Canada seeks skilled Indians – The Hindu dated November 7, 2007
Recognizing India as a “key source country” for skilled workers, Canada on Tuesday announced opening of a “referral office” here to scout for talented people who could contribute to its economic growth.
“India is a key source country, both in terms of quality and quantity, of skilled workers. We want talented professionals from here to come to Canada.” Diane Finley, Canadian Immigration Minister, said. Around 30,000 Indians went to Canada last year. “Our population is declining; the birth rate is low. To keep our economy and industries going up, we need people.” Ms. Diane said.
She said the referral office would enable Indians to show how they qualify to Canadian standards for various regulated professions. Ms. Finley said her country was organizing orientation sessions in India to increase awareness on the credential recognition process in Canada.
The sessions would be organized in Gujarat (from November 26), followed by Punjab.
“The government of Canada is committed to helping newcomers succeed, and one way to do is to help them before they get to Canada.” she said”. – PTI
(Quote and unquote as given in the news item)

With reference to the above news item, my brethren in Gujarat and Punjab (where the orientation sessions are being organized) would do well to consider the following.
1) Whether their qualifications are straightaway recognized as equal to that in Canada, especially those of industrial training schools and diploma courses in engineering (done after class X).
2) Whether the sessions would fetch them actual job appointment letter from an employer in Canada.
3) Whether the employer is willing to pay atleast for one way fare from India to Canada (approximately Rs.45,000).
4) Whether the employer can guarantee work for atleast one full year.
5) Whether the pay they receive minus monthly expenses in Canada (minimum Rs.40,000/- for a single person) is more than what they get in India.
6) In case they find that Canada is not as it promises to be, whether they can return and find themselves work equivalent to what they were doing prior to leaving India.

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2) Whether the sessions would fetch them actual job appointment letter from an employer in Canada.
3) Whether the employer is willing to pay atleast for one way fare from India to Canada (approximately Rs.45,000).
4) Whether the employer can guarantee work for atleast one full year.
5) Whether the pay they receive minus monthly expenses in Canada (minimum Rs.40,000/- for a single person) is more than what they get in India.
6) In case they find that Canada is not as it promises to be, whether they can return and find themselves work equivalent to what they were doing prior to leaving India.
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2) These are orientation sessions - not job interviews. If a group of people from varying industries and occupations and education levels etc are sitting in one group..how is this possible?

3) Some employers may have the opportunity to pay relocation expenses..not all do.

5) Again - how? everyone's expenses are different. It depends on where you live, what you eat, if you have a car or not, etc etc.

6) What is canada promising to be?

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~ Morning rain

Thanks for your reply MR.
You have conveniently skipped the first question. The Canadian government recognises them as "skilled and talented professionals" but not their education. How is it? Is it because the innumerable colleges promising to teach them anything from carpentry to robotics to acquire "Canadian educational qualification" albeit for several 1000$s will be affected?
"Some employers have the "opportunity" to pay for relocation".
In reality there are no employers at all in the real sense of the term. There are only innumerable contract work agencies, which provide temporary work from anywhere between a few weeks to a few hours. The pay is 10$ at the beginning and depending on your helplessness and dependence on them it may fall even to 8.5$ over a period of few months.
The monthly expenses, that I have provided is from first hand experience till middle 2007 and not from heresay. Please do not try to confuse readers.
The minister before scouting for skilled workers and talented professionals should have first gone to the industries “direly” in need of such people, take stock of their requirement and ask whether they are interested in recruiting them from India. Let the organizations themselves conduct interviews in India and offer actual job letters.
My request to Canadian government is to have sympathy for the poor and gullible people from India and not to eye their hard earned money.
The “skilled workers” and “talented professionals” belong to the lower and middle class category. A few thousand dollars may be a small amount for you. But converted in rupees it is lacs of rupees and their life time savings. That is meant for their spouse (who is normally a housewife) and children’s future and education. It is also meant for their retirement and health care. These are not taken care of by the Indian government and we have to fend for ourselves. To lure them, fool them, play around with their valuable savings and ultimately destroy their professional and personal lives, it is high time Canada stops doing it. To keep economy going, let them dig more copper and uranium from mines and grow more wheat but not indulge in such hogwash.

