200+ Immigrant rants

RESPONSES TO “WHY SOME IMMIGRANTS LEAVE CANADA” (My thoughts at the end)


"Totally agree.. Marketer with an MBA Degree from York (My 2nd one ) still finding difficult to grow here. Total INTELLECTUAL RACISM!"


"Too many things under the surface you can’t figure it out till you live in this society like discrimination,Racism,Nepotism,Hatred many,many social disease in this society and the government is not doing enough to eliminate this"

Canada sucks, plain and simple!!!! No jobs, lots of racism and discrimination for qualified immigrants, awful weather, bad and expensive food, cold and ignorant people, a third world economy based in natural resources, no culture, etc., etc., etc. The no jobs part is the worst, typical red neck canadians are very hypocrite and put endless obstacles to smart skilled immigrants at every step of the way…


I’ll be leaving Canada at the end of this year 4 good. My story is similar to that of Praveen Rao’s. And Sattack above is 100% right. And don’t forget about the systemized corruption that goes on, millions of dollars misused by the 3 levels of governance. Disunited states of Canada is correct. The country’s future looks bleak.


I second the motion Sattack and k3kiaze. Canada is an overrated country! Beware. I’ve invested time and money just to settle here but nothing good is happening. I don’t see a clear future ahead of me with the way things are going. I’ve thought of leaving this country for good and go back to my home country or move to Asia where there are better career opportunities and decent wage. I have a year to really sort it out but if it doesn’t work, I’ll be like them packing up my things too.


I left Canada because of the Racism and Discrimination and the Family legal system took away my children without any evidence and concise proofs.
I’m shock of the a poor society where family has no value and it’s all about money… The Canadian legal system is racist and injustice based!
Not to mention the job situation. I’m not impress with Canada at all!
It’s a society where you have to lie and have a lot of money and be corrupted to be able to succeed. I don’t think, I will ever want to go back to hell… for the record, I’m a citizen :-(


:Canada’s economy is Immigration. Canada uses propaganda portray that it has good jobs and other social/economic benefits to entice immigrants. Over 90% of the immigrants who come will ‘testify’ that they DON’T get good jobs. Canada also ‘does not recognize’ foreign certifications, this is another ‘ploy’ to get immigrants to spend their money to get ‘Canadian’ qualifications. Then there is the housing problem, houses are priced and built in ‘planned communities’ to get immigrant money and ‘house’ them in ‘controlled neighborhoods’. I have a ‘Bell Canada’ unit in my front Yard and because of that I can’t do anything in my front yard (I am paying for Bell to have their stuff in my property, they are protected by the law). In short, here are the figures: New immigrants bring a minimum of $10BN per year to Canada, Immigrants in limbo (deciding to day or go) bring over $13BN PER MONTH to Canada. So, Canada does not care if you leave after coming here (you have already spent at least $30K and have done the ‘lords’ a service by doing the ‘menial’ jobs). There are Billions in queues awaiting to come to ‘promised land’. All in all, immigrants are the one to blame as NOBODY tells the REAL situation to their friends and family back home.


90% of Canadian immigrants leave Canada to USA…as soon as they get their passports. Canada is too ‘Brtitish’ for its own good.



i was trying for canada.but i will cancel.after reading the testimonies of the experienced ones


I am a canadian whose family has lived here 400 years. I could not get married as I never found secure work in canada and I am educated. I grew up middle class. I have to move many times to different places to secure work. I am now in ottawa since 2008 and only found two temp jobs in 2 years. I am now returning to school since I cannot find work in anything I have been educated in or even in the retail type jobs. There are too many people here competing for the few jobs available. The longest I had a job in canada was at a university, it took me 10 months to get a job there, I scored 98% on the testing that was 8 hours and they automated my job after 3 years.



Dont believe what they tell you about canada. Ottawa laid off 150,000 government workers in the past year alone. We have a 24% true unemployment rate in canada. Companies are moving overseas or automation is killing our jobs. MOst immigrants open corner stores because they cant get work in their fields of study. Canada is not he same as it was 25 years ago- then we needed educated people we dont now. My nephew will be a doctor in 4 years-it took alot for him to get accepted hes very bright. One in every two immigrants who comes into canada goes on social assistance….alot of them are moslems…



canada is heaven for less-educated immigrants…but hell for highly educated ones…..its not multicultred but un-cultured…u never know the aim of ur life….just working…earning…spending..paying taxes…..u cant dream for ur next gen.. u cant enjoy ur festivals..like ur nation…..i went to canada with mbbs degree…worked there like security guard…salesman….govt.of canada does not seek justice for immigrants…..most of people cant come back to thier nations becoz of some feel of shame or insult….they send thier kids to marry to native nations..becoz too much freedom n independence have made white people unfit for marriage……..well..i am back to india…got postgraduation …happily living with my family…problems r everywhere in world…but peace is there alwyas at ur home…ur nation…motherland…



I am a canadian woman whose family came in 1630. I have not been able to find a FT job since 2008. I live in ottawa. I am educated and have great experience. I found two temp jobs in govt offices but the wages dropped from 20 an hour to 11- just a bit over minimum wage. The agenices keep putting in new people so u cannot get another contract in the same place or eve hope to get hired, thats how they make their money and this is how the govt saves! I have looked for 2.5 years for work in various occupations but have not found anything, there are roughly 750 against you for every job you apply for so employers can be very picky.
I decided I will return study for 1 year in a fast growing field. I have not had secure work in canada since I was 20 years old. I have worked in government, private sector, retail, security…and I have had to move to different cities to find work, I have now lived in 3 provinces in canada in big city and small towns and I am single with no government help……..
I think immigration should be halted for 2 years as we have a 24% unemployment rate in canada and there are very few jobs for anyone right now and very few FT jobs. Massive dumping of people is making things worse not better and driving up the cost of living and food prices………..Ontario is awful now its a have-not province due to massive immigration for 30 years which was suppose to make us richer!!



I decided to go back to my homeland in 2015 to retire early in my country after spent my live for emptiness here. I just wait for my daughter to finish her university and then I will move back to warm and beautiful homeland.
Educated immigrants are ruined here. Please find the better place.



Canada is such a waste of life! Cold , unfriendly people in a cold, unfriendly country. Immigrants beware!



I remember an interview with (then) minister of immigration in 2006. He clearly said what Canada really needs are construction workers and truck drivers. Good news for me. I was neither! When you apply as a skilled “worker” take it absolutely literally, especially if you are already educated. You are here to work in retail and low level survival jobs (so that Canadian conservative management never feels shaken), consume (so that Canadian corporations make more money) and pay taxes so that the original Canadian elderly can retire securely with their free health care. There ill be no free health care at the time You are going to be retired, as the system is already bankrupt. Reminds me of the song “Royal Scam” by Steely Dan.



Hi IT Guy. Like the other posts, IT jobs are outsourced to India and other countries. Come if you would like to regress…. I have the same story – moved here because of crime and now will be moving back, despite the same high crime rates in South Africa. Canada should be sued by immigrants for ‘positive selling’ – or lying to immigrants. There are no jobs here and you will (guaranteed) be discriminated against, especially if you are non-white (I am of European decent and can tell you that Canadian Employers are more racist than South African or other employers). They want us to come (keeping lawyers alive with your application), buy a house (keep the housing market alive), open a Bank account (keeping the Banking Industry alive) and spend money (keeping everyone else alive!) and then basically: screw us. ‘Canadian Experience’ is a joke. In my profession Canada is about 5 years behind SA – a developing country and I find the local exams, etc. very easy in comparison.



South African.. you hit the nail…IT Guy and others, take these posts seriously. I think I spilled too much of the beans. I just said it as it is, no political correctness, nothing, so no wonder after about 6 hours my posting is yet to be published…wow! Canadian experience, what a joke?
Here is a picture of the Canadian experience in the typical workplace….smoke break and coffee break probably every 2 hours or a little bit less, call in sick at the slightest opportunity, spend the first 10 minutes of a meeting talking about trivialities such as the weather, the dog, next place for vacation, spend the minimum effort in completing an assignment, back biting and gossip in the workplace..
Hopefully this post gets published.


Canada is finish as a country. Government have sold people out, all jobs went to China. I don’t care if it’s cheaper to make there then sell somewhere else. If you’r black or white colour skin we all affected. You have to halt all purchase of product made in China. How many of you check where thing are made before you buy it. Don’t shop at local chinese store call the store you shop at and ask for Canadian made product. Live like Amish people here in Ontario you would learn a thing or two.



Most talented and educated immigrants will eventually leave Canada for the US. Only those unskilled refugees will stay in Canada.



My family and I emigrated here in August. My husband secured a job . I am an IT professional who’s frustrated. .I have been applying every single day for a job and nothing is coming up..not even an interview. I feel we will both regress in our professions. Elementary schools are also way behind in terms of teaching the kids. Canada sucks big time. I want to go back home..we wasted our money coming here. Its a pity we have to learn the hard way. The weather is horrible.



Maybe I am one of those rednecks that people speak about but let me say this: I recently moved out of a neighbourhood because I felt like a stranger in my own country. I have no idea how immigrants are allowed in this country who either cannot speak English or refuse to do so. I would go to the grocery store and people would argue over prices with minimal ability to communicate and get angry when store management did not provide an employee who could speak their language. You do not move to Canada with the intention of establishing a smaller version of your former country in a new land. If you come to Canada, you should make up your mind first to become Canadian. I don’t care where you come from, if you come to Canada with the expectation of re-creating your old country here, you will be disappointed.



Hey other ‘south African’ – I see there are at least 3 of us on the site. Some good news is that the Human Rights Commission of Ontario recently declared it a violation of human rights to ask us about our ‘Canadian Experience’ during any interview process, as the question was only designed to exclude immigrants from working here. But yes we were cheated by clever marketing to keep their economy alive. What makes this tough is lots of us come from violent countries and have suffered things like rape, murder in our families, terrible discrimination and other bad things just to come here and suffer this further discrimination. It breaks one’s back and many of us are now spreading this truth about Canada worldwide. HEY ROB – yes, but your comments has nothing to do with us. Mostly refugees (not skilled immigrants) you are talking about – they will stay and we will leave.



I feel sorry for all these newcomers. Canada is not the country it once was. The government has cut EI benefits so hardly anyone can claim it yet they keep the money they take from our pays. They are treating veterans very bad here too cutting out offices etc. The country is going for broke. I apply to jobs all the time for 2. 5 years now and I cant find any work at all. I have never seen it this bad. Alot is due to automation and the internet. I am trying to return to my birth city which does not fare any better than ottawa for work but its cheaper for me to live there. I had to leave my birth city 7 times since age 25 and I am college educated. I dont know if a degree would have made a difference. I know people with degrees working in factories and coffee shops. A family friend was very bright and educated and all he could find was working in a factory. Then he moved to florida and climbed up the ladder to success to become a top manager for a corner store chain. The problem with ottawa in particular is the french influence and if you are not french you cannot move up the ladder and in case like mine, you will not even get an interview because 90% of the government jobs are bilingual here and ottawa is 10% french. Therefore 10% can pick and chose and the 90% are competing against hundreds for one job. Thats why I am leaving ottawa. To add insult to injury, all the hospitals here are bilingual now and I dont speak french so its a convenient way to eliminate alot of people! This is not the first time this has happened to me. I also worked for Immigration back in 1990 and all the english people were laid off and the bilinguals were all transferred to another department.



I have read what people wrote and all of you are 100% correct. I am a Canadian woman married to a Lebanese Christian man for 39 years and my husband received his IT back home and couldn’t work here in Canada in his profession. He did menial work for years and all he did was pay high taxes. We live in Ottawa and no jobs and like someone said here 24% is the real unemployment – I totally agree with you. My daughter cannot find work either and she is Canadian and my family goes back some hundreds of years as well.
To all potential immigrants you have to be really poor and wanting to come to Canada and be able to adjust. You must be able to speak English and French fluently. There is a huge discrimination, the jobs do not pay much – more like minimum wage like what Jane and others said which is so true and what my daughter has been making. I can go on and on in talking but everything that everyone said here is absolutely true. It is the people who are very impoverished who appreciate Canada the most. Everything is mighty expensive and yes the food is not the greatest. The climate here is horrible and you must be able to tolerate the cold weather and be very healthy. Take care everyone and best of luck to all of you. We are having our problems as well even being Canadian born and raised. My husband never liked Canada since the beginning but we have nowhere else to go. All the best to everyone.



I have not faced that much of problem. came to Canada in 2007, started by a supporting job to pay bills, got professional license in 2008 and got a good job. everybody respects me in my work place. Off course, Canada is a country of trade people and they reach higher positions, just like in India 50 years before and in most cases they do not allow/beleive educated people to come in. But you will get opportunity somewhere in this big country, real educated people in Canada , normally, do not descriminate foreign education and experience.



Many of you are complaining that you have received a commensurate education before coming to Canada and that discrimination is the reason for your unsuccessful endeavours. Judging by the incompetency of the written word I’ve observed reading these comments, I am not sure discrimination is the primary factor. I also work in the health care system, and rarely, RARELY, does a nurse coming from Southeast Asia, or other parts of the developing world have the required skills. So,no,in my opinion, as a degree educated individual who is also a first generation Canadian, do I believe that all cases of “educated” individuals being passed over for career positions are all based in inherent racism. I find that those who complain the most, are the least qualified.



I think Canada should allow us as skilled immigrants to own property here and lessen the investment visa requirements, as clearly we are only allowed in to buy houses, cars, etc. and not to add to the economy with our skills. I don’t think the Government knows how to reverse their immigration policies without a collapse in the housing, car and other markets stimulated by immigrants. Its simple – if you came after 2009, you are in trouble in Canada and your CV will just be ignored – whether you are a doctor, someone with 2 masters degrees or anything similar. Before the recession – you are fine. Canada does not create jobs currently and it is clear, whether wrong or right, that skilled immigrants are pushed out to make way for Canadian citizens. Why not then lessen the 730 day rule to say 200 days or so in order for us to work at our professions (other than by serving people with our doctorates at Tim Hortens / McDonalds)?



