N/A

N/A

HERE it is:



Canada: Promised land — or stopover?
Film shows plight of underemployed
Some are choosing to move elsewhere



PRITHI YELAJA
STAFF REPORTER

Somewhere in Toronto, a brain surgeon from Iran is driving a cab because he can't get licensed to practise in Ontario.

Filmmaker Jawad Jafry came across the man's story while preparing The Night Shift, a 30-minute television documentary that examines the plight of underemployed foreign-trained professionals in Toronto; it premieres in English this week.

No matter how hard Jafry tried, the neurosurgeon refused to be part of the film.

"For a lot of these people, achieving a certain level of academic and professional achievement is a matter of personal pride," said Jafry, 39, whose own parents immigrated to Canada from India in 1964.

"So when you find yourself at the opposite end, there's a lot of shame and embarrassment. They're basically living in a dead-end existence as far as their professional lives are concerned."

But with rising globalization, the tables are turning. Immigrants are discovering they have other choices.

In recent years, the paradox of foreign-trained doctors, engineers, PhDs and other professionals driving taxis and doing other low-level jobs has been so common in Toronto that it's almost a cliché.

The Conference Board of Canada estimates the situation costs the economy more than $2 billion a year, Jafry said. He believes complacency on the issue stems from the fact there's been no shortage of immigrants wanting to come here.

However, other Western countries, such as Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Portugal and Germany — also faced with declining birth rates and aging populations — are aggressively vying to attract skilled immigrants. It's vital in places like Germany, where nearly half the population will be 65 or older by 2030.

Even India and China — historically among the top sources for Canadian immigration — are emerging as economic powerhouses and starting to recruit skilled workers from Canada.

Unlike previous generations of immigrants, who stuck it out even if reality didn't match their expectations, "people just don't make one big permanent move any more," said Don DeVoretz, a professor of economics and expert in global immigration at Simon Fraser University. So Canada may merely serve as a stepping-stone for immigrants.

About 20 per cent of Chinese immigrants who came to Canada in the past 15 years have left — for Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taiwan and the U.S. — and most appear to be doing better economically there, said DeVoretz. "If we don't match jobs to people when they come here, the immigrants will fix it themselves by leaving or not showing up."

Immigration applications from highly skilled workers in China, for example, have "dropped like a stone" in the past year, he said. Partly that stems from Immigration Act changes that put more emphasis on English or French language skills, but it's also "due to the fact word has gotten back that Canada is not a paradise."

There are still more than 100,000 applications from China in the immigration queue, but many are family class, not the "high fliers" that Canada needs to fill skilled jobs, he adds.

Of those who stay, the prospect of a better future for their children is the top reason given.

Malik Khan, a central figure in The Night Shift, wonders if he made the right choice in coming to Canada.

Armed with a chemistry degree and four years of experience in his native Pakistan, Khan arrived in Toronto in 2003 with high hopes. But the only job he could find was working the overnight shift as a security guard at a downtown condo. He shared a tiny apartment with three other men and made weekly calls to his new wife, Fareeha, back in Pakistan.

"Sometimes when I think of my situation here, I remember life was pretty good back home," said Khan, 31. "I'm really struggling."

In Gujranwala, near Lahore, he had a good job. On the side, with his brother, he ran a ceramics factory that employed 30 people making everything from toilets to basins.

In Toronto, he struggled to find work. Even after taking part in a mentoring and co-op program, Khan has been unable to find employment in his field. Fareeha recently arrived from Pakistan and the couple now lives in Guelph, where Khan works in a factory. They live with his uncle to save money. Fareeha has a master's degree in English literature and will probably also join the ranks of the underemployed.

Khan has not ruled out returning to Pakistan.

Part of the problem faced by people like Khan in Canada is that "a lot of employers are puzzled by the qualifications they encounter and don't know how to deal with them," said Jeffrey Reitz, a professor of ethnic and immigration studies at the University of Toronto.

