Canada's political parties and public institutions have to do a better job of turning multiculturalism from a feel-good catchphrase into a visible, measurable reality.
Canadians are fair-minded, tolerant people, Galabuzi says. But the society they've built does not reflect that.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carol Goar's column appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Another Canadian Tired. Even after going back to school and getting Canadian diplomas, I’ve never managed to find a job that is equivalent to the one I had in Morocco (IT Analyst in the banking industry). I’m fully bilingual. In addition to my engineering degree from France I have successfully completed an MBA and a Bsc in Computer Science from Canadian Universities. Guess what? All those credentials are good for one thing in this so-called eldorado: filling dead end jobs for the rest of your lifetime in exchange for peanuts.
Believe it or not, quality of life in my third world country is by far better than this.
The problem is neither the diploma nor the work experience. It’s racial by all means.
There is a huge gap between the immigration policy and what everyday people want. The Canadian government hires bright immigrants in masses while Canadians view them as a threat to the quality and the durability of their jobs.
Whatever you do, you’re always to blame. When it’s not the diploma, it’s the Canadian work experience. When it’s not the work experience it’s the accent. As soon as you start to complain about your unfair condition, you’re asked kindly to leave. Immigration to Canada is an ongoing dead end loop that hides a very subtle form of racism.
After four years of frustration and disappointment, I came to the conclusion that the Canadian citizenship is good for one thing: quitting Canada as soon as you get your passport. I think it’s about the time to bring this immigration nightmare to a halt.
I am a civil Engineer, 40 who has landed in Canada and returned soon, without any success. I am indeed very unfortunate for not having come across your web site prior to my landing if not I would have saved a lot of time, money and misery that followed.
I had a very good job in Dubai, which I resigned and have lost nearly 8 months of my peak career needless to mention the trauma my family had to undergo with the relocation which is still not yet finished. I have now managed to get a job back in Middle East and am in the process of settling back to a stable environment. Looking back I feel that the govt of Canada portrays a very bright picture of Canada, and more over I for one went in with about with the application directly and had no consultants to advise properly, not that these consultants do give an unprejudiced fair opinion.
Your web supports my decision and I am glad I made the quick decision to leave rather than to stay back and suffer.
je suis tres rassure par tes commentaires vu que je n'ai jamais ete tente par le canada et les pays froids. Seulement, j aurais aime savoir pourquoi tu as quitte Dubai au debut. On parle egalement d racisme arabe (celui des pays du golf) envers les etrangers n est ce pas!. Qu en penses tu ? est ce vrai?
Salut bled in heart, je ss pas la personne qui a quitte dubai, moi je ss installe au canada encore, ca c est un temoignage d une autre personne qui a quitte son poste la bas pour venir a l enfer du canada!
8. Discriminatory and Dishonest Immigration System. Immigration to Canada is based on a point system, obtained with your education, qualifications and job experience. Points are good enough for immigration, but in Canada, they are not good enough to get a job in your field. Amazing, how the credentials that qualify you to come to Canada are the same credentials that don't qualify you for your profession in Canada. The reason is, Canada only wants immigrants to do the labor jobs - pizza delivery, driving taxis, factory work etc.
7. Out Of Control Cost Of Living. From rent, to utility bills, to shopping, to phone, internet and cable bills, to gas, to car insurance, to eating out, to basically anything you have to pay for or buy, the cost of living in Canada has become astronomical. Recent immigrants are astonished as to how expensive everything is. It is estimated that compared to most countries around the world, the cost of living in Canada is on average five times greater.
6. Health Care Crisis. Practicing physicians in Canada are in a shortage, 1 in 4 Canadians cannot get a family doctor. Canadian doctors are leaving to move permanently to the United States. Statistics Canada and the Canadian Medical Association both have identified that for every 1 American doctor that moves to Canada, 19 (nineteen) Canadian doctors move to the United States! Doctors in Canada are overworked and underpaid, and there is a cap on their salaries.