Here goes my 10 cents… I am an IT Professional with +10 years of experience (Oracle Fusion Middleware and Java developer) and I lost my job about 2 months ago. There are very few good jobs (at decent rate, 70k or higher) I see better paying jobs in my home country (A third world one) then here, besides, for every job you apply for there are 50 candidates; IT here is super crowded. I had last week a good offer from a US company (115k) I didn’t leave yet because I am going to get my citizenship by 2014, once I get it, I’m leaving… good look for those who are coming…



Victoria BC Canada and Vancouver Island is only good to VISIT, All the people and culture are slow, uptight, cliquey, restricted, lacking, poor in all social, political, economic matters. Read the comments on http://www.ratemyemployer.ca, http://www.topix.com, http://www.yelp.com, BBB, others. Research or you are screwed.
Many say the educational, economic, social systems in the USA and Canada are nothing more than a Ponzie Scheme trick. All your work and educational experience means nothing. Some cities and provinces in Canada are worse than others as the whole system is corrupted by discrimination, nepotism, politics, and short sighted policies and practices that will collapse the society someday. All of this is like a economic, housing, educational bubble ready to burst. People are paying too much to get back too little in this money sucking scheme that only benefit the people running the scam to milk the suckers, everyone else. 
Students will be shackled with huge debts in a corrupted job market that has nothing left to offer for the sacrifices. They will still be under employed or unemployed while being indentured slaves to their large student loan debts. They may be farther ahead with just saving money while working at a cheap job and avoiding post secondary education debts. Too many people are graduating with college and university and their job market value is decreasing as everyone can get a certificate, diploma, degree. The education price is sky rocketing as more people demand an increasingly worthless piece of paper, like a form of educational hyperinflation.



i m working in south africa since 8 year as driver i got south african driver code 14 lic and valid work permit want migrat to canada pls help



I moved from the USA in 2012 as a skilled worker class. It has been very difficult to survive here. For the last two years I had been struglling to find a decent job. I have masters in Physics and vast teaching and mangement experience. in India and The USA.

True, the Skilled worker class immigration system is definately a mislead to the immigrants.When we move in the middle of the carrer it is true devastation to your personal confidence and education. I am able to make my bread and butter out of my common sense not my expertise or skills. i had been applying for jobs everyday without fail. No responses at all. Here the hiring is not done by the talent but the links.
Yes evry second day the situations compells me to leave canada and force to repent the descision I made to immigrate to Canada. 

The elementary school education is terrible. School system does not have a “CARE”forstudents. There are no goals set for individual learning. Much more to say……………



Hi There. Just to be fair with the current political system around the world, No country is perfect actually. I came to Vancouver to do my degree in 2006 and i love every second when i was there. I came home after my studies to pursue the belief of which “3rd world country provides better prospect of career growth and opportunity”. I was wrong. Most of the top post which was covered by foreign talents and “first” class citizens, and the prospects of growing in the corporate world is limited. I came from a country where democracy is just a mask for corruption. Although i was born in my beloved country, i was treated as a second class citizen. Bear in mind, i represent the 4th generation for my family in my country. What about the Economy? Inflation rises 2 times faster than your annual wage increment. Properties rises 10-20% annually. Buying power reduce minimum of 5%, vehicles will cost you extra 300% on tax and debt service ratio stands average 70-80% per person. That will leave you very minimal in your take home pay. Public school/universities and government post/jobs is limited because you are a second class citizen. But if you are the “first” class citizen, you will stand in better chance in tendering for government projects, apply to public schools, obtain business loan from the govenment (in which never service the repayment), gets to enjoy additional 7% discount on new property purchases and etc etc. By the way, if you ever visit here, you will also notice there are tons of freeway/highway tol booths (we pay a lot to tol charges just to use these roads due to bad road planning that causes unbearable traffic jams), because these amenities are control by private sectors (more like government cronies). And last but not least, your government will never openly say “GO BACK TO YOUR OWN COUNTRY!” when the people rally due to the hike in taxes and prices. Just for your info, my country is also run by RACE BASED POLITICS. Yes, you are right, a racist government. Work hard is all i can say, and thats what my ancestors have been doing for the past 100 years just to stay in this country. Which country you live in that does not expect you to contribute 101% of your time to work? Work hard and smart in the same time, to improve the economy and also to provide growth for all sectors and also your children’s future. Happy New Year Everyone and Wish You a Good Year ahead. (Hoping to come back to Vancouver in the near future)



I wanted to add my two cents on the comments made here. I have a honours degree from the UK, with a wealth of experience in my field. Coming to Canada was the worst mistake of my life. The hoarding of opportunities, rampant nepotism, intellectual racism and a lack of empathy for the immigrant experience is what sums up Canada for me. Despite my ability and experience I have been stuck here and aim to leave. Singh made a comment that rung so true: Canada is better for those less educated, willing to “live to work” instead of actually have a life. For the person who commented that people must not be able to converse in English hence the discrimination – this is categorically not true. My English is perfect so why am I being discriminated against. Furthermore, for those who say that why are people crying for things to be in their language and for there to be staff who speak their lingo I say this : is the immigrant tax dollar somehow cheaper than the born Canadians (the majority of whom were immigrant’s themselves!)? Why bring in foreign workers if you don’t aim to provide adequate services for them. Why is that other western countries provide services in different languages? Why do we not see people in power that reflect the very community it serves? Racism. And its not obvious racism but covert, sinister and probably the worst I have ever seen. I cannot wait to leave this country!



Moved to Toronto with wife and 2 daughters in 2009. I am ca from India and CPA from California USA. Candian ca institute did not recognized US CPA from California for reciprocal award of Canada CA. Got job after 3 months with Indian CGA for $1500 a month. Came back to India permanently after 2 months as not satisfied with job prospectus of CGA in Toronto. Settled at Mohali near Chandigarh with parents family income of Rs70k per month, feels satisfied



This country is awfully corrupt, as a student at George Brown College, I was forced to study college English and that course cost me C$1000, a course that I should have been exempted from, at the same time I received an exemption from a microeconomics course that should have saved me C$1000 but the college’s excuse for charging me C$1000 was that we pay on a per semester base and not on a course base this in itself is corruption as why must one pay for a course where one did not need to study for it, neither did I learn a thing and also I did not take up resources for it either.

I am beginning to hate this country, my professors have masters and Phds and yet their ability to calculate mathematical numbers is awful, my own un-educated mother has been able to calculate numbers mentally faster than I can and yet the Canadian professors themselves are not able to do so. 
Whats even worse is that backward mindedness, outdated material… is the order of the day at Canadian learning institutions. 

We have many channels to take our complaints to, but the thing is that the channels are not able to do anything about it, this makes me wonder whether or not the channels were created for appeasing the distressed – they channels are like ‘toothless dogs” – (a metaphor), who only appear to give hope but cannot do anything at all.

Guys this country is just too corrupted and is comparable to a third world nation, the only difference is that it is slightly better managed. If you are well educated do not come to this country as it shall de-motivate you and possibly lead to a lowering of one’s IQ levels.

The country social cultural habits are very bad, the people are very oblivious and do not care about others at all. Don’t believe me, come and see it for your selves.

I also incurred a huge amount of expenses as the Canadian govt did not process my passport on time, I had to lose the amount of money for the earlier bought ticket spend an additional C$2250 more for a ticket at the last minute, I incurred additional phone charges close to C$60 + travelling costs close to another C$100 just to get my own passport. In total it cost me C$2410 for an un-employed student who has an interest rate of 19.99% on my credit card, I highly think that this is unfair and that the govt should have done a thing about this.

But then again this is Canada, in some aspects it is worse than a third world country (education, culture, mannerisms, tradition, common sense….)



To those of you who say you left a good paying job in the US to come to Canada, I’d like to know why. I’m assuming it’s got to do with the inability to renew a work visa in the US. Canada has 1/10th the population of the US so why would you expect many opportunities here. I also think it’s interesting that many of you call Canada “racist” as Canada’s entire immigration system is based on how not racist we are and how we encourage people to come here to celebrate their diversity. Multiculturalism was a huge mistake and gave immigrants the idea that they could come to Canada and live like they’re still in their own country only with government perks and safety. The United States expects you to become an American first and you can celebrate your roots on your own time and dime. I know and work with lots of immigrants who have good paying jobs and good lives. Canada has always been a place where there wasn’t that much opportunity and many native born Canadians have left for greener pastures for economic reasons and better weather. Why didnt you do your homework before you moved here. A lot of people come here to get a Canadian passport then leave which is incredibly deceptive and self serving. You want Canada to treat you like citizens when you actually hate the place and are not loyal to it at all. Just leave without the passport if you hate it so much. I’m an American and a Canadian. Both countries have their pros and cons. It is well known that Canada is a natural resource based economy and the US is a consumer based ecomony. If you couldn’t get into the US Canada is not the next best thing by a long shot. And getting a Canadian passport doesn’t suddenly make you more attractive to American immigration. They think Canada is full of terrorists because of a slack immigration policy. As far as Canada being in the business of immigration? It was actually the Liberals in the business of bringing in people who would vote for them out of a sense of gratitude for letting them enter Canada. People who have been here awhile and have established themselves see through that one. If you are in fear of your lives in your own country then getting out and going anywhere safer is what you have to do. If you are leaving for a better materialistic life, go to the US. Canada will never be able to offer you the lifestyle you can achieve in the US. Note: if you move to the US and become a citizen or even just a green card holder, you will be filing tax returns and possibly paying taxes to the US for the rest of your life whether you live in the US or not. Their tax code is based on citizenship not residency, so if you naturalize in US and return to your own country Uncle Sam will have his hand in your pocket and the IRS will know every single bank acount, investment, etc. that you have as foreign banks have all agreed to allow this. I know as I file in US as well as in Canada and the IRS is extremely intrusive and my bank is afraid of them – as am I. Things really haven’t changed in Canada since I can remember, it’s all just hype as many of you have figured out. I”m back in Canada to care for family. May or may not return to US to retire. I work in healthcare and it’s just as bad there as it is here. And nepotism is worldwide.



It’s a cold country with colder people. Multiculturalism is a sham, and no one wants to know about your culture. People are box-minded and very, very conservative. Society is intellectually stunted. Very grave situation for qualified and educated immigrants. Hence, if you’ve come here, it’s best to get the best out of Canada. Avail all govt resources given out to immigrants (like free healthcare, though we pay for it, free education for children, different kinds of loans and grants, etc) get the citizenship and move out before you start earning so much that you have to pay heavy taxes. Moving to USA, Middle East or going back to India, Pakistan are the best options. And anyway, in other countries your Canadian citizenship status will get you a better pay package. Sad to say, but Canada cannot be called anyone’s home. It’s not ‘warm’ enough.



Not only immigrants and residents leave Canada because of bad jobs, bad pay, bad social life culture. Even natural born Canadians leave when they become frustrated and bored. Some provinces and cities are better than others, but the whole system is not as good as Asia, Europe, and some other continents. They will pay you your value and some have cheaper living costs to wages. Canada is all about corruption, nepotism, connections as merit, skills, experience does not matter. It is all a money sucking, rip off, Ponzie Scheme scam in its politics, education, medical, economic, and social systems. Screw you and thanks for your money sucker! The worse of them all is Vancouver Island, Victoria, BC, Canada. The city metro is very old money, old boys/girls network, culturally cold, cheap, and uptight. Read the people’s comments on http://www.ratemyemployer.ca, http://www.topix.com (Victoria BC section), http://www.yelp.com, http://www.thedirty.com, Yahoo Answers. Knowledge is power and ignorance will get you screwed.



Thank you G. Lawrence. Your comment is so impartial and full of truths. I came to Canada in 2009. I’ve invested a lot of my time in my studies (Msc in Computational Mathematics) and international certifications (CFA exams completed, SAS and C++ ), I speak and write French and English, but the only job I’ve done in this country is with call centers. If the government of Canada could present the immigration opportunity like Mr G. Lawrence, many immigrants would certainly not take the risk to come here, but the few adventurers would not complain. I’ve lost my career back home and my small saving during the 6 years I worked there. I’m planning my return in summer 2014 after having wasted 4 years of my life. I thing I can still catch up, God willing.



Thank you G. Lawrence, your comment is so impartial and full of truths. I came to Canada in 2009. I’ve invested a lot of my time in my studies (Msc in Computational Mathematics) and international certifications (CFA exams completed, SAS and C++ ), I speak and write French and English, but the only job I’ve done in this country is with call centers. If the government of Canada could present the immigration opportunity like Mr G. Lawrence, many immigrants would certainly not take the risk to come here, but the few adventurers would not complain. I’ve lost my career back home and my small saving during the 6 years I worked there. I’m planning my return in summer 2014 after having wasted 4 years of my life. I thing I can still catch up, God willing.



VERY true, you ever see an immigrant or for matter a 2nd generation brown immigrant with no qualifications in a top job No. Ever see a white canadian with college diploma in top job yes. Bottom line racism exists here a lot but Canadians will never tell you that to your face gave to keep up the nicest stereotype.



My parents immigrated here in 1990. I grew up in Canada, speak perfect English, and have a family here. I have 2 degrees, speak French and can’t get a job in anything other than temp work. I grab my Tim’s every morning just like everyone else, go camping in the summer, and am Canadian to the core. Between the 4 of us, my siblings and I are qualified in the following fields: travel agent, teacher, mechanic, and nutritionist. We pay taxes, we contribute to society. We are good people. But we can’t get anywhere. I don’ t know if it’s because we’re not white or because our last name isn’t Smith or Morin but it’s really frustrating. We can’t go anywhere because Canada is all we know. Why let people into the country when they can’t get jobs?



If only I can refund ALL the expenses I had here in this joke of a country, I’d take it and just go back to my country. Moving to Canada was the biggest mistake of my life.



Hi everybody…reading all comments was really good experience and eye opening for me. But I feel Canada has given us the opportunity to work, wherever we feel like, taken care of your health, by giving you health card, taken care of your children education, by free education and there are many more facilities and liberties Canada has given to us. Yes…. I am also leaving Canada. I also came with my wife and two daughter to Canada for my brighter prospects, brighter prospectus for my wife and good education for my daughters. But, here I realized that we are ill-equipped for Canada. I do agree with comments posted but not all comments. Its not Canada who is raciest, its people, People of different origins, different culture. different race and different background. They spread this. Canada has welcomed us here with his open arms but circumstances lead us to take this decision and feel like this. Ya, I do agree that we have to up-grade our education as per Canadian standards, then what’s wrong? Once we are in Canada, we should follow the Canadian systems otherwise we will spoil the system. Why we chose Canada – it was because of all these systems. We all know in our hearts that it was our deficiencies that we could not get adjust as per system. Remember those days when we applied for visa, waiting period, feel the feeling when we got the visa and finally we saw Canada. That’s commendable. Now what happened to us…? I feel that we are selfish.. Yes I do feel like this for myself. We should think in broader platform so it wont hurt us and will not shatter image of any country for our failures.



Thanks Baisakhi Roy for speaking out courageously. I too left Canada as being a qualified accountant, I do not want to work delivering pizzas and being security guard. I do not say such jobs are inferior, but a qualified accountant doing such jobs is a waste of talent and effort. Wherever I went seeking job, either I lacked ‘Canadian Experience’ or was ‘overqualified’. Applied more than 400 jobs and got only 2 calls for interview. The jobs offered were selling insurance or collecting debts. Thanks Canada for allowing to spend 5 years of savings in just a couple of months! Thanks Canada for the beer and Niagara Falls! Thanks Canada, you allowed to come and leave; and find better opportunities in other countries where my education and experience is valued; and feel sorry for you as you are loosing many educated and loyal future citizens.