It's a catch-22 because "when foreign-trained professionals apply for jobs at lower levels of skill, having been blocked at the higher levels, sometimes they're eliminated on the basis they're over-qualified."

Australia is perhaps the best in the world at dealing with foreign-trained professionals. It rigorously screens immigrants prior to entry, admitting only those whose skills match job openings or who have a job offer.

"They're less likely to have people who are coming on the blind. Most people who come here don't have a job, but in Australia only a small number come without job prospects," said DeVoretz.

Moreover, Australia grants automatic permanent residence status to overseas graduate students who train at its universities — gaining skilled workers while sidestepping the issue of evaluating foreign credentials.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Night Shift airs on OMNI2 at 7 p.m. Saturday in English and at 8 p.m. June 18 in Hindi.


TAKEN FROM: http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1116798609951&call_pageid=970599119419&DPL=JvsODSH7Aw0u%2bwoRO%2bYKDSblFxAk%2bwoVO%2bYODSbhFxAg%2bwkRO%2bUPDSXiFxMh%2bwkZO%2bUCDSTmFxIk%2bw8RO%2bMKDSPkFxUj%2bw8UO%2bMNDSPgFxUv%2bw8YO%2bILDSLkFxQh1w%3d%3d&tacodalogin=yes

Quote:

---

Orginally posted by Das-FX


If Canada dropped to 50,000 immigrants per year who became successful, people would still complain saying the number was too low.

---

-----------------------------------------------------------------
I once made a mistake, but I was wrong about it.

Quote:

---

Orginally posted by mercury6

Quote:

---

Orginally posted by Das-FX


If Canada dropped to 50,000 immigrants per year who became successful, people would still complain saying the number was too low.

---

At least there would be less people complaining. Approx 1/5 less......

If Canada reduced immig to 50,000 there wouldnt be enough people to do all the blue collar, labor and other low paying Jobs (because all of them will get those fantastic Jobs that we all know Canada is so full of) . You sure are not going to do it.

So Among the people who will complain would also be Canadian business leaders who need those immigrants.

The truth is Canada and the immigrants need each other desperately.

---

N/A

Canadian Broadcast Premiere of The Night Shift
A Documentary Film by Adamic Media

In Canada we used to complain of a brain drain to the United States. Today we suffer from a massive case of brain hemorrhaging. Foreign trained professionals often languish in dead-end jobs after having been told by our immigration officials that their talents are needed here. At the same time, Canada continues to face a shortage of skilled workers.

The Night Shift is the story of Malik Khan a foreign trained professional who left his newlywed bride, his family and business to establish a better life in Canada. Malik is determined to achieve the Canadian dream. He’s even enrolled in a special five month course to help better market himself in Canada. Among Malik’s classmates are a number of Ph.D.’s who toil away in survival jobs instead of contributing to their own fields.

Canada’s economy loses between two to three billion dollars each year as a result of this hemorrhaging of talent. Will Malik fulfill his dream or will he become another depressing statistic? The Night Shift is a documentary film in three languages -English, Hindi and Urdu - and is produced, directed, written and edited by Jawad Jafry.

Broadcast Premiere of The Night Shift:

1. Night Shift (Urdu) airs on April 30th at 8-8:30 pm on OMNI-2

2. Night Shift (English) airs on May 28th at 7-7:30 pm on OMNI-2

3. Night Shift (Hindi) airs on June 18 at 8-8:30 pm on OMNI-2


About the Producer.
Jawad Jafry is the older son of SGP Jafry of Jafry Communications and He is a
graduate of Ryerson in Radio & TV. Jawad is involved in broadcasting when he
was five year old and He started broadcasting on Radio when he was 8 years old
(1973) and on TV when he was 16 (1981).

He is also the creator of Islamic Video Cartoon series for Children called
"Adam's World" very popular with Muslim Children all over Canada, USA, UK and
many other Countries.

For more information he can be reached home at 416-321-0047 And Mobile at
416-878-3884.

http://www.adamicmedia.com/