Dear MGupta,

I am a recently landed immigrant, who has returned to India to wind up things here and would be coming to Canada again in a few months time. I am seriously considering SK as my destination in Canada and would like to know a few things about the place from you (which are not of general nature, that are available at various forums). Please let me know how I can get in touch with you, either through a posting here or by sending me an email at Thanks.

I had sent the following queries in a mail to MGupta, since I thought the specific questions asked may not interest the Desi community in general. While he was kind enough to reply to the mail privately and provide me with some very helpful answers, MGupta also feels that the subject would definitely help some future immigrants as well, and should be posted here. On second thoughts, I agree with him and am posting the same here. MGupta has kindly agreed to reproduce his answers to my queries here again.


The following is the text of my mail to MGupta:

I am a senior HR professional, currently working with a large corporate in India. I am doing fairlywell professionally too, and here is my dilemma.

I had applied for immigration to Canada some 12 years ago, when I was
much younger, and was looking forward to commencing a fresh career. My firstapplication got rejected due to a misinterpretation of an important
document by a Hong Kong based visa officer, and I had to apply all
over again, and hence the delay of 12 years in obtaining the visa. Now I am 55, and youwould agree that this is hardly the age at which one would look at a fresh career in the normal course. However, for the sake of my children, I
decided to go ahead with the migration process, and I landed in Toronto
in December 2009, along with my wife and 25 year old son (who is
currently working as a Project Manager in an IT company in Dubai), and
came back after a month. My son is planning to return to Toronto after
a few months, where he is confident of picking up a job befitting his
background and qualifications (He had a couple of interviews during
the one month we spent in Toronto, and the prospects look good for
him).

However, in my case, things are going to be different. I know my
background as a senior HR professional in India is not going to be of
much use in finding a new job in Canada and I will have to start by
doing survival jobs and get some Canadian experience and acquire CHRP
qualifications before I could even start applying for any
middle/senior level HR positions. The other alternative, of course, is
starting a business venture there, and that is what I wanted your
advise on. I have chosen SK (eiether Saskatoon or Regina) as my final
destination in Canada because I may then be able to sponsor my married
daughter and her husband (and their son) under the provincial nominee
programme. The alternative location I am considering is Winnipeg,
where also the nominee programme processing is as fast as SK, but on the
flip side, the employment/business prospects there are less attractive
(I guess). By the way, my daughter and her husband are both hotel
management professionals in Dubai.

May I request your valuable inputs to help me take a final decision
regarding my plans - firstly regarding employment prospects for a
person like me in SK, and secondly about starting a business of my own
in either Saskatoon or Regina? My first choice for a business, because
of my daughter and son in law's hotel background, would be a
restaurant, a small one to begin with until they join me. I am not
averse to starting something related to Agri-business either. Would
you, by any chance, know any Desi who is in a position to guide me
regarding either? Also, if and when I decide to come to SK either by
end of this year or early next year, will you be in a position to help
me in finding a place to stay etc? I know I have written a rather long
email and have encroached upon your precious time and am asking for a
big favour, but I hope you understand my predicament, especially
since I know practically nobody in Canada. Further, I was encouraged
to write to you after seeing how helpfully you have been guiding and
counselling the other through your postings in CD. I would,
therefore, appreciate a mail with whatever helpful information you can
provide, in your own time.

Thanks and regards,

Hi I 2 ..

First of all, please accept my appreciation for your courage and focused goal. I wish your hard work pays off sooner than expected. After such a long wait, with so many changes in life and around; one could easily flip.

I am sure M Gupta has given you very useful advices and will post the same here for others benefit.

-Ben

Hi Ben,

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I know I will win not only the battle, but the war as well :-)

MGupta is going to reproduce his reply to me here himself. That is why I did not do it. Please wait for a day or two - and you will certainly see his reply here.

Wow !

MG way to go !

Really liked your response

Hello, Mr. Mgupta might remember my pm about two month back. Latest info from my side is that my sis-in-law has reached saskatoon and is fine.
Not a professional but her goal is to get PR. She is a student at present.
She is getting a LMO and job in NOC B category so that she can apply PR after 6 month of job. Thereafter she would call her family. Her son got a visitor visa recently. He may arrive after a few days. A reunion after one year. She is getting emotional satisfaction. She was in Toronto earlier as Student.
I am also applying for some jobs and atleast started getting phone calls!
I would tell you that I never got more than 2-3 calls in Toronto in last 7 years.
However, it is COLD as informed first hand.
However, do not plan for working as student there. it is not legal to work unless you are student in same area.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
trying to find real persons

I may be looking for accomodation in Regina in near future. I also got this information from my sources. let us see how it comes out in the end.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
trying to find real persons