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Quote:

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Originally posted by ramar2005

Thanks for your reply MR.
You have conveniently skipped the first question. The Canadian government recognises them as "skilled and talented professionals" but not their education. How is it? Is it because the innumerable colleges promising to teach them anything from carpentry to robotics to acquire "Canadian educational qualification" albeit for several 1000$s will be affected?
"Some employers have the "opportunity" to pay for relocation".
In reality there are no employers at all in the real sense of the term. There are only innumerable contract work agencies, which provide temporary work from anywhere between a few weeks to a few hours. The pay is 10$ at the beginning and depending on your helplessness and dependence on them it may fall even to 8.5$ over a period of few months.
The monthly expenses, that I have provided is from first hand experience till middle 2007 and not from heresay. Please do not try to confuse readers.
The minister before scouting for skilled workers and talented professionals should have first gone to the industries “direly” in need of such people, take stock of their requirement and ask whether they are interested in recruiting them from India. Let the organizations themselves conduct interviews in India and offer actual job letters.
My request to Canadian government is to have sympathy for the poor and gullible people from India and not to eye their hard earned money.
The “skilled workers” and “talented professionals” belong to the lower and middle class category. A few thousand dollars may be a small amount for you. But converted in rupees it is lacs of rupees and their life time savings. That is meant for their spouse (who is normally a housewife) and children’s future and education. It is also meant for their retirement and health care. These are not taken care of by the Indian government and we have to fend for ourselves. To lure them, fool them, play around with their valuable savings and ultimately destroy their professional and personal lives, it is high time Canada stops doing it. To keep economy going, let them dig more copper and uranium from mines and grow more wheat but not indulge in such hogwash.

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ignore.

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~ Morning rain

Thanks again for your replies MR and febpreet.
MR please go through the news item and the statement of the minister over and over again. You will understand that she hides more than what she says. This whole “immigration” or the “work visa” as the gimmick is now called.is not for the talented or skilled workers. It is for a whole lot of industries in Canada like airlines, their booking agents, the cab drivers to and from airport to name a few. It does not actually benefit the skilled or talented professional, for whom it is meant to be.
Take for instance the lady who was a co-worker with me in a packaging company for with me during March’07. The pay was about 9$. She was in her mid thirties, she and her husband were medical doctors from our neighboring country. Both of them had come to Canada only a month earlier with their two children. As her husband was seriously pursuing in passing the qualifying examinations she had to sacrifice her professional work. Isn’t there shortage of medical doctors in Canada?. Should the medical doctor couple who have worked for more than 10 years in government hospitals languish doing labor jobs?
Your minister only laments about the falling birth rate, less population, shortage of skilled workers and talented professionals. Is it not their duty to see that the immigrating people are properly settled.
Take another case, an experienced accountant with wife and 3 children arriving from the sub-continent. He could not find a job in his profession. He had to accept a job as an operator in an extruder machine, though he did not have the experience. Why because, being the sole bread winner he has to feed 4 mouths waiting at home. Along with the feedstock, he feeds his writing hand index finger. He can write no more and never hope to do an accountant job. He now sits as security officer with Garda. His struggle is first and foremost a tragedy and then only a heroic victory if at all you call it one. Not all can achieve that.
Why blame the Canadian government? The Canadian government sponsors a marathon purportedly for a good cause. At the outset the participants think it is a win-win situation for everybody. Only during the run the participants find that the track is a long, narrow and winding corridor, where there is no way of turning back. The participants get trampled in the melee. You only laud those who have come out of the corridor. I see the tragedy of those who get trampled underneath.
Even if you write sarcastically, I don’t have any hard feelings towards you because, you don’t come nowhere near the policy makers. They are the descendants of the UK and other west European countries, who enjoyed killing innocent and harmless bulls inside rings and who loved to watch gladiators fight to death. What they have done to the peoples of Africa and Asia during the last 3 centuries can only be confined to the dark age of human civilization. They are now only doing it in a sophisticated manner.

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I really empathize with the OP's situation and with ppl who are in similar situation. I have heard a lot of stories abt ppl not only from India but from other countries as well who have not been able to find a proper job in their chosen profession.

If there is anything I can add that would help any would be immigrant whos is still in India and contemplating a move to Canada , it is this;

Once you get your visa, pls do not sell everything you possess in India and move lock stock & barrel with your entire family to Canada , especially if you dont have a pre-arranged job or you are in IT.

It is my strong opinion that only one adult of the family should first move here and look for a job and assess the situation to see if this is really the country that he/she wishes to live with the family for the rest of his/her life.

If you land a job immeidately then take abt 6 montsh to settle in the job and then move your family here. If you dont find a job in your profession in 1 year then go back to India and live there happily ever after. Atleat you would not have to live with the question "if only I had".

Would be immigrants should realise that Canada is nothing like USA. In US, you will most probably find a job in your profession because it is a highly capitalistic country and if commpanies can make money off of you then they will hire you. But Canada is not a capitalistic country. So ppl who think Canada will be like US in terms of job pls do your research.

I realise that my suggestion is a bit troublesome in the begining but believe me it will save a lot of heartache in future.

As for my situation, I moved here abt 2.5 yrs ago with a job in hand as i got a transfer. Eventhough i landed here with a job, I did not move my entire family in the begining. My wife joined me only after 6 months durinig which time I had a chance to get a feel for this country.

thats my 2 cents

Cheers
rsk