5. Very High Taxes. Yes, you have the GST, the PST, totaling 15%, on practically everything you purchase and many other taxes taken out of our weekly paycheck. You have to pay a whopping amount to the government, out of your hard earned salary, so that the government can turn around and give it to beer drinking, hockey watching welfare bums. Fair? It does not matter, it's Canada.
4. Money Hungry Government. Canadian Embassies around the world lie to foreigners, painting this picture that Canada is Utopia, because they want them to come to Canada. Why? Because foreigners bring money! So after being deceived, these foreigners come. They must bring with them at least $10,000. Canada has an immigration quota of 250,000 per year. So please do the math, 250,000 multiplied by $10,000 each equals a whopping 2.5 Billion dollars that Canada gains from immigrants every year.
3. No Culture. Unlike almost every other country in the world, Canada has no culture. Actually American culture is what dominates Canada. When was the last time you had some 'Canadian' food? There are no Canadian traditions and there is no national identity. What does it even mean to call yourself a 'Canadian'. . .nothing really. People living in Canada, still identify themselves with the country they 'originally' came from.
2. Worst Weather. Yes, Canada has the worst weather conditions of any country in the world. Freezing cold temperatures, snow, ice, hail, winds, storms etc. From the Prairie provinces to the Maritimes, from the Territories to southern Ontario, the weather is so horrific and disgusting that many Canadians leave Canada simply because of this reason alone.
1. No Jobs. Yes, coast to coast, there are no jobs. Immigrants are highly qualified (MD's, PhD's, Lawyers, Engineers etc.) but they are driving taxi cabs, delivering pizza's or working in factories. Even people with bachelors degrees from Canadian Universities cannot find jobs after graduation. This is the tragedy associated with immigration to Canada. I feel sorry for those immigrants who are stuck in Canada for the rest of their lives. It is indeed a very sad and hopeless future.
Canada, like many other wealthy countries, wants to attract the best and brightest from developing nations.
The promise? Bring your education and skills and the jobs are waiting. In particular, the Canadian government has been encouraging highly skilled and highly educated immigrants.
In a major speech in September, Prime Minister Paul Martin put heavy emphasis on the need to increase immigration levels to combat an aging population, low birth rate and a shortage of skills.
"We need immigrants," said Martin. "Quite frankly we need more and we need them to succeed."
But can we really accommodate more? What about the tens of thousands already here?
Many who came with dreams of a better life find it impossible to work in their chosen profession and complain of a system that offers little help to allow them to practice their skills.
Federal government documents obtained by W-FIVE show that skilled immigrants are shunning Canada. In 2000, Canadian embassies and consulates abroad received more than 300,000 immigrant skilled worker visa applications. But in 2004 that number declined to only 177,000.
Even more dramatic is the fall in skilled worker applications from China (including Hong Kong), which dropped from 60,000 in 2000 to only 8,000 in 2004
The Maple Leaf
For Eva Zhai, who grew up in China, the Canadian maple leaf represented a symbol of opportunity and independence in a far-off land.
Zhai immigrated to Canada because she dreamed of a better life for herself and her daughter Nicole.
She didn't leave China because she was poor or desperate. At home in Shanghai, she was a successful marketing executive for a large multinational company. Hers was just the kind of expertise she was told would land her a good job in Canada.
But Zhai hasn't been able to find any job that matches her qualifications. Her dream is starting to die.
"Like now I feel a bit lost. Like a failure for the career improvement," says Zhai. "I thought I have a very solid multinational background you know. It should be I can fit in."
Prescription for dissatisfaction
Hamid Zarrinkalam was also led to believe he would have no trouble fitting in once he immigrated to Canada.
An experienced pharmacist back in Iran, Zarrinkalam was told he would have to be re-certified in Canada. But he was never told it would take almost three years, that he would literally have to start over, go back to school, write five exams and do another internship to re-qualify.
Zarrinkalam feels fortunate to have a job as a pharmacy technician to support himself while he studies for his licensing examinations. But his work as an assistant is a long way from managing a pharmacy, which is what he did back in Iran.
"I passed my university (in Iran). I got my degrees over there," he says. "So I'm ready to (work as a pharmacist). But here -- no."