My Canadian husband went to NZ to study and work in his mid 20s. Education is cheaper there, cost of living is low and there are plenty of jobs. He decided to return home after 10+ years so he could be near his elderly family during their final years and now finds that after 1 year he still can’t get a job here. He’s white, has long-standing ancestral ties to the area he lives in, and has three university degrees. He can’t even get an interview for anything, be it a highly paid job in his field or a min wage labouring job. No one is interested. I’m beginning to suspect his foreign degrees are actually working against him. He’s been out of the country too long and Canada doesn’t like that, eh? Sad situation. We may have to head back to NZ to survive.



Thanks for all your comments guys, specifically Tanya’s- pretty much genuine ones!
I do not blame Canada, rather I do blame myself. If you are not satisfied of the quality of life you are having, FIND AN ALTERNATIVE!

Racism does exist (yet, some people are kind) – polished, well advertised diversity and multi-cultured life for immigrants with stress on the integration factor into the Canadian society that only exist in the fictional world (totally different story you find on ground) and, last but not least, the big title – The Canadian Experience that actually considered the worst worldwide where you will never get exposed to a real experience that will benefit you in any potential, future career goal or does not even match your academic qualifications. 

For the lovely G. Lawrence’s comment about being deceptive to have a passport and leave the country! I am just wondering, isn’t it deceptive from being drawn to the country, spending more than $50k as premium international tuition fees, promised to be equally treated as per employment concern, working in a labor intensive sector, fast food and in overnight shifts in some warehouse and paid as low as $10.25……..who does that? Engineers, Programmers, MBA graduates or maybe, according to my experience, all of them plus a doctor, astonishingly, handed out to me a sandwich once in a fast food restaurant.

Without the immigrants, the tax payers, the economy would be history now. And for all who still wondering why bringing people in if there are no jobs? Well, immigrants, in most cases, injects into the country everything has brought from home-country and even they take loans in hoping that after getting the Canadian, fancy experience, they will land in a descent job – something related to their academic background. So it is a huge benefit for the economy; easy money invested in.
I feel sorry for all people who came here to live the North American Dream, they ended up working at Tim Hortons or McDonald! 

To conclude, lots of potential people now are shifting towards other countries, like Australia – I still love Canada though.



I lived in Canada for 5 years from 2000 to 2005 and moved to US since. It’s the same shit everywhere I swear. My brother lives in England I visit him once a while. He is not rich and people in UK r struggling I’m talking about British citizens not immigrants….I have friends in France they hate the day they moved there and the french r the first people to consume anti depressant drugs in the world…In Australia, don’t think it’s easier u’ll suffer big time be4 finding a decent job and some immigrants left it because of its consisting bored weather(the same all year) and the feeling of being far away from the world…My advise is: if u have a good or decent job at home keep it, and if u can afford to travel, yes come here visit the US and Canada or elsewhere….if u r financially poor yes I recommend u to come here but unfortunately the odds r those people generally speaking won’t be able to make it here…that’s life…



I thought this my own problem, however, reading through the comments of others I get relieved. My story is almost similar to most of the stories outlined above. I came to Canada in 2011 as a PR. However, I did not stay permanently taking the advantage of staying 2 years in every five years. In August 2013, I resigned my well-paid Associate Professor job in one of the leading universities in the Gulf countries. By the way, I hold a Ph.D. in Management from a leading university in UK and more than 12 years of teaching and research experience. Once I arrived I started to apply here and there, almost I applied for advertised jobs in more than 35 universities and colleges. I got only two interviews, for an instructor position in two different colleges, one in Alberta and the other one in Toronto (post-secondary education). The funny thing is that in Alberta college, 7 people interviewed me and non of them is a Ph.D. holder and after 3 weeks they replied negatively by telling me that the market is very competitive, given that the instructor position is considered below lecturer in the ladder of academic institutions (TA -Instructor -Lecturer -Assistant Professor – Associate Professor –Professor). The second interview held in November 2013 and the interviewee immediately told me that the college will start in take in March 2014, so I will contact you by that time to see what we are going to do, and to your knowledge the duration of this job is 5 weeks and it is contractual. One university also send me an apology letter telling that we already selected the person to fill the job and your application was unsuccessful this time. The rest of places I applied for never contacted me. From that moment, I started to realize that there is no future for me in this country. The problem is that it is not easy to get back to my home country nor to the Gulf country where I came from. I am stuck at the middle. My immediate plan is to get survival job, till I get my citizenship and immediately leave this country.



Sure, constant incoming immigrants into Canada injects new money. However it is all short term, short sighted. It is only sustainable for now. Someday the whole scheming system will dry up and seize up. They don’t want you, only your money and assets. They could be more honest and just advertise for you to transfer all your assets to Canada and tell you to stay in your home country. You are just going to join the other birth Canadians in their job, economic, and social life depression. I agree with many of the other people’s comments on Ratemyemployer.ca, Topix.com, Yahoo Answers, and others.



Some provinces like British Columbia (BC) is sarcastically referred to as the province of Bring Cash. This is because BC is restricted, cheap pay, debt ridden, low savings, and poor compared to the other provinces of Alberta (AB), and Saskatchewan (SK) where you have a 1/4 change at any kind of job, BC has 1/98 chances. You have to bring your own own and friends to BC as you will not find any there.



Canada is not a nation for International doctors. Medical Council of Canada does not want them to be licensed practitioners even if they pass all medical licensing examinations. The Problem is that they do not get matched into residency.



I recently moved to Canada and was offered a job in a Senior position at ISM (a reputed organisation in Canada) through an employment agency. Although I applied for the same role directly through the organisation’s website but did not get any response rather when I applied through the agency I got the job immediately as a contractor for 12 months. As soon as I start my work, all my so called qualified and non-qualified white colleagues and Finance manager started doing sneaky politics and tried to confuse me since I do not have white skin. One of the qualified accountants9who never attended in any class while he was doing his bachelor degree as he mentioned to me) commented that having a degree form UK does not qualify me to get a job in a senior position in Canada. Not to mention that, I completed my Master’s degree in Finance from a UK university and have 15 years of working experiences in many reputed organisations. My manager and junior staffs were forcing me to do data entry tasks and asked me to help them in their tasks despite I was recruited for a senior and supervising role. Some of them also shouted at me saying ‘As a Contract staff, I should do those jobs and help them in their tasks rather than carrying out my designated jobs. My manager who is very lazy and unskilled (although he and others claim themselves well qualified accountant and putting their qualification tile in their email which I found very funny) unable to provide the quality jobs as the organisation was expecting. They all were constantly playing games with me since I joined at my work place and finally got rid of me in six weeks’ time saying, I do not fit in their team as I always try to contact with higher key people at the organisation (they tried to mean I always try to contact with the head of the department who is an FCO). What an excuse to get rid of an educated skilled people. People are in Canada are very sneaky and low mentality regardless their education level. If qualified people in a reputed organisation are like that, you can imagine the rest of the people in that country who do hardly have any education. After losing my job just after six weeks in such a reputed organisation, I have decided to go back to England as working environment there is much better than Canada. In my short period of staying in Canada, I have learnt that Canadian people are rude, non-friendly, disrespectful and racist. These white people always forget that they are also immigrant and migrated from Europe to Canada. Canadian work experience will only teach you how to be non-productive, a lazy bugger and non-friendly. In the name of immigrating skilled people, Canadian’s are making money to keep their economy running.



if you are earning good in ur country than no need to come in this country. i think in recent years canadian government will pass the rule that every immigrant ,either highly educated or not ,must take admission in higher secondary school ( AGE NO BAR) so that he or she will understand the country.and people.i am B.Tech ( mech) M Tech and doing Phd . I AM GOING BACK WITHIN A MONTH



pfft did tax dollars fund them? these people are the minority. Most immigrants come from real hellholes and end up in low paying jobs here and wouldn’t move back to their shithole countries



My experience is not very different from most of the people who left their comments on this article. This place is a complete waste of time, money and energy. Shame on you Canada!



I came to Canada three years ago . I regret this decision as it ruined my life and life of my family. It’s the worst nightmare to become disillusionate, I have all my credentials recognized and found the job pretty quickly. My last year income is higher that national average by 40 gran. Yet it’s so fictional – half of my paycheck is being trimmed. I feel like a cow being milked – no motivation to move forward and to be achiever. What for ? Socialism sucks. As mentioned above – overrated, outdated, uncultural, disgusting weather, what else? Arrogant hard headed people. I hate it here. I will run away as soon as I am getting my Masters



canada can not even look after their own people,the white canadians,yet alone look after immigrants. just stay in your country and make it better.canadians are tired of immigration coming to canada and taking what jobs are here,canada does not feel like canada to older canadians,racism is worst with immigrants moving here and not respecting canadian culture,thinking they can do what ever they want,not speaking english or pretending you can’t so we had enough stay home and make your country all it can be. our soldiers did not go to war just to have immigrant take for their own,that is why you have a hard time here. you have no respect.



Oh wow, there really is corruption everywhere! All of your should have heard about the Victoria BC McDonald’s Restaurant corruption (Topix, Victoria BC Canada) by now on various media? McDonald’s franchisees lied to the Canada Government temporary foreign workers program about not being able to find any Canadians to do the work. The foreign workers were favoured in FT, promotions, over Canadians. The foreign workers were also made to work overtime without pay and end up being paid less then BC minimum wage. McDonald’s Canada is now cutting off the franchisees and investigating all the others across Canada. The Federal Government is now talking about fines and possible prison time for the McDonald’s franchisees. The owners got their pictures on TV for all to see.The owners only brought in foreign workers to avoid Canada labour laws and standards for excessively greedy profit. Many say the Temporary Foreign Workers Program should be scrapped and Canadians first.



WOW! What can I say? I have been dreaming about Canada for years now. I have always love Canada. But now, I am so confused. I have a friend that works in oil and gas. And others are doing good as well. I’d love to settle in Canada. But all these comment confuse me big time.



Richard, does Canadian have any culture or history? Are you not immigrants who were migrated from Europe few years back? Do not make yourself stupid by calling others Immigrant. Canada, USA and Australia are all immigrant country. Before asking others to go back to their country, why don’t you and your four fathers go back to Europe from where you originally came from? Mr English speaker, could you let know what language do you speak when you travel or reside in China, Dubai or other parts of the world? Do you speak in their native language or in your native language? How many language you dumb and non-qualified people can speak? You racist, moron people will only learn how to hate and find fault in others. If you ever come to abroad let me know, I will force you to speak in other language and will see how good you are in that language.


Damilola, your friends impleaded you. Most of the immigrant tells the same story to their friends and always encourage them to come to Canada so that they can live with their love ones. In reality, living in Canada is like a hell. Canadian people are racist, arrogant, non-friendly, rude, do not know manners at all, corrupt, etc. Perhaps Canadian white people are the worst and most racist people on earth. They are ruthless and treat you as their slave. If you want to live in Canada doing low profile job then come and do the Canadian white people slavery as that’s the way these Canadian white people treat other nationalities. You will end up living with the most disgusting people & place on earth. That’s all I can say with my recent experiences in Canada. Check YouTube and see how these white Canadian people treated minority Native people who are actually real Canadian. I have also included some other links of you tube. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYB-aF_MlB0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWQqpVBG9dc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5GuFcP010w 

Spread all these news and let the people know. So that they will stop coming to this country and wasting their money and time. Canadian Government just want all other nations to come to this country to inject their money into their economy. Once the immigrant will stop coming to Canada, their economy will start collapsing and lazy Canadian will realise how immigrant actually were contributing in Canadian economy.

I would urge to all, that treat all Canadian white people ( when they go to abroad) in the same way they treat other nationalities. Do not show any respect to them and behave rudely with them. They should get a lesson that how it feels like.



Canada busy for nothing , no real social life .
criminal organisation which exist even without a constitution.. quebec never signed it



What is to be confused about Canada? The bad, selfish, greedy Canadian employers who are unreasonably greedy would turn the Canadian citizens and the less protected foreign temporary workers into modern day slaves if they could. They would prefer to pay everyone zero if they could get away with it. The Canadian labour fraud news coming out of BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland, probably in every province should be proof enough for everyone. You will give up up your relative good life to be an abused slave in Canada. Even the Canadians themselves are beginning to backlash against foreign temporary workers and the shady employers that brought them in. The resentment will only grow. Royal Bank of Canada tried to fire all their Canadian IT staff and ordered them to train their Indian foreign replacements, until RBC got exposed to the media. Some mining company in Northern BC tried to bring in 200 Chinese miners until they got exposed and the unions filed lawsuits in court. This kind of thing is now spreading all over Canada. The country is a sinking ship as a society. Why join up to sink along with the others?



In canada there is hardly any decent job available but it’s government still welcoming immigrant saying that they need skilled people. This is quite misleading info by higher authority of a country. You can easily figure out why they are doing this. Just to make money. If each immigrant bring at least $ 10000 as per immigration rule and each year 250000. Now do your math. It’s whopping 250 billion dollar (or more as most of the immigrants bring more than $10k ) injecting into their economy every year. In return most of the highly qulified immigrant work as taxi driver, security guard, or other low profile job. This is what the real scenario of canadian immigration.



I moved to Canada from the USA with my family, my wife found a job, put after 9 years I still haven’t got any replies from companies I applied to, I’m a retired aircraft mechanic, I have an FAA license which in Canada it’s not valid, I don’t understand why because they use a USA curriculum and books from the FAA to get their license, in Canada the mechanics are considered engineers, a title that came from the British and in England a plumber is considered an engineer by title, I find Canada just wants to be above everybody else, I know I can run circles around any Canadian mechanic they throw at me, so get off your high horses.



It is not just the immigration system that is syphoning money out of immigrants and foreign temporary workers. The post secondary education system is doing the same thing to Canadian and foreign students. They accept endless numbers of students and charge them different kinds of fees, taxes, tuition, in various programs without any consideration if the students will be able to find enough jobs. All they want is your money and you are on your own. If you can’t find work, they will be happy to sell you more expensive courses for a price, endlessly.



Canadian’s are notorious and uncivilzed. They do not know manners at all. That’s why many well educated and decent immigrants leave this shitty country.



The problem with immigration in Canada is very much the same as in any other country, be it first or third world. The prevailing idea behind economics, and therefore labour, is that business people need a work force to carry out tasks the business owner does not or cannot do in order to amass as large an amount of capital (power and privilege) as possible to forever weather the undesirable blows dealt to the individual by the system the individual itself promotes; in oder words a vicious circle. This is the real principle behind job creation. Very seldom is an original business idea revolutionary enough to provoke a meaningful change in the social and work-place fabric, fact most evidenced by the design of work spaces themselves. It then becomes clear that the inner workings of an economy respond to the perceived needs of those who have managed to climb the socio-economic ladder either through their efforts, their connections or the combination of both. To my knowledge there is no country which has the would be very honourable practice of asking its immigrants for what they are able to contribute to society. Business people are very narrow minded and therefore not in the least bit concerned with the healthy functioning of society; such conception is simply too broad for them, it escapes their mental structure. True concern about a sound social inner working means not only investing but also agreeing on crucial matters (the creation of a social contract). This more often than not is seen as a hindrance to obtaining privileges. In general, the modern world is privilege and not rights oriented.

Canada occupies a very particular place (like any other country) due to its history as a business enterprise of the British crown and the upper class behind it. Canadian society is not particularly enterprising, unlike the US or many other first world countries. Canadian life revolves around a notion of stability and security that disables attempts at adventurous creation, to the extent of not yet experiencing a real coming of age of some of the arts, even when compared with some developing countries like Mexico, where this aspect of productive life is in a state of crisis and decay. 

Canada had the fortune of living in a state of peace good enough to introduce social democracy after the Second World War without having to go through the struggles of Western Europe to achieve it. The result is an endangered welfare state constantly pelted with invectives and all kinds of unreazonable accusations by those who seek to either not pay taxes or use state funds for their private gain (socializing losses and privatizing gains). 

There are immigrants who will always struggle to addapt to Canada simply because of the material entourage; one example that comes to mind is that of the Russians. It is not the same to have been born and raised in places like Moscow, St. Petersburg or Kiev (to mention just a few), adorned with magnificent colossal buildings hundreds of years old, exhudating beauty and a conception of life quite different to commercialism, to suddenly finding oneself at the intersection of Yonge and Bloor. To the defenders of profit in spite of everything else, the previous comment might seem ridiculous and even an unmistakable evidence of feebleness, but to those who need to feel there must be something of a different nature and uplifting enough to strive for, it comes as a bitter disappointment. I gather the same is true about places like Australia and New Zealand. In a nutshell, migrating should not be an act triggered only by the vague prospect of future economic stability or even gain, but should be the result of a profound research and reflection on the characteristics of a country and the personal constitution: “Who am I?”, “What am I willing to put up with?”, “Is this an adventure to reinvent myself or to improve my quality of life?”, unless, of course, it is the result of a dire emergency. Always remember at present countries do not issue policies of any kind on consideration of the many (wherever they might be from), but of the very few.



New immigrants and foreign temporary workers are often treated like slave workers by their all controlling employers, because the more knowlegeable local workers know all the employment laws and human rights legislations. The employers want a more exploitable work force that will bend over at every command. The Temporary Foreign Worker corruption scandal that is spreading like a disease across Canada, from Victoria BC is an example of what is wrong. The various levels of governments need to follow the general will of the people and heavily enforce and punish the unscrupulous employers when they step out of line. Most employers can not be trusted to be non parasite and totally self centred to the detriment of the broader society. Employers would turn everyone citizen, immigrant, or foreign worker into a slave industry. These kinds of scandal serve a purchase of cleansing the unreasonably exploitive and excessive employers. They are not too smart in the long term. They are saving $1 to get back $20 in hassle and inconvenience. Employers today are very short term thinkers. They would eat themselves and the entire market to death if allowed complete freedom to do whatever they want.



The only people who can afford to live in Canada are the corporate crooks, not only are the immigrants being screwed here so are the Canadians who were born here. We are being nickle and dimed to death, there are so many scam companies and the government here does nothing to help the consumer who’s been ripped off. My advice to immigrants, stay in your own countries and make it work there. Coming here is a big mistake. We can`t even have a life here, all this stupid government wants out of us is to work and pay taxes.



I have a nice job in Canada , though most of my Canadian colleges look at me as if i stool this job from them. They sting mew with the racism poison by asking stupid questions . Most white dudes are also immigrants to Canada for sure- Racism for sure – big time racism – They think we don’t know it ……



It’s a sad reality, but as a born Canadian with roots dating back to the 1600s on my maternal side, 1st generation on my father side, I too feel a false sense of security or opportunity to create a decent life over here. With corrupt inner workings (aka, government and big establishments) feeding off the backs of hard, honest, working individuals. This is the price we pay for capitalism in Canada, unfortunately most of the profits are shared among the elite (the so-called 1%) while the rest are thrown peanuts struggling to make end meets.

I too see the decline of quality of life over the years and not because of mass immigration, but government and corporate greed. If you have a conscience, believe in fair play and honesty, or want to have a work-life balance, don’t expect to last very long or feel content with your life. Plenty of Canadians are drowning in debts and this creates a haven for employers, banks and institutions alike. This is what is call modern slavery, not by race or ethnic background, but by financial obligations and it draws out fear, abuse, deceit, dissatisfaction, and why many are turning against each other. 

Not just immigrants feels delusional, but many Canadian born individuals as well. As one of my friend would put it describing Canada, “you feel like a hamster running on a treadmill, not going or gaining anything.” I too looked at emancipating myself from my own birthplace, but then the economic crash happened and it’s like I feel stuck for the moment. 

I’m also a seasoned traveler and been to many different parts of the world, and I do know as one might say, ‘it’s always greener on the other side of the fence’ (I do know, it is very different when you are a tourist as oppose to being a citizen), however, with my experience, I’ve never met so many Canadians who feel so dissatisfied with their life as to the locals I’ve met among my travels. 

“A constant struggle” as one of my coworker would put it and not to mention, we also have to content with cold, harsh climate (this year is particularly brutal) which does not make the matters any better.
I’ve always said, we are locked indoors, workaholics for 8 months of the year, and only have a life and feel human, when we are able to go outside and enjoy the weather the other 4 months of the year. 
That’s not what I call a decent, satisfied life, but then again, we are reminded of many politically unstable regions parts of the world, and you think, well Canada is not as bad as them, but again there are so many others that are better. 

On one last note, I don’t see a bright future for Canada, only on the decline, the rich will get richer, and the poor will get poorer and the rest of us, well, will work like a fool paying the majority of the taxes. But on a brighter note, our climate should get warmer thanks to the world polluting, we may not be able breathe clean air, but we will experience warmer temperatures due to global warming as the years are yet to come. FYI, the Canadian government and probably the American government too, is monitoring your message under the umbrella of “National Security”. That’s democracy in it’s highest level.

I don’t blame anyone who want to leave, it’s hard to make a decent living here in Canada. Either you are lucky enough to find a job in your professional field, but usually pays on a salary basis (clever employers whom come up with this just to hire less and squeeze more out each individual) which turns you to a slave (you don’t leave until the job is done and many times, take home with you) or you are under employed or unemployed and in most case, feeding the post-secondary institutions (another powerful enterprise) or you not employable, then you are on the mercy of government hand-outs. Whichever way, you look at, your screwed either way unless you have no conscience, dishonest, deceitful, self-centered, greedy or criminally minded, then you will thrive well here which is how the country is run.



It would be unfair to generalize the entire Canada, because some areas of Canada are protected native reserves, but probably most of the issues are centralized within major metropolitan areas such as Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, Hamilton, etc?

First, if an immigrant was starving in his/her home country, then Canada will be great for improving your standard of living, until the economy can no longer sustain the corruption and unemployment, and austerity on social services come into effect–Read the stories about austerity in the European Union. 
However, if an immigrant was earning a middle to upper class income in his/her home country–DO NOT come to Canada unless you are GIVEN a JOB which pays over $60k a year.

Most of the jobs are in the urban centres of Canada, and with the current economic depression, it is hard to find any job which pays over minimum wage. Rent isn’t cheap either, and renting a room in a shared home in Toronto can amount to at least $400 a month depending on the nearness to the upscale areas of downtown or Yonge Street.

Another topic worth mentioning, the Canadian job market favours certain groups and genders of people, that in the democratic Canada, if one were to publicly express any grievance or corruption over certain demographics of people, it will be considered a criminal offense or defamatory comments.



I agree that the Canadian job market was racist even in the 1970s and 1980s, but back then if anyone worked hard enough, they could save enough money and live comfortably. But as of now, the society of urban Canada is leaned towards corporatism, narcissism, nepotism, corruption, Marxism, xenophobia and worship of the Almighty dollar. 

The education in Canada reeks of profane and pro-Marxist material, that will make the most conservative immigrant shudder in disgust.

Most of the public schools in Canada are more interested in promoting corporatism, political agendas, illicit behaviour and dumbing down rather than teaching students into becoming entrepreneurs of the future. In other words, the public schools indoctrinate their students to become corporate labourers in a very competitive labour market.

The Canadian workplace would be seen as a culture shock to some newcomers. If a white Swiss immigrant was overlooked in his job potential, imagine the situation if it was a racialized minority. The problem stems from the early 2000s, when a certain Marxist social movement was being promoted on the internet, using sentences like the 77 cents per dollar, a social movement endorsed by government, a social movement campaigned by middle and upper class white. 

This is where the job market began to favour certain genders over another because the employers were either scared to be sanctioned by the big government, or that once the white middle-upper class activists managed to infiltrate the job market, they hired one gender over another ignoring the qualifications, some businesses have to reach gender quotas!

So if a 40 year old male Indian Manager was to apply for a job in Canada, it would not be surprising to hear that the job was given to a person who has another gender who grew up in the Canadian indoctrination system, because the employers know that the 40 year old immigrant will end up in trouble with the Marxists and the snobs in the workplace.

Don’t even get started with the flouride in the water, big government, NSA spying, the mistreatment of Aboriginals, income disparity in Canada.



After 9 years of job discrimination and rampant nepotism, I emigrated with my wife and daughter to the USA, a wise move. I hear the complaints of Asian immigrants who make the mistake of settling in Canada. I am of German origin and have the skin and hair color that would please the most “discriminating” Canadian business and government managers. Yet that still wasn’t good enough for them Their (cowardly) excuse was that I did not have the “kind of expereince we’re looking for”. I realize “never” is a powerful word. Nonetheless, I will never set foot on Canada again !



People visiting Canada on vacation for 2 weeks have a wonderful time spending their own money on food, entertainment, shopping, and then they leave for home. Working and living long term is not that good. The money, promotions, and just ordinary work prospects are really low. A big part of the problem is the government and private company employers are just playing useless, time wasting games with job applicants. Even when they say they are hiring, it is a fake lie. They will find some kind of excuse to not hire. They will expect you to work for almost free if they manage to hire any staff. They are making their own company worker shortages as their old employees quit when unable to tolerate their employers any longer.



Hi all, very interesting article & comments section. I have been working for 10 years, out of which 8 years in places other then my native. one thing for which i am sure is that discrimination/racism is everywhere. Wherever I went I have observed, locals gets the first preference, and I am kinda used to with it. My concern is the level of racism/discrimination. currently I work in Middle East-Arabic region, I see rampant racism, particularly with Indians, who are seen as labor machines (I am a highly qualified engineer/working in an MNC in Oil & Gas) locals enjoy all day with no responsibility.
and in Middle East one will never become a citizen, which can be possible in Canada. So, I am also applying for a Canadian PR! To be honest, I don’t think Canadian employers are that stupid/racist to prefer lazy/unproductive locals over hardworking/productive/intelligent immigrants….if this is true in Canada also then its equal to Middle East. Fingers crossed!



I went for PhD at UofA. My supervisor sucks real bad and stipend was very low. Was depressed and felt cheated. Came back to India finally, 3 months back. Though, no job right now, but I feel confident that I will do good with my life.



These companies here in Canada are a joke, they don`t want to hire anyone, or if they do hire its for minimum wage, yet they got their pissy mitts out for our money.



waste of time waste of money



http://ntfw.ca/map-companies-hiring-temporary-foreign-workers/
Here is a web site that lists Canadian employers who have federal government approval to hire Temporary Foreign Workers. Only British Columbia and Alberta are currently listed with more to come. The web site was made by a sri Lanka immigrant.



To all the people who wish to immigrate and to international students:-You can only dream of a job that gives you respect and good salary. If you are Indian you will easily get a job as most of the business owners are Indians other than that its a tough ride. First mistake that that I did was to take a masters degree from a university. Never ever take a masters degree in Canada. Employers don’t even value them and will term you as overqualified. Then what I did was to take the masters degree from my resume and finally I got a part time job as a night auditor in a motel(that is the best job I got so far) and also I work in a restaurant and often go for catering rest of the days.All in all I Work about 70 hours a day. The economy is stagnant and there is nothing here.



Canada is devolving into a hewer of wood and drawer of water economy. The business class has no intention of deploying their capital to create opportunities for workers in industrial concerns, the way they used to in the 60s and 70s. Now, they would rather invest overseas. Come to Canada for things like education, if you must, but I wouldn’t advise any immigrants to have high hopes of having a great career in this country anymore. Business and government have developed into a parasite class and I don’t foresee a change in this anytime soon. Emerging markets are the place to be going forward.



I commented above about never obtaining a ft job in canada that lasted. It is true that most of the govt job bs are through networks so your resume and education means nothing and this applies where you just came from india or your white and here a few centuries. I had a fed govt job in 1990 as a casual and it was shutdown and guess what? Only bilinguals kept their jobs and .were transferred and the rest of us lost our jobs. I also want to comment on education and how canada has changed. In the 1980 and 1990s most people only needed a 2 year college diploma and if you were smart and worked hard that job was forife and you later were promoted. But things changed alot since then. We had massive immigration from around the world and technology advanced alot as well. Now most jobs require a masters degree where in 1990 they didnt. So people like myself are left behind.



Post secondary college, university education is an over priced, nearly useless Ponzie Scheme. The schools, businesses, governments are more than happy to extract tuition, book fees, activity fees, parking fees, administration fees, and taxes out of you while knowing well there are not enough jobs at all levels for all the students. Even if you graduate, you are most likely going to become indentured student debt slaves for a very long time. You will have school debts and still no better or stable jobs. Unless you can own capital such as property, patent rights, copyrights, means of wealth production, you will always just be someone’s low paid or even high paid bitch.



My dad foresaw the future when the liberals took over canada. In 1990 he tried to convince me to move to the US where i could secure a food job in my field and i also have relatives so there which helps tour application even more. I made the mistake of living in the multicultural big cities which is a white wiman’s denise but i never realized it at the time. All these programs to help nonwhites and after 15 years its niw impossible for me to get into a govt job in my own country.



Canada is country ? Are you all serious ? Everyone in this world knows that Canada is not country – Canada is territory created by Brits and improved by USA. Canada is world-known joke which ever existed.
Jacques CARTIER’s precocious description of Canada when he for the first time stepped on it : Land God Gave to Cain



And the last, if to be really honest ,
Canada is good only for three reasons :
1) To get passport for international travels (if you are from third world country who does need visa everywhere) 
2) To get “easy” money (only in Canada the thieves from government aren’t persecuted, no even not trialed !!!!!! Even in third world countries sometimes government are punished and in Chine are shot (death punishment). But only not in Canada where government can easily and openly steal and embezzle money ). 
3) For hard, stupid workers from third world countries (like Philippines and etc.) who are ready to work for minus – 1 $ an hour .That’s all.
For other things there are even no reason to live here as this artificial territory, sorry “country” doesn’t have a future ! (here is still past century of eighties and it’s not going to be any improvements and modernization).
Beware this garbage – Canata (big village) !