Giving up
By the time W-FIVE met Raj Kumar, he was already packing up his dreams for a better life in Canada, along with his wife Shivani and their two children. After five years in this country, the engineer with a PhD from New Delhi has been unable to find any work in his profession.
"I never thought that I would not find a job here," Kumar told W-FIVE.
Disappointed and desperate, he's giving up on Canada and moving to the United States. There, he found a job with a high-tech company based in Princeton, New Jersey.
"Within ten days I got two offers (in the U.S.)," he said.
Before emigrating, Kumar was educated and taught at one of the most prestigious technical schools in the world -- The Indian Institute of Technology.
But once in Canada, he couldn't even land an entry-level position and ended up doing tutoring and courier jobs. He never thought he would be unable to find work once here.
Point system
Immigrants come from different countries, with different backgrounds. But they all have one thing in common. They qualified to immigrate to Canada under its point system for skilled workers. It is a point system that rewards higher education and experience. Everyone must pass an international language test.
A government presentation shown to prospective immigrants, obtained by W-FIVE, shows what's needed: 10 points for being in the right age bracket; 25 points for education; 10 points for arranged employment; 16 points for speaking one of Canada's official languages (French or English); 8 additional points for the second official language. A prospective immigrant needs 67 out of 100 points to qualify.
The huge number of points given for education means that it's very easy for prospective immigrants with university degrees and good jobs.
Skilled immigrants are invited into Canada based on their impressive education, experience and language abilities only to find out that once they get here those credentials aren't recognized, their foreign experience doesn't count and their English isn't good enough.
They find themselves locked out by employers who want Canadian degrees and Canadian experience, by regulated professions that make it almost impossible to re-qualify.
Skilled surgeon can't work while Canada needs doctors
Joshua Raj, an experienced orthopedic surgeon has performed more than 1,000 joint replacements in Malaysia and the United Kingdom.
Canada needs orthopedic surgeons, but once he arrived in Canada, Dr. Raj he was told he would have to go back to medical school for a year, then wait in line and do another four-year residency, if he could even find one. Dr. Raj has come to the conclusion that he will never be able to practice medicine in Canada.
"When I make an incision in patient in England, Ireland or Wales under the skin they look exactly the same as a Canadian," says Dr. Raj. "The bones are the same, the arteries are the same, the nerves are the same. I don't see why I cannot work here."
Suing Ottawa
One couple in Alberta is determined to take on Canada's failing immigration system. Prem and Nessa Premakumaran are suing the federal government, accusing Canada of wooing professionals like themselves under false pretences.
Now living in Edmonton, Prem and Nessa were educated in the United Kingdom and worked for 20 years in London, England, in accounting and office administration before emigrating to Canada.
They claim that during their interview at the Canadian High Commission they were told they would have no trouble finding work in their fields given their experience and qualifications. Today, they complain, that they were sold a bill of goods.
"If they are looking for slaves to do the jobs, menial jobs, they should advertise they are looking, Canada is looking for slaves to do the menial jobs," complains Prem.
Since coming to Canada, it's been a constant struggle for Prem and Nessa to support their young family. In spite of their global experience and a booming Alberta economy, no one would hire them.
Instead of working in finance and office administration, the Premakumarans have been forced to take whatever jobs they could get to survive, cleaning hotel rooms and offices.
At one point Prem was even forced to shovel snow in front of Canada Place to make ends meet.
Ontario condemns federal immigration
So what's wrong? Ontario's Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Michael Colle blames a federal visa system that is out of touch with the reality of the job market. Colle says the federal point system gives priority to people with academic credentials regardless of whether there is work for them.
"The immigration system in Canada is broken," Colle told W-FIVE in an interview. "It's like inviting someone for dinner to your home and you basically feed them crumbs.
"The problem is that we in Ontario may need welders, we need construction workers, we need truck drivers. So the point system doesn't do you any good if you're a truck driver who wants to come to Canada from Romania. Yet if you're a PhD from Bucharest you'll probably get in but you may not get work but if you're a truck driver you get to work immediately. Well, then the point system isn't working? That's an understatement."