I too had a not sooo very good experience, I have been living here for 20 years, I already have my education/international training in the oil and gas industry before I came here as an independent immigrant. I am non white and the first thing they asked me when i called for an interview is if I have a canadian experience? like helloo?? been here that long and I can tell you, everything that govt provided me is to tax me more and more and more. I could not even get any help other than asking me to pay more and more taxes. all I can say is, they make me feel that I am lucky to be a canadian, now I am looking into getting out of this cold frigid country.



and taxes out of you while knowing well there are not enough jobs at all levels for all the students. Even if you graduate, you are most likely going to become indentured



After reading all these comments i realized how lucky I am to be here in India. May be i am earning less salary but i have peace of mind..my society respects me. After reading comments from Indians..Germans..i feel who is in third world country?! Guys come back to India..now after Modi becoming as a PM..I am sure good days are going to come. Use your talent to benefit locals. Thank you for sharing your honest opinion. May God bless you all and show you correct path.



Well. I have lived in Canada for 20 years, traveled extensively, met all sorts of people and I can pretty much say that by now I see the big picture. Yes, Canada has it’s problems but on a larger scale it is one of the best countries to live in and those who are willing to get to where they want to be do so (I have seen it many times), it just takes time and effort – sometimes lots of it. Such is life! One thing I can’t stress enough: Do en extensive research on Canada before you immigrate here. Come and spend some time here first, if you can. Best of luck!



I immigrated to Canada in 2000 under the skilled workers program, I was never told
that my education would not be equal to a Canadian. I went to school for 3 yrs in UK and became an RDT. I had always wanted to immigrate. The first year I arrived, I got a job right away. To apply for my registration, I had to work 1080 hrs in Ontario, which I did. When I had my credentials assessed they said although I was equivalent to the 3 yrs at George Brown they felt I hadn’t completed the course in enough in college hrs, hence I had to go back to college and do the 3 yrs in Canada. I was then let go from my employer as they needed an RDT. Since then I have worked in cleaning and for other dental clinics but I am talked down and am not allowed to advance atall. 
I have recently decided to go back to school but now have to sit Grade12 English, math and a science. I was told I needed Canadian English. I also need an English test which costs $150 to get my citizenship (Celpip), The Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program.
I have struggled for years in Ontario and can’t make enough money to go back to the UK. Canada is an education discriminative country. I shall struggle on …..



I had arrived to Canada in March 2011. Rapidly, I prepared Canadian style resumes and sent them to the relevant recruiting companies. I only got one interview with no result. Then I went to Access Employment for baking issues and got CSC. Despite I had 12 interviews with the banks, none worked out. Soon, I got two different CSR in two different companies, both funded by the government; in both cases, when the government payment for half of the salary dried u, the companies laid me off. I had to take a security guard position in which, currently , has been more than 2 years.

Having applied to the citizenship last April, I am awaiting to have the citizenship granted, say, in 2 years. I enrolled into CFA but I know perfectly well that it will not serve me here but perhaps in the USA. 
But there certain things that I waned to share with you regarding the money issues.

During the interviews with the ban officials, they were impressed about my money management results and tried to obtain the “secrets” of it (same goes in the university of Ryerson where I took some finance courses). Then, while working as a security guard in one of the Toronto condos, I met some traders and when they had learnt that I knew the trading techniques, they were upset. 

The point that I wanted to make is that, if they figure out that you know how to deal with your money and you have the potential to become rich by your own, they are really getting pissed of because, they don’t want you to be successful for they want you to work for them as a simple unskilled worker forever… Guess what?! If you start to get rich, they will start to harass you all the way with unfounded allegations.
I had sent my resumes to some websites such as job bank. And the only calls I received were CSR, security guard and marketing of financial products (because had worked in these field in Canada). But nothing regarding what I did back at home.

M advice to you would be to look for other opportunities in the South while collecting international certifications + Canadian citizenship. I believe that it would be more valuable to look at Canada from that point of view. I agree with the unfavorable comments but one has to take advantage of the system and use it as a tool or leverage in order to move to a better position in the South or in Europe.
Good luck!



As the saying goes in Indian language…Canada is a place for the “Mazdoor or the Majboor”. Translated ” for the labourer or a person who has no choice”. Either you open your own mum and pop shop, drive a taxi or work as a security guard, if you are educated forget it just not the right place to come to. The Canadian system will indifferently convert your foreign Bachelors or Masters degree’s equivalent to some basic diploma or associate degree here and there onwards starts your rut with the job market. I have heard of maybe 1 out of 10 qualified immigrants making it and happy in their profession, the rest are just about surviving.



My husband and I are established university professors with PhDs from American universities. We were living in Brazil with our daughters when invited to attend a lecture at the local Canadian consulate. The staff encouraged us to apply for permanent residency as skilled workers even though we were in our 40s. We were given a seemingly perfect opportunity: to live in a country that values higher education and provides a healthy environment in which to raise young families.

We received our stamped passports thirteen months later and landed in Vancouver, BC, in 2007. Two months upon our arrival, we were hired as sessional instructors by the best universities in town. We (and every job hunter) thought it would not take long before we landed in permanent positions because we speak English, have accreditations and experience.

We soon realized that the dream of becoming a university teacher in Canada was not meant to be. We heard phrases like “You are overqualified”, “You are expensive”, “Universities are not hiring in your field”, “Most openings are for contract positions”, and, finally, “Managers do not like to hire over 40 years old”. We then moved to plan B. I was hired as a Research Associate while my husband worked as a Curator. The uncertainty of our future, with no job security but pressing financial responsibilities, took the best of us and, after 8 years, we decided to go home.

During our stay, we met people from all over the world. Some were kind enough to share their stories. Many gave up careers to go back to school and obtain Canadian diplomas. Others switched jobs. Some families split, with some of their members remaining in Canada while others live abroad. The majority went back home, where they have gratifying and productive lives. Their stories are those of disappointment, resentment and hatred. They are being told in this magazine, on TV (Lang & O’Leary The Exchange, “Fewer Jobs for Immigrants, 2011), and in the newspapers (New York Times, “Immigrants in Canada: have PhD, must sweep”, 2005). Many of them are from immigrants like us, experienced and with PhD degrees. 

Why is this happening in Canada, an underpopulated country with declining birth rates, aging population, and shortage of skilled labour in many areas? Specialists say that discrimination has been playing a major role in the job market. According to them, Canadians are better educated now, with many possessing more than one post-secondary degree. Several immigrants report that they had experienced unfair competition during hiring procedures.

The immigration of university professors confirms that Canadian immigration policies need urgent revision. They reflect a lack of understanding not only of the impediments of recruiting highly qualified foreigners but also of the prospects of retaining them permanently. According to the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), post-secondary institutions have been massively hiring sessional instructors, who are poorly paid and have no benefits, job security or academic freedom. CAUT’s campaign “Fairness for Contract Academic Staff” has been ongoing for years. 

Surprisingly, university professors remain an eligible profession for Canadian immigration as recently announced by Canada Immigration & Citizenship and the BC government. The situation in BC raises a new concern. Many post-secondary institutions now require that their applicants obtain the “BC Provincial Instructor’s Diploma” to qualify for sessional instructor positions, which will prevent newcomers to find jobs immediately. The message is clear: your chances of getting hired are slim without Canadian certifications, regardless of your academic background.



Canada in general is a ponzie scheme fraud. Some regions maybe worse than others. The Canadian born students are over educated, unemployed or under employed, and overly indebted for almost the rest of their lives. Forget hoping to buy a house, car, vacations, have a family, or expensive toys. By the time you manage to pay off your extortionate student loans (increasing price for diminishing returns of value), you will be too finished to afford anything else, even if you do manage to get related or unrelated work. The managers, supervisors, owners will not hire you if you have too much education as that threatens their positions. They will also not hire you if you are not educated enough because think you are not smart enough to be used, while also not smart enough to be a threat to them. Go to the youtube CBC documentaries “Generation Screwed”, and CBC Doc Zone “Generation Jobless”. The future of Canada is declining living standards, increasing inefficiency, lost future generations, society decline, economic decline, political decline, and a Baby Boomer generation that will scorch Earth everything, everyone else. The ruling Baby Boomers will see their pensions, real estate, and other assets collapse as the younger ones have no jobs, no money, no confidence to buy their assets. Clueless immigrants and temporary foreign workers are trying to join this decline.



If I was going to leave Canada where would I go that is a good place. Canada is getting too crowded. I have a fairly decent job but hate the congestion, pollution and crime that is growing in this country.



A friend and I recently went to a Human Resources managers question and answers forum organized by a private sector hiring contractor. Five HR managers from 5 large public and private sector organizations showed up to answer questions from attendees. I hard always suspected that Canadian hiring reps just put most of the job applications, resumes, references from mail, email, facsimile machine, immediately in the recycling container or shredder. They then keep advertising for the same jobs endlessly. One of the HR managers was truthful to say that any resumes they did not like for whatever reasons would be thrown away and destroyed if they did not impress within 11 seconds. The other 4 HR managers tried to keep quiet and bypass this question, but their body language gave away their thoughts. Applying for any kind of Canadian work, at any level, or pay grade is like going to the work market casino. You only get some kind of job if you win the work lottery. Your education, skills, enthusiasm does not matter. You are just expendable.



I have read all of the comments and I agree with a lot of them. Things have not really changed towards immigrants since the ’60s. You do not have Canadian experience was the familiar cry. You have to improve your English, although you are from an English speaking country and only know English. You just can’t get a promotion, yet the secretary of the fairer race who cannot write a proper letter or proofread their documents or have proper administrative skills gets promoted to an administrative position and goes up and up. I am speaking from another angle. High school, George Brown, a few courses at night school and Ryerson before it became a university. Dozens of workshops at work along the way in every area for my job. I saw the first set of computers, worked on them. It was just as tough for us but although they took advantage of us, we as women were able to live a half-decent life but with one price, owing the bank. So now that people are much more educated, you are experiencing the same thing that a lot of us experienced, the only difference is that it hurts you more. And to the person who said that all the employers and job owners are Indian, you must only have Indian friends working in an Indian community. I worked and lived in downtown Toronto and I have worked in the white corporate world. I never saw an Indian boss or employer. It is not easy, Racism is subtle and so is discrimination here. Canadians would kill you if you said that they are prejudice, but many of them are. When you see them outside of your job after they have told you their life stories, they conveniently shift their eyes. They do not invite you to their homes and they don’t want to hang out with you. Walk by the restaurants and check the scene out. I dress properly, smell clean, quite attractive, was brought up in a middle class/upper middle class home, a combination of both at different times, yet, I have gone through a lot of rejection with Canadians. I have been even told how come I can dress the way I do for who I am. Am I supposed to dress in rags and smell? Am I not suppose to have extra skills and talents? I am here because I can’t do any better because I do not have any relatives in my homeland and I left when I was just out of school. So I have learnt to adapt and accept Canada as my home that is what has given me peace of mind. I will tell you one thing, I am not going to be ashamed when I am old and in need help to go to the government. I worked my bones off. Thank God, I can survive now and don’t need any help otherwise I would just have become another statistic. I have paid my dues in taxes to this society and have helped to make way for visible minorities to be more accepted in this society. Just imagine being the only person on the train sometimes with everyone being afraid to sit next to you. Try imagining that.



Angie I am a white woman and I never got to get married, have children or have the middle class life (although I grew up middle class in the east). I just want to advise you that there are many white people who live in high insecurity in jobs and housing its not just immigrants. I had to leave my birth city 7 times and I am college educated. I could have got a degree but I did not know what I liked at the time. I have not been able to secure a ft job since 2008. I only held two temp jobs since then. I lost my apt
more than once and had to live in rooms in ottawa as my EI ran out. I am mixed white race but color does not matter. Its more and more competitive in canada because there are fewer and fewer good jobs and there is more and more competition. When I grew up canada was almost all white in fact I never heard the term multiculturalism until my high school graduation in 1982. My high school was 97% white and so was by city and province. All I knew of other races was what I could see in a book until I moved to toronto in 1989. As far as you stating you are not invited to peoples homes guess what the same thing holds true for whites. Minorities stick to their own for the most part and now that there are many the dont even speak english, so this make us feel out of place. I think whites are alot more open than any other race. I see alot of bigoted minorities who judge you on very little knowledge since they know very little about your culture. This is more and more the problem in canada, we are suppose to learn about you but minoriites dont have a clue about a white person and judge us all the same and we are not the same we are very different as we come from many races. Think if u had to live in india and all the male sexist men who live there u should be grateful its not like that here, your are respected alot more. Same for a black woman.



I used to be able to get almost any job with my education and work experience, sometimes 2-3 job offers at a time. Now, even getting a fast food, retail, food service, other low end job is almost like going through Customs at the airport or land border crossings. The guy about who mentioned the Canadian Broadcasting Company documentaries Generation Screwed, Generation Jobless is very relevant. Everyone is over educated, under employed, indebted for life, and the entire Canadian society and systems will collapse one day from the decline, dysfunction, and systemic corruption and incompetence.



On the matter of Canada marriage, family, children, and related costs, it is better for you male or female to just remain single and save your money. A Youtube documentary by some USA college professor said the middle class is dying out. The only increasing social groups are the poor and high class rich. Having family and children is bankrupting the middle class because children, better neighbourhoods, better housing, better schools, more cars, more children associated expenses, are all inflation to insane heights. Her report was also from 2007, one year before the 2008 world Great Recession. Men and women have sexual needs, agreed. The solution is just to have Friends With Benefits and casual sex without children or family related high costs, unless you like to become one of the declining and bankrupt, disappearing middle class.



Not all immigrants are in your situation. A very small handful of immigrants are posting here because they are having difficultly finding a job and immediately blame it on racism. The other 99% of happy immigrants worked incredibly hard in school and then worked their way up to where they are today. They did it by accepting jobs they didn’t always like at first and then showing the employers they were competent and at the same time gaining experience. Eventually this led to better and better positions but the process takes many years. Even Canadians had to go through this process. Canadians have been here longer and started at the very bottom while in high school and they slowly gained more experience as they attended university and later got their first full time job. If you have only a degree and no experience, then you will be competing with a lot of people that have a lot of experience and probably don’t stand a chance to get a professional job right away. Everyone had to start by taking jobs they thought they were over-qualified for at first. The first step to being successful in Canada is to expect to have to work hard. Don’t expect to be given the best jobs in Canada just because you are an immigrant… employers get 100′s of resumes from people far more qualified. Also, relevant experience is far more important that 2 master degree and everyone here is educated. Before considering a masters degree (or even a bachelors) think about what jobs are available. Currently there are very few jobs available that require degrees… the jobs that are in enormous demand and paying well are the “trades” jobs such as welding, trucking, construction, retail jobs in Saskatchewan and Alberta. You DON’T need a degree for those jobs, instead go to a college for trades. Don’t waste you money on a degree, otherwise you WILL regret it.



Clearly it is Canada’s immigration system that is broken. The system is broken since it is allowing immigrants to come here without a job in the first place. In the USA you must have accepted a job offer before being able to immigrate. It’s important to fix this serious problem in the broken Canadian immigration system.