Bad news spreading fast
Our reputation as a nation that welcomes the world is at stake. And the bad news about how tough things can be for skilled newcomers in Canada is spreading fast -- via the Internet, messages posted by disappointed, highly technical immigrants who are plugged into the global marketplace.
A recent online article out of New Delhi warns "Far from being the El Dorado of repute, for many immigrants Canada has emerged as a land of unmitigated disaster. From rampant discrimination to hidden booby traps, Indians have been forced into an economic quagmire, having to settle for a dead end job."
And then there's a website, NOTCANADA.COM, that blasts Canada as a "land of shattered dreams" where "careers, finances and lives are destroyed". The website lists the top eight reasons not to immigrate to Canada. Number one is "No Jobs."
The negative warnings from disillusioned immigrants posted on the website's forum are shockingly blunt:
"My Canadian dream turned into a nightmare." "Canadians must be proud of having highly skilled immigrants sweeping floors and washing dishes" "All of you wanting to migrate: DO NOT DO IT." Federal minister responds
W-FIVE went to Canada's Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Joe Volpe, to talk about the disconnect between immigrants and the labour market.
In particular we asked him about the many immigrants the program interviewed, who told us they passed the point system and were led to believe they would get jobs in our field, but once in Canada, just hit a brick wall and ended up in dead end jobs.
"I'm one of those that doesn't believe that any job leads to a dead end," responded Volpe. "I think that work actually ennobles the human spirit."
Volpe appeared taken aback when shown the NOTCANADA.com website.
"Does something like this trouble anybody? It troubles me," he told reporter Victor Malarek. "I want the most positive remarks regarding Canada and my job is to be able to fix the system so that people we invite into our country can hit the ground running."
"The system needs to change. How long is that going to take? Years? I'd do it tomorrow if I could because every day thousands of immigrants are coming only to find jobs aren't available."
However the immigration minister believes immigrants will eventually find success in Canada.
"The characteristics of immigrant is when one door opens another closes. I don't mean to be cavalier but I would say to those immigrants they shouldn't be discouraged while we're building a system to realize everyone's talent."
End of the road
But the immigrants W-FIVE met during its investigation are discouraged. If things don't turn around for Eva Zhai soon, she and her family will go back to China where the economy is booming, even if it means losing face.
Pharmacist Hamid Zarrinkalam is determined to finish what he started and get his licence in Canada. Zarrinkalam insists he will not go back to Iran a failure. But he admits that if he had known the barriers he would face and the time it would take, he would never have chosen to immigrate to Canada. And his decision to come here has cost him his future wife. Zarrinkalam's fiancée, a doctor back in Tehran, has decided not to pack up her career and move to Canada after watching him struggle for so long.
As for Prem and Nessa Premakumaran, of Edmonton, their fight to hold Ottawa accountable suffered a setback, when a Federal Court judge recently dismissed their claim ruling: "It is not the role of the courts to order that agencies be set up to assist immigrant workers. These issues … have to be settled at the ballot box."
The couple is not giving up. They've taken their case to the Federal Court of Appeal.
But Raj Kumar has given up; leaving the country he chose to move to in favour of a guaranteed job in the United States.
"It's really tough," he said, while packing boxes for his move.
But it's a move he has to make. The job in the U.S. offers a chance to get back into the engineering profession, to regain his confidence and reclaim his future. Kumar says he owes it to his family, who sacrificed so much for him back in India.
And maybe with American job experience under his belt, Raj might one day return to Canada and get a job that fits his skills here.
Many skilled immigrants aren't staying Report details newcomer `brain drain' 1 in 6 males leaves Canada in first year Mar. 2, 2006. 01:00 AM NICHOLAS KEUNG IMMIGRATION/DIVERSITY REPORTER
One in six male immigrants leaves Canada for better opportunities elsewhere within the first year of arrival, and those most likely to emigrate are the cream of the crop: businessmen and skilled workers.
Those findings are part of a Statistics Canada report released yesterday, the first national study to get a firm handle on the extent of out-migration and "brain drain" among the country's new arrivals. Anecdotal evidence for several years has suggested immigrants are leaving in droves because they can't land suitable jobs in Canada.