Also, employers are not accountable and can just as easily let go of immigrants. Since Canada is quick to give permanent residency. Unlike the USA, most immigrants are temporary and must return home. They must acknowledge the temporary nature of the assignment to the immigration officer and cannot try to represent themselves as “permanent” residents. The differences between Canada and the US seem small but are very large. For Canada, the immigrants assume they are here permanently and have a right to a job, while in the USA the jobs are a privileged and if lost the immigrant knows they will need to return home and work hard to find a new job. The Canadian system creates the assumption that you have a right to a job whereas in the USA the system does not and also absolves the state from having to care for jobless immigrants since they cannot stay in the USA without a job and must return home. 

Canada also makes the situation worse by allowing immigrants to have dual citizenship which is ironic considering that Canada is not friendly with many of the countries that immigrants come from. Citizenship is suppose to show loyalty, but you can’t determine loyalty with certainty if an immigrant has 2 loyalties! AHAH! For example, if Canada imposes sanctions against Russian and goes to war with Russian, how do you know if a Russian-Canadian citizen in Canada is loyal to Russia OR Canaduh if they have both Russian and Canadian citizenship?? How stupid can our lawmakers and immigration system be?



My advise with ivy league education from top 3 globally ranked institute in USA along with work experience of 10 yrs in USA is, don’t come to Canada. This place is good if you want to clean streets, drive trucks and cabs. It may be good for construction workers or manual labor. There are no high end jobs and people are very rude and racist. If you go to Pakistan they are racist in a particular way that they don’t want other religions like Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism to survive, they will force you to convert or leave the place. Now if you are coming from such country like Pakistan, Bangladesh or other African countries where it is question of survival, Canada is good option. Do manual labor earn little bit, stay in shared room, cook at home and don’t spend. You won’t be beaten physically here and crime is less. On other hand if you are highly qualified even from top universities like Harvard, MIT, Stanford etc in professional fields and are making reasonable income in countries like USA, India etc never come to Canada. You will just loose everything and some people talk about women liberty in Canada, well this doesn’t apply to Indian women since they are living life like princess in India especially in middle and upper middle class societies. Condition of Canadian women is not good, whole life moving from one relation to another, doing low pay jobs and fighting for justice in courts with feminism spirit seems there only motto and destiny, to some extent just like American women. Indian Hindu women are far better protected and have stable and free lives, they don’t deal with subjugation as practiced in middle east or Pakistan on one end but then they don’t need to deal with life of Canadian or American women as well which has its own pros and cons and illusionary freedom and feminism. Moral of story, highly educated and middle class people don’t ever come to Canada, you want to see beauty of nature, well come for a month on tourist visa, enjoy, spend and go back. You want to do low end jobs like cleaning, driving, working on small stores or construction and are doing very bad in your own country, then come to Canada, learn little bit English, you can make your ends meet and chances are nobody will rape you or physically assault or beat you. Canada is nowhere near USA in terms of innovation and inventions, it is small, closed and conservative economy with almost nothing. People who will give me lessons on integration etc, well my English is good and I was doing a high paying job in USA and later on got another high paying job in Canada as well but then I will return to USA once few things are sorted out. Canada is place for manual labor and no intellectual should come here. Go to number 1 country of the world which is America if you are really qualified. What colleges, Canadian work experience people harp on in Canada, no Canadian institute except Rotterdam school of business is in even top 100. This is just a scam, government wants more and more money and nobody will tell you truth in order to keep false image. Remember Canadians are multicultural to an extent where they love flags of different countries and food, there is nothing more than this. Canadians are highly cunning and shrewd but then people are cunning and shrewd in Middle east, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Mexico etc, after all there is competition and at-least in Canada nobody forces you to convert to there religion, at-least not openly and nobody is wasting his or her entire life for after life benefits.



im canadian born and i wish lcould leave this country, but where would i go i dont have dual citizenship…im tiredn of seeing the corruption and greed that exists in our public sector and how the rest of the country lives so poorly or anxious about increase in debt etc.



Canada is not a place for skilled labor and intellectuals. The country is suited for manual labor like construction jobs, truck driver and cab jobs etc. Don’t focus on Canada if you want to do a high end white collar job, too much intellectual racism and there is no hope of getting entry. US is number 1 country in world for a reason and Canadian economy is not even in top ten. My advise please don’t count on Canada if your intention is to build an innovative business or do high end white collar job, yes if you want to do manual labor and are not doing well in your country. Canada will fit in with your needs.



Canada is no longer affordable. Who can pay 700.000 for a house? Not even the skilled worker can afford that. Bye Canada, Hello USA.



My experience in Canada varies from positive to negative, but I give it an overall 6/10.


I moved from the UK with my wife, who is a Canadian born. After a brief trip 3 yrs ago, we thought of trying an adventure. Luckily I was able to find a job within 1 month in my field of Robotics Engineering. It wasn’t as rewarding as my post in England, but to build an empire you have to start from the bottom. My wife also found something with a publishing firm. 

Things seemed Rosey at the beginning then took a sharp downhill after 1 year when my wife lost her job and the best she can get is a p/t clerk @ $13/hr. Me, myself, wasn’t able to move the ladder and did see lesser qualified workers filling managerial positions, though they only have college degrees – Not 2 Engineering degrees like myself. When I protested, I was told that they had an advantage of being familiar with the Canadian work space. I used to work as an Engineering Project Leader in a Government department in Surrey, England. I don’t believe British work ethics can be different than Canadian. 

Speaking of which, we used better technology and methodologies than what Canadians do.
At work I was sometimes refered to as “The new Pakistani Engineer”. I am a 2nd generation IndoBrit and never heard such a comment, even throughout my life back in the UK. I have a slight believe it might not be racist, since Canadians have the conception that all immigrants are all refugees coming from 3rd world countries and are less educated – or having degrees from Mumbo Jumbo Universities, like some douche bag on this forum mentioned. 

Anyways after 3 years of working in the same post and after almost 8 unsuccessful interviews, plus my wife being technically unemployed, I was demoted to part time status. Everywhere else looked at me as an over qualified individual. My family and I had a serious talk and decided to move back Home.
Canada is a great country with breath taking landscapes, but with no serious opportunities for the middle class economical category immigrant. Unless your not a political refugee or moving here from Somalia or any other war torn zone, then you will not appreciate what you have. But if you are a respected professional working in Dubai, China, India or even Europe, then Canada will add alot of grief and misery to your life. Back home, driving a Taxi is a career, which takes alot of dedication – but in Canada it is the #1 job for foreign trained Engineers. Job security in Canada hangs on a ledge – there is no long term forseeable guarantees that you can maintain your lifestyle, while keeping a great job, especially in today’s Canadian economy with the Conservative government policies, forcing companies to downsize and lay off good Canadian workers and hire more Temporary Foreign Workers (illegal immigrants) than hiring new immigrants or even hiring Canadian born.



The Canadian employers must be idiots. Some cities and provinces are more idiotic than others (ex. Victoria, British Columbia). Why do people make jokes about BC meaning “Bring Cash”? The employers have a tendency to look at your education and work experience in a superficial, do not care kind of attitude. They will tell you that you are under qualified, over qualified, or both at the same time depending on the time of day, day of the week, etc. It is like dealing with crazy people. The Canadian employers like to advertise jobs, tell everyone they are not good enough to work for them for their below average cheap wages, and then just continue advertising in fake job competitions. They expect university, college graduates to work for high school jobs and salaries. They would prefer free slave workers if they could get away with it, but the living costs in Canada are very high compared to the pitiful wages. Many post secondary graduates are forced to work high school jobs because there is nothing else and the high school students are screwed because their jobs are taken by college, university people. They will never be able to pay off their university, college student loans debts and an education that does nothing for them except make them poor.



If any of you really want to understand the insanity of the Canadian economy, job markets, corporate politics, social politics, government politics, or other things about the culture, go read the comments on discussion forums such as (www.topix.com [On Victoria, Is Victoria a nice place to live?], http://www.ratemyemployer.ca, Yahoo Answers, http://www.yelp.com, http://www.thedirty.com, etc. This cultural trait is not restricted to just some Canadian cities or provinces, but some regions are worse than others, while others maybe less severe. The entire Canadian system is broken and seizing up. Someday it will just break down completely and just collapse. The system is in its current sorry condition due to years, decades of incompetent, short sighted, greedy, self destructive policies. Ignorant temporary foreign workers, students, immigrants, and even Canadian citizens are either willfully blind or accidentally blind to this development.



That Bibeau guy who terrorist attacked Canada’s parliament last week tried to get a Libyan passport to leave Canada because his father was from Libya. The Libyan embassy turned him down and his Canadian passport was seized. I guess he could not go to Syria and join up with some Islamic extremist group? He decided to go on a shooting rampage at the national war memorial and parliament before security forces shot him dead. That is an extreme case of some Canadian citizen really wanting to leave Canada for somewhere else.



Canada isnt for everyone. If you are looking for a progressive career or to start an innovative business, then think elsewhere – You will get dissapointed from how your life will end up doing minimal jobs and you will drain out all your life savings.
But if you are looking towards a life of safety, comfort and to raise your children in peace, then Canada is the right place for you.



We came to Canada in 2010 and just got my and my 2 sons Canadian citizenship two months ago. We have lived in SIngapore for ten yrs prior to coming to Canada. Before we came here my sister who is Canadian and another friend were already discouraging us to come to Canada because of the lack of jobs. We really prepared ourselves before coming and researched about possible options and jobs and how much we will be spending if we dont get jobs. My husband was lucky enough to be offered a job which allowed him to stay in Canada but travelling overseas as an ENgineer while I stayed home looking after my 2 boys. I tried applying for a job but didnt expect much. We never had so much expectations coming here. We just wanted to come here because of our two sons . Our objective was to have them get Canadian education and to have a good future. I dont know if they will be given a good job after university. My two sons who studied all their lives in Singapore easily adjusted to life here but found that their classmates are far behind in terms of Math and Science education. I guess thats the reason why they consistently get good grades without much effort. My eldest son is now in University in the best university in Canada. I hope when he graduates he can find a good permanent job and not just temporary jobs . The experiences that everyone has shared in this forum is true…the hardships of finding a job in particular but I guess before coming to Canada we must research well on what we are going into so we wont get frustrated. If only the Ministers will hear all these complaints I hope they can come out with a better job and employment program for immigrants and not just invite more immigrants to come in without having any job prospects for them. When i say job prospects it means jobs that are appropriate for their education and experience. Good luck to everyone!



I completely agree with your sentiments. I was a finance executive back home. I took a post-MBA program from Canada’s best business school. After graduation job hunting became my full-time job. I could not get a job in finance because I don’t have the Canadian designation. Now, I am working towards my CPA designation. The program is a repetition of what I already know (IFRS, really? I have been using it for more than 5 years, Canada just implemented it in 2011; Assurance, really? I have been an auditor at EY). The CPA materials are crappy and exams are ridiculously easy. One of the exams is a downright intellectual insult. Here is the worst, I expect to complete the CPA program in the first quarter of 2015 but I will not be eligible to obtain the designation just yet because I do not have the Canadian experience. Seriously, I have to wait until I get a job when I can’t get a job because I don’t have the designation. Both ends are covered and I am stuck in between. Many of us are in the same boat but the CPA organization doesn’t care. They just care about our tuition fee.



All the regions of Canada will give you double talk and the run around for no good reason except to waste everyone’s time. Some areas like Victoria, British Columbia are even worse (www.topix.com, http://www.ratemyemployer.ca). They have no serious intentions of hiring Canadians, immigrants, or temporary foreign workers, unless you are cheap slave enough. The Canadian systems is designed to only extract various money out of you while you wait and go back for endless retraining. You want a miracle? How about winning millions in a lottery and then you will never have the kiss the more stupid person above you, forced to call boss?

The following is a recent commentary on a top, well known, advertising web site about Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, but it can easily be representative of many other cities in Canada. They bad job market symptoms are the same, you just substitute Victoria for your city.

“employers of victoria
compensation: what you pay for. lazy unreliable with an attitude.
employers of Victoria! stop asking for for certified, fit, reliable, professional, people with strong work ethics and offering bottom feeder wages! and we all know what to be discussed or based on experience means when it comes to what you offer as a wage. it means 10.50 for dishwashers 11 for prepcooks/linecooks and MAYBE 12 for an experienced line cook. which doesn’t translate into much when you can only offer part time work! or even fulltime for that matter. no hard working certified professional is gunna work theyre ass off for you day in and day out just for the AWSOME opportunity to only afford to pay theyre rent at the travellers inn and maybe just enough to support theyre alcohol addiction which they acquired when they realised how depressing working for you is and how there is no other alternative in this hopeless screwed up depressing city of no opportunity. but atleast we got flower baskets and Christmas lights…..”



By reading the article, it looks like a majority of those who leave Canada are men. As a Canadian woman, men in Canada rarely respect us, and they objectify us. In the workplace, if I show a bit of cleavage, the men in the office leer at me. The public schools in Canada need to teach more feminist subjects to these young men because it is harassment when those teenage boys leer at my cleavage on the street.
A woman’s dress is not an excuse for sexually harassing her, and if men are leaving Canada because they can’t respect women, then good for them. The men who leave Canada will never find happiness and love abroad.



Above all comments, I would say I personally subscribe to the core point that has to do with the nepotism, racism and insidious discriminatory artifice that have been injected into the over rated country called “Canada”.

It is such an inglorious shame of the highest order with Canadian system in disguise, that has long been successfully beguiling the true mindset of good individual with professional backgrounds; forcing them to condescend to menial jobs lurking in the dark corner of the market. 

I have had my master degree in Environmental Science, diploma in computer science, and presently doing my power engineering program in NAIT just to fit in into the so called trade world of Alberta. 
That is how duplicitous this country could be when it comes to a professional, or highly educated spirited mindset, they toy and gamble with many of us, not leaving out immigrant and born Canadian.
My advice is, make whatever you have to out of Canadian system, and proceed elsewhere.



For me, I came with my wife to montreal in nov 2012 full of hope, motivation, energy and vision for a brighter future and a batter career and life for my family. Now after 2 years I have accomplished many things:
1. Didn’t get a single interview after a very active search for a job (I am a professional who worked in an american company in Egypt).
2. Lost all my money (Spent over 30K$) trying to survive and to maintain our standard of living.
3. Working as an extremely under employed (Dishwasher, flipping burgers, cleaning toilets, removing trash)
4. Family problems have raised because of the situation we are living. (of course unemployement will put family life on the edge)
5. Lost all my energy, motivation, entered into commas of depression and despair
6. Sold all my belongings like furniture (Paid 9K$, sold 1K$)
7. Applied for the province social program (Peanut money I received)
8. Now our family are living in a one bedroom apartment 2.5 that is infested with centipeded and sometimes rats as visitors. Three sharing one room where i have to sleep on the couch.
9. Reurning to my home country in 3 weeks where there are better opportunites and cursing Canada and Canadian for their extremely misleading whatso called skilled worker program.
Conclusion and ironically, The same reason that brought me here, is the same reason getting me outta here.



Don’t live in Toronto. I repeat..Don’t live in Toronto. This city will suck the youth, life and wealth out of you. It’s a trap for an ambitious person. You will hardly get rewarded for your hard work in Toronto. You have to be part of the club to earn that nice salary. Toronto is a social engineering city. Don’t expect the level of education to be in line with foreign education, which is of course more focused on education and skills rather than frivolous social engineering.
Don’t live in Toronto, and if you live in Toronto and wasted 15 years of your life like I did, plan to move out the city. Move to any city other than Toronto.



I despair of Canada. I am here as a permanent resident, married to a Canadian. In the five years since I arrived, despite conforming to everything required of me and paying out so very much money just to be with my soul mate, I feel used, isolated and unwanted by this country. It took little time to dawn on me that in leaving Europe, I had traveled back in time by about 40 years. The levels of racism, sexism, cronyism and numerous other outdated concepts are very ingrained and openly flaunted…….including by the government. I would never have believed this without living here. I could write for a long time about my experiences, but could never convey how I feel the life being sucked out of me by the whining, selfish, money grabbing, culturally shallow country in which I find myself. I fully understand that, compared to many places in the world, this is a better place with more opportunities for a better life. However, if you are European….DON’T COME HERE. It will destroy you. And yes, if it were at all possible, I would be out of here in a heartbeat. Guess I better win that lottery. As with all else here……..money money money.



If you are already middle, upper class on any other continent outside of North America and Canada, do not ever sell all that you own just to move to Canada. It is not worth the hassle, wasted money, wasted time for a better live that will mostly never show up. They don’t even want their own citizens, why would they even care about or want you from somewhere else? You will only join the current Canadians in their frustrations and watch their country and society decline and fall. You will go over the edge along with them when the fall happens. Do move to Canada if your current country is in even worse condition as that would be an improvement. Getting Canadian scraps for your life is still better than getting nothing wherever you are. Giving up all you have for Canada is going from riches to rags.



Canada was still on the way upward 40 years ago when I came to Canada. Now, it seems to be gradually disintegrating as a society at all levels. I agree with the others that Canada is destined to decline and fall like the Roman Empire and its oblivious citizens. Canada’s citizens are just as oblivious today. The people will still be here, but the political entity and reality will be new and different. Owning income property gives one freedom of choice and some security. It will not be so good for those who are not wealthier or have no resources. Canada is good if you come already rich, not so good if you are not rich.



I am a 51 year old Canadian, 4th generation. I certainly know that racism exists here in Canada and well everywhere around the world. Always has and probably always will.I can easily see why new immigrants would feel that it is racism that is holding them back but I am experiencing the very same employment issues as they are. And yes I get furious that I am a son of Canada and cannot find work.



I think the main motive in the posts above is Canadian immigrant’s employment issue. Clearly, CIC immigration application screening and approval systems, especially those for issuing work permit and PR have been under-performing. There is disconnection between CIC and Canadian Labor Market Information Service agency. The potential immigrants are unaware about which credentials must be possessed to speed job search in new countgry. This leads to tragedies of immigrating individuals, their families and mostly complicates ever growing social problems in Canada (e.g. medical care, social benefits, etc.) I believe, CIC is a huge blocking and unsuccessful bureaucratic structure taking “million hours” of review for the hundreds of thousands PR applications submitted for its unreasonable review. CIC brings futility to an immigration policy proclaimed by Canadian Government. CIC must be sued by the immigrants, expelled from the public system of Canada and 100% restructured.
Dear PM – Mr. Stephen Harper please take a serious note of immigrant complaints made on this web page.



I can co relate with everything said here. I ve been here for 6 months now and have been going at break neck pace. I did nt know it would be this tough before coming here. Its a great society but its not making me happy what I came here for. I have a great family and I am not just sure if the life here is worth it at the cost of not having another kid under current stressful circumstances or keeping my only daughter away from extended family. Money is tight so I cant visit back often. I am at such cross roads in my life. I have an offer from the employer I resigned from back in my native country and it would not stand valid for too long.



One thing is for sure its not worth it to come here if we are 35+. At that age its extremely cruel to start from scratch. That’s the age when we have established some sort of foundations and a platform to build a constant life. Migration is a huge decision which does not sink in really till we go through it.



@ OMG, what is so mind boggling? The governments, corporations, and other organizations like schools with a vested interest to import unlimited foreign workers, students, immigrants are not going to tell you any truths beyond the official propaganda. These people here and Topix, Ratemyemployer, Yahoo Answers, anywhere else are telling you the hidden truth of the real Canadian world. Much education or almost no education does not matter anymore. The Canadian employers and schools are playing the fake job hiring scam on the government to get government immigrant, student job program funding, while fleecing the student out of tuition and other fees. They job advertise, ignore, re-advertise the same jobs over and over, leave them vacant on purpose, to create the illusion that there is a labour shortage. They are trying to manipulate and get around the natural economic laws of worker supply and demand, price wage fixing. Experienced or not, you will not find suitable work in Canada because it’s all a sham.



Well..I’m not immigrant or PR yet..just an international student…im here already 4th yr..spending enormous amount of money for nothing..I’m coming from Europe,where college education is not considered as post-secondary education.. i live in toronto,where i find this city full of trash..literally. Canada…such a rich country has horrible public services..transportation and other things I’m not even mentioning just suck.. the corrupt culture is already here..roads are broken, and blaming weather. .people never complain. .never..of course if u r coming from poor country and compare it to there..this is heaven..I’m totally outraged by behavior of people working in public services…not mentioning education system which only wants you to pay crazy money for stupid education..buying expensive books every semster because they produce all tje time something new.. this is developed country but doesn’t seem to me..every time i get back from europe i feel like i came back in time..canada lives from its old accrued heritage..but it’s not working in 21st century..I’m sad to see people to be happy with raising tuition fees, broken and dirty streets and roads.. sure..this is not europe..but also not somalia (i dont mean to insult somalia) Not sure this is good place for people from western europe.. bottom line…big disappointment



There is one thing no body knows, it is the “boss abuse” by white canadians. I am an Indian started a business and have to face so much from my employee, I am afraid to give any instruction or ask her any question, because she will pounce on me as if I have tortured her or something…..I came here 7 years ago, the only hope for me was to do business…

I also have an outsouricing business in India, so that keeps my one leg in India..
I always said there is no racism in Canada..but after 7 years I am saying this…especially low and low middle class white people have too much hatred for immigrants..



To all Canadians who lament here that they too cannot get any jobs…please not here….there is always somebody who will not get a job in some part of the world…you Canadians are born here and have no choice…but we came from a country by choice…yes the country where we came from have issues, but still….apna ghar apna ghar…(your home is your home)….I am only thinking about my children now..for them I will bear any torture….(that is Indians, give life to kids)..



There are many things common people dont know, many provinces in 2012 +/- have regulated massage indutry, now you should have a minimum 2200 Hrs course, because of that 50% therapists disqualified thier jobs (thai, chinese mnostly)…and some grandfathered canadians….
Now this 2200 Course costs $20,000 my wife has taken student loan, license charges etc…bull shit… 
No body knows “Canada is tightly regulated” if even you want to “stich chappals”…That is not worse, inter provincial regulation….as if they are foreign countries..if your an Engineer you should have stamp for each province..if you are massage therapist you need provincial clearance… 
Before coming abroad I thought white people are fair, but now I see they have thier skeletons in the closet…a lot….read what they did to Japanese immigrants (some where even citizens ) during world war. I think Government apologised now. Read about first nations…



Siva is all correct. Canada is in decline like the Roman Empire and other ancient empires because it can no longer operate a fair and functional government or society anymore. The USA, Canada, France, UK, Australia, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and all the other western countries are in their twilight of empire. The fall is coming, to be followed by the next rise after that. The Dark Age between the fall and rebirth is the hard part to endure. The following comment to a post on Craigslist can be applied to most place in Canada, some more than others.



> I agree with you completely. The younger people in this city are ALWAYS
> hurting for work and employers take advantage of that. They lie to you about
> wages, treat you like crap but they know how much you need that job and most
> of the time people stay and deal with it because there’s no other work
> around. I came here back in the summer with high hopes. Beautiful city,
> great weather but I’m now staring to prepare to move back to calgary which I
> said I’d never do because I hate that city but I don’t have anymore options.
> I don’t want to get stuck or taken advantage of by cheap ass employers. Very
> unfortunate since I was going to go to UVic in the fall. Oh well, you do
> what you gotta do I guess. At least I’m not the only one that feels this
> way

Now I am going to give you a very real picture of what canada is about and what i have gone through in canada in last 7 years.
I am a mechanical engineer by education but by canadian experience I am a truck driver, server, dishwasher, cook, retail sales….i can quote a few more. This is what I have done in last 7 years. I never got a satisfactory job in my own field coz the canadian system didnt recognize my non canadian credentials. Whether somebody tries to negate me by saying a million things like myabe my efforts were not right, maybe i had a hard luck, maybe the people i met were wrong….blah blah….it is immaterial now. coz as time elapsed i became more and more vulnerable to the faulty system here. with each passing year I was becoming more and more away from being a suitable candidate. 
Here the people from your home country who have arrived much before you and have settled down in life are one big ass. They exploit you the max…at jobs..emotionally…in every possible way they will try to screw you and make your life miserable. If you work with them then thats the end of life for you because you are nothing more than a bonded labour for them. 
So why the hell did i stay here for such a long time. Because I had closed my book back home and had moved to canada with whatever I had in search of a better future. I never got one. My parents never joined me here as their friends/relatives/socialcircle/etc warned them that canada is just a witch with loads of makeup looking good and presentable which inturn they told me but i never listened.
When i talked last with them sometime ago they said the same thing which they had told me 7 years ago. It is then that i decided to move back. Its better to die with head held high in relatives than live the life of a miser here.



7 years ………most important time……..lots of money……..= complete waste.
Regret coming to canada.
LAstly my advice for everybody aspiring to be in canada –
1–Your parents life will be screwed up coz by the time they immigrate to be with you they would have passed a good 5 to 7 years alone in your home country without you.
2– If you are a professional consider yourself at the dead end of life and getting a job that befits your experience or education is non existent
3– Racism does exist here but in a very refined way that you cant see it openly but will feel being subjected to it at every step of life.
4– you will loose all the hard earned money of yourself or your parents and family and the end result will always be 0.



I was BORN in Saskatchewan, am Aboriginal (First Nations, “Red” Indian, American Indian, whatever you have to call it to distinguish it from “black” “African,” people!!) left soon after I was born to be raised in San Francisco Bay Area. I have all my college degrees from US universities including Yale and UC Hastings College of Law. When I went back to Canada I got treated like a “foreigner from overseas” and called a liar and an impostor even when they were looking right AT my Saskatchewan birth certificate. (And in French, right in front of me but on the phone to their supervisor). I’m surprised immigrants DON’T leave. WE who were BORN THERE leave in droves. I mean, if I try to use my degrees to find a job in another country like, say, the Philippines or Malaysia, then I UNDERSTAND being treated like a foreigner because then I actually WILL BE one. But in the country where I was BORN?! Now you understand why Canadian aboriginals leave and go live in the USA. We have that right under the Jay Treaty and that’s why people assume that Canada doesn’t HAVE any Aboriginals because most of us live down in the USA because our own side of the Treaty Line is so bat-a** racist.



@Raj, my fellow Ivy Leaguer: you’ve missed one point of coming to Canada as a female with higher level university degrees. The rate of rape in Canada of “visible minority” women (read “brown skinned”) is substantially higher per capita than the United States’. In fact it’s so far into the stratosphere that the UN Commission on Human Rights has been called in to investigate Canada (in the Western provinces). Other than that, you’re right. However, the US is no place for a brown-skinned Ivy League (or similar) graduate to find a good job. Here too it’s wash dishes, work in a call center, stock retail shelves, etc. I mean, THEORETICALLY only, down here there is more “merit-based” work to be had – but the competition is fierce in what few states still have any at all. I stay in the US because it’s slightly better than Canada….but only slightly.



I’d like to express the same sentiments that many have already made regarding the Canadian immigration experience.

I think the biggest thing to take away is that it’s been incredibly disappointing. Disappointing not in the sense that Canada is a shit hole (far from it), but it is a country with great potential that actively seeks to sabotage its true ability. Truly, this is a place where innovation, the entrepreneurial spirit and competition end up dying. 

As many of you have pointed out, coming to Canada as a skilled worker will mostly likely set you back. I truly think there is a HUGE problem in the way the Canadian mentality works as a whole. It is a nation with a big country’s resources, but a small country’s mindset. I can only sigh when Canadians jump in joy at something that we’re marginally better than the States at. It’s never good when you’re more obsessed with what’s going on with your neighbour. Yes we’re less bad at some things compared to the States, but we could be focusing our attention on better things such as innovation and actually pushing the country to progress, and not just coast along with our bountiful resources.

Many here I’m sure have posted their disappointment because they had qualifications and experience in a certain work field (whether IT, law, medicine, CPA or otherwise), but ended up being shafted when they came to Canada despite being at or higher than the standard required. Although it is a multicultural and socially liberal place, I always get the feeling that Canada exists in its own bubble and is constantly suspicious/look down on what goes on outside its borders. What ends up happening is that there is an over-inflated sense of self vs. the true value presented. 

For the people who say “good immigrants, go and never come back”, let’s be clear: the large majority of immigrants are not refugees and actually bring money and expertise. Immigration is a source of income for provinces like BC. But when immigrants leave after 5 or so years, that is a serious failure of the immigration policy. Immigration ends up becoming a musical chair dance: yes you make quick cash through the immediate spending on houses, cars etc. but that is chosen over long-term job creation and progress. Just look at cities like Vancouver where housing prices and spending have spiked despite no similar increases in employment opportunities and annual income.

Extra tidbits I like to share:
-My parents came from Singapore and had got the entire family residency cards shortly after my high school graduation. I graduated from McGill university with a degree in finance and moved to Vancouver. I struggled to find work for almost a year and had to supplement it with a lot of part-time and menial jobs. Ended up working at an HSBC branch for something I wasn’t interested in and where job movement and mobility was extremely limited (my boss had been in his position for over 5 years). Most depressing thing was seeing a British-Pakistani man in his mid 30′s work as a teller despite his qualifications and years working in the banking and finance sector in the City. After I got my citizenship, I did my masters in England and I’m now currently working at an investment bank over here.

-There were widely publicised news reports of Canada lacking physicians a few years back. They could have easily supplemented the numbers with foreign educated doctors. Instead, many failed to secure residency despite years of experience back in their home country. I personally knew of a physician who had 10+ years experience working in a famous clinic in Paris that couldn’t land a residency in Montreal, despite getting accreditation and obtaining her Canadian qualifications! 