Experts say the findings highlight the need for an integrated approach that focuses not only on selecting the right immigrants but also on keeping them by matching them with suitable opportunities.
"The people who are leaving the country are true migrants. They move by choice for pure economic reasons," said Jean Lock Kunz, associate project director of Policy Research Initiative, an Ottawa-based think-tank.
"In our global economy, there is a greater movement of people and businesses. We are going to see more and more people moving in and out. Every country will be competing for skilled workers. The key to keep them here is to match them up with the needs of the labour market, so they have a reason to stay."
Basing their findings on landing records, census data and income tax files over the past two decades, researchers found one-third of male immigrants aged 25 to 45 at the time they arrived in Canada left within 20 years. More than half of those who left did so within the first year.
The study's subject group amounts to about 50,000 newcomers a year, said report co-author Abdurrahman Aydemir. Of those, 17,000 immigrant men in that age range will end up leaving Canada eventually.
The most mobile and sought-after group of working-age immigrant men — those who arrive via the business investment and skilled-worker categories — are leaving at an even higher rate: 40 per cent depart within 10 years.
Interestingly, immigrants fluent in both French and English tend to stay for a shorter period than those who aren't.
Male migrants from Hong Kong and the United States were the most likely to leave Canada, followed (in order) by those from South America, Central America, the Middle East, and Oceania and Australia.
"In the increasingly global labour market, it may be more appropriate to treat international migration more like internal migration. Individuals may move around from place to place for job-related or other reasons several times in a lifetime," Aydemir noted in the 49-page report.
The findings don't surprise sociologist Jeffrey Reitz, chair of the University of Toronto's Munk Centre for International Studies.
"It is no secret among those in the field that some people come to Canada with the intention of returning home. The idea that used to exist was that the world consisted of a lot of highly educated people who wanted to come here, and Canada got to pick and choose — but that's something of a myth," he noted.
"When it comes to immigration, we are in a very competitive market. We have to recruit them and make sure they stay."
University of Western Ontario economics professor Chris Robinson, who co-authored the report, said the study underlines the fact that an international move isn't necessarily a permanent one any more.
"It's a very competitive market for immigrants, and it's going to be even more competitive in the future with the international mobility being so fluid," he explained.
"We have to figure out how to keep them. People used to say America's a land of opportunity — they would come and never go. The fact is, they do."
A key factor pushing newcomers out of the country is the state of the local economy, Robinson said. Immigrant retention rates in the recession years of 1981 and 1991 were lower (at 80.9 per cent and 72.6 per cent respectively) than in the boom years of 1986 and 1996 (at 90.2 per cent and 76.3 per cent).
Nikhat Rasheed, co-ordinator of the Policy Roundtable Mobilizing Professionals and Trades, a national advocacy group for foreign-trained professionals, said a big frustration is getting Canadian employers to recognize overseas credentials.
Kunz downplays the notion that the immigrants who stay behind might not be those Canada most wants and would unnecessarily burden the settlement system.
(People who arrive through family reunification have a 30 per cent departure rate, while refugees have the lowest at 20 per cent.)
The bottom line, Kunz said, is newcomers need to feel welcomed in Canada and have the ability to get established here.
According to the study, married immigrants stay about 25 per cent longer than singles, and are 40 per cent more likely to stay than those widowed, divorced or separated.
One way to keep newcomers here, U of T's Reitz suggests, is for Canada to carefully balance immigrant numbers between the family and business/skilled worker categories.
i don't know where to begin or what to begin with... i've been living in canada for a decade now, and i can honestly say that my life is much better than it was in morocco...if your life is so bad here, why didn't u leave earlier?
to "utilize" this man-power to the advantage of the host population. In this system, with a 0.9 probability, the immigrants irrespective of their skills or profession will end up working in the blue collar jobs under white management. 
chargement...
or what to begin with... i've been living in canada for a decade now, and i can honestly say that my life is much better than it was in morocco...if your life is so bad here, why didn't u leave earlier?
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