-I knew of a Swiss/Indian family who were basically an immigrant policy planner’s wet dream. They entered as investment immigrants. The mother was an Oxbridge PHD professor, the father was a self-made millionaire with various business ventures around the world and each of the 3 children were incredibly bright and extremely successful in their fields. The father had no real interest in really pouring his money in Canada because of various financial barriers, taxes etc. so him leaving shortly was understandable. But if anything, his 3 children should be the very example of how Canadian Immigration has failed terribly.

The eldest was a mining engineer who couldn’t find a suitable job in BC despite her years in the field, qualifications and excellent education (Stanford PHD). She used her Canadian passport and previous education to eventually land a H-1 B into the States. The second was a banker and encountered similar experiences as mine. Prior to moving to Canada he had a degree from Columbia and had landed some big time internships at major investment banks in NY. When applying for jobs at Canadian banks, they basically ignored it and asked if he had Canadian experience. He ended up working in Switzerland, got an MBA and landed a lucrative investment banking job in NY…again using his Canadian passport to obtain a H-1 B. The 3rd, who spent most of his childhood in Canada, understandably had the most attachment to the country. He had built up a successful online business venture while attending Cal Tech that he sold to Oracle. After years working in the States (he had a green card), he decided to move to Canada and start his ventures there. It failed miserably but now he’s a millionaire in Silicon Valley. He’s only 30. I can’t for a second think that he was stupid or that he lacked motivation, or that his networking sucked. Luck may be a factor, but I think it speaks more to the failures of the Canadian mentality which holds back talent and skill.

This might sound like an immigrant’s rant, but it could be easily applied to any natural born sons and daughters of Canada. Why is it the best and our brightest always end up leaving and settling for the States? I believe that the short sightedness, the inflated sense of Canada’s ability and importance in the world has unfortunately produced a dangerous situation for both immigrants and born Canadians alike.



“Too many people blame others rather than look at their own behaviors/actions or personalities.etc. It doesn’t matter what your ethnicity is: do people like you?”
Ad hominem attacks just prove that anglo Canada is a stuck up place which robs immigrants of their life savings. Sure Dr. Gupta was an honorable doctor in India but when he arrived in Toronto he ends up driving taxis for a living. 
Social class is a huge divide in Canada. Either you work at Bay St or you don’t.



I’m a Chinese whose born and raised here. I feel like this country is at it’s downfall, taxes are ridiculously high, if I go to Hong Kong, where I am a permanent resident, I only get taxed a maximum of 17%, that is 2% above the minimum federal tax rate. This country has a lot more social and political problems than other counties in Asia. They give special rights to people who commit crimes and drug addicts. The government loves sending troops overseas. After I get my bachelor of technology in accounting I believe I would move to Hong Kong. Easier to find a job, lower tax, less crime, less social problems. Easier to live in general. I feel really disappointed in Canada and it’s current way of dealing things, including transit and telecommunication, which is a joke.



To the lady who is european above : I so do agree with you. We come from Europe as well. It is like going back 40 years ago upon coming here. But at the same time we are treated as if we are morons.
It is shocking. We were expats in various parts of the wold before; were treated to canada as the land of “milk and honey” and other nonsense.You arrive here and you are being talked down as if you are 2 year old kids.It is a real shock to your self esteem.Highly qualified europeans : do NOT come here. This country lies to get you coming, takes your money, wants you to buy a house etc. And ends up not recognising your diplomas (why did you even give us visas then ?).If you already have a family please reconsider. You will not be able to go back to your home country.
We are white alright (French and Irish) from UK.
It is the first time we got an inkling frankly of what it might be like to have a different skin colour arriving in a “white” country.



I can understand most of the posted sentiments. I came to Canada in 2011 with my husband and 2 children. Canada was and is still good to us. I understand it is frustrating for many of us who believe we are educationally qualified from their home country yet they fail to establish satisfying careers here. This is not exclusive to immigrants. It is the current situation of Canada, which affects all its residents. Canada is a very generous nation. Let us just remember why we came here in the first place. I certainly do not believe that Canada promised us high paying jobs. We just hoped too much. We came here because our home country may not be able to provide what we came to Canada for. Let’s stick with that and move on.



@ sara evans, The immigration to your country is based on certain crieteria, which includes that of shortage in skilled manpower,y age , educational and english language proficiencies. It is a lengthy process and the govt of canada invites immigrants based on their understanding that there is shortage of workers in perticular fields(atleast for FSW applicants),and they pay all the govt liable fees which turn to your income one day. it is not one sara evans running the whole show. immigrants are not refugees, they are being invited by the canadian govrntment ,it is just like at your home you call someone for dinner and when they come you say sorry no dinner served today. Such is the attitude.people are frustrated because the ground reality is not put forwarded by the authorities, they inflate and make it in such a way that your country is an utopia.remember whatever you take back home saying its your income ,a part of it was hard earned money of immigrants like them.just think there is an agency called WES @$322 who does the canadian equivalency of the international aspiring immigrants, and based on that these people immigrated to your wonderland without knowing that it is yet another money making channel for your country. these immigrants after coming to your country is not recognized for educational qualification by any of the so called hardworking employers.yet another scam..should know the ground reality ..



Yes, Canada’s job market is very tough. But it depends on the profession. Medical licensed professions (except doctors) are good in Canada. IT market also depends on what technology one knows. It depends on the demand. US has 10 times the population and it has more job opportunities for all areas. But I do agree that Canada is over regulated when compared to the US. Less job opportunities with over regulation are a family killer or new immigrant killer. They say Canadian standards are higher than American. But the high standards do not translate into Jobs or GDP growth. Real estate prices are also overpriced when compared to other developed countries of similar size. People make the mistake of thinking that since Canada is near to the US, it would be like US. Sorry.



Canadian born and foreign born or educated workers are both being screwed by the Canadian society system. The mouth says one thing and the hands doing something else. The policies and the realities are not in unison. It is practically false advertising to immigrants, temporary workers, and even citizens. The Canadian employers and governments seem to be playing with all our lives as if it is a computer game like The Sims, Sim City, Sim Earth, Sim Whatever. I think they are all just doing fake job hiring, advertising games to waste everyone’s time and to make it appear they are doing something constructive. It is all very corrupt.
http://www.macleans.ca/economy/business/land-of-misfortune/



Canada has a dark side and ignorant citizens, residents, immigrants, or temporary foreign workers will be setting themselves up to be someone’s slave if they do not educate themselves. Predators of all kinds look for weak and clueless people as victims and prey because they are easier to exploit. There was a recent news story in the media about an Asian man who literally worked himself to death 70 hours per week at a Vancouver, British Columbia for minimum wage. There was no legally mandated over time pay or other worker rights. The BC Labour Standards Branch of the provincial government fined the chicken meat processor company for labour law violations, after the worker died. These are the kind of unscrupulous clowns you will end up working for if you leave your home countries to emigrate to Canada. These rich fools exist in every province and city. They are so greedy, they will try to save $1 to get back $25 in troubles if they are exposed. Do you feel these kinds of people deserve your loyalty and dedication? You could end up like that dead Asian man at the chicken factory is you are not careful.



I would be surprised to see if for a well-educated and talented immigrant who doesn’t leave Canada within five years of arrival. I left Canada after four and a half years for a job offer in Seattle.
Before I left for Seattle, I was teaching in the engineering department at a college in Alberta. The engineering department head was an interior designer. There were three instructors working underneath him and I am one of them. One of the instructor was also an interior designer, the other had a high school diploma and I was the only one with formal engineering education, advanced engineering degree and engineering license. By default, I was the only one who was teaching all the engineering subjects. 
You might wonder what interior design or high school diploma have anything to do with engineering education in a college. I can tell you the answer is nothing. 
For those of you who might be wondering what Canadian experience really means, I can also tell you it is just a convenient way for an employer to not hire qualified immigrant workers. There isn’t anything special to it.



Yip, every thing is candy coated here in Canada Propaganda and spin doctors are in abundance. The only reason I can see why they accept the sheer number of immigrants to the country is to have them slave for the abundant monopolies setup here since the early 1900. The success stories are too few and far in between and tarted up like a retired hookers. Having lived and worked on 3 continents and numerous countries, this place is still 40 years behind…Yes they have a handful of cutting edge companies, but that does not make the rest of the country cutting edge. I concur with the discrimination mentioned in previous posts, any one who is not Canadian born having lived their bland cardboard box life of home & cottage weekends is seen as THREAT! Correct they can not fathom the idea of someone coming from another country with open mind and experiences upstaging them and possibly taking their job away.



After moving to Canada in 2004 (manitoba)from Germany, my parents and parents on law decided to move back to Germany for health reasons and age.
My husband , kids and I went with them, as we wanted to stay with the family,
And thought we could find work in Germany. After two years now there are still no jobs
And we reply on welfare. We had a house and a good life in Canada
When I think back. most of the people I know that came from Germanyarr
Happy in Canada, having jobs , houses…I can’t imagine having all this here in Germany.
Just wanting to say that every country nowadays has those job market
Problems. And in Germany the majority of people are very rude no matter
Where you are from. Everyone here asked us why the he’ll we came
Back to Germany when everyone else is trying to leave. You pay a lot of
Taxes here, the medical system is worse than ten years ago…
People go to university and still don’t get jobs. ( at least you don’
t have to pay for university here and if only minimal amounts)
But we are still thinking about leaving Germany for Canada again. As we lost everything here, including nerves and mental stability. and had lot more back in canada. Don’t know if it’s right to leave as both places are not perfect
And everyone wants to raid their kids save and in a place with future, but those posts
Don’t encourage me.
Plus the school system in Europe and social system is not teaching kids
Ethnically… A lot of trans gender, gays have more rights than straight people, perversity and nudity everywhere, try raising kids normally here.
I don’t see a bright future for Europe either, in any way….
Hard decision for us to make, indeed.



The head of Bank of Canada announced Canada has 0% economic growth for 2015 in a news conference. The entire situation is not stable and unpredictable. Some of the other western countries are actually recovering from the 2008-09 world economy recession. Graduates can’t find sufficient jobs, citizens, immigrants, foreign workers running up the credit card debts to insane levels to survive, Canadian employers not investing and hording money, dead job growth, and others are all crashing the economic machine. They neglected the maintenance and now it is going to stop functioning.



Canada is a professional DEAD END!!!
If you are a professional with skills, DROP the idea of Canada. It’s a mediocre country with mediocre people. The country lacks flair, an ambitious drive, technology, innovation & opportunities. Canadians generally have little knowledge of what’s outside North America. To an intellectually challenged Canadian, most of the world is “3rd World” junk and in the same breath they’ll try to pretend they are very liberal and open minded. As long as you go along with their unfounded stupidity, you’ll be fine. But if you stand your ground and present an opposing view point, you’ll be called names and made to experience typical Anglo smugness of epic proportions. 
Unless you’re a refugee escaping life threatening situations, why would you want to immigrate to Canada? It’s a frozen wasteland. When was the last time you heard of Canada on the news?



I am so thankful for this article and comments. This supported my view of the past 4 months living with unemployment status here and soon deciding to leave wherever my profession is recognized. Honestly, I was thinking whether my assessment is wrong for any reason but day by day I started feeling that am not, now that am concrete after reading this article. Many thanks for all of you, God bless you



@Marewan, do you want to be appreciated and paid well for your work experience, skills, education? Do you want to feel contentment and have a fun social life? Go work for the Chinese, Saudis, Russians, Koreans, Japanese, etc. They are not cheap, limited, amateurish like Canada, USA, and some others. USA, Canada, and some others are declining empires like the Ancient Roman Empire. The long slow decline goes before the fall. Canada is in the decline stage currently, the fall comes next.



People who think Canada is so good and wonderful only look on the superficial surface. All the political, government, economic, social systems are seizing up and falling apart. Canada and the other western countries are in a long term state of decline, decay, and eventual collapse. The society is unsustainable as it is birthed, grows, and eventually will die. The news that the Canadian economy is dead or dying is all over the news media as it runs out of will, ability, and fuel to continue the prosperity. The party is going to over very soon.



Whoops…..you forgot to mention; THE APPALLING SCHOOL SYSTEM. Immigrating to Canada means that your children with will get a third rate education at best, UNLESS, they are place in French Immersion. Unfortunately, many immigrants come into the country when their children are older and are unable to enter the immersion system. In the English “core French” system, it is not uncommon to see many (usually more than half a classroom’s pupils) 10 year olds who can’t link their letters, can barely hold a pen or pencil properly, whine when they are requested to write six sentences, can’t spell the most rudimentary words and can barely add or subtract It is incredible to see and the teachers always refer to these kids as “low,” without considering the fact that there might be something terribly wrong if more than 50% of the class are “low.” I distinctly remember being expected to write an in class essay of at least a page with decent paragraphing, spelling, grammar and storyline by the time I was 10. In addition, at that age, most children knew basic math facts like the multiplication table and we certainly were NOT allowed to whine when requested to do some written work. PARENTS – IMMIGRATE TO ANOTHER COUNTRY IF YOU WANT YOUR CHILDREN TO STAND ANY CHANCE OF AN EDUCATION AND THEY CAN’T BE PLACED IN THE IMMERSION PROGRAMME.



Ex resident here. Mid twenties, white and educated. Hated the fake, unempathetic, soulless lifestyle of Canada. It’s boring, dull. Did many menial jobs, and wasn’t getting anywhere. Also the lack of holiday time etc, just not much incentive to go back. Bad food (tasteless), the people are only about money money money. It just lacks anything real. I felt dumbed down.
This is not a race issue, this is a culture issue. If you have a strong cultural mentality, this country is not for you. I won’t be returning.



My family and I moved from Europe to Canada 7 years ago. I am a CNC Machinist with additional degrees in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. I haven’t had any difficulties finding good paying jobs. I also have to mention that we did not come here to find better work opportunities. My family and I wanted to experience something new. It all started out pretty good. We bought a house two years after arrival. I have a job now, where I make 110,000 CAD and my wife has a very good income working as a part-time nurse. And still, after 7 years in this country, we just want to move back to Germany (and we are going to this year). We tried to ignore many things that started to drag us down, but eventually it all got to us.
My conclusion of life in Canada:

- As other posters said, do not come here if you have a very good education. The work environment is horrible. I started working at a German machine building company in 1990. At that time this company was already decades ahead of what I have seen here at any employer today. 
- There is no work-life balance: you live to work. You actually are a slave to work. Canada’s motto: work work work

- Canada’s government protects the market for Canadian companies. There is zero competition in the market. This results in companies charging you arms and legs for any service. It is so unbelievably expensive. Everything is a rip-off and you buy miserable quality. Made in Canada? Lol…
- Canadians don’t care about their environment. Cars are idled in cold, mild or warm weather. Water is apparently abundant, as people water their lawns even if it rains. Exploit mother nature, everything is there for the taking.

- Canadians are narrow-minded, self centered and superficial.- In Canada you will hear that everything is great all the time. If you offer constructive criticism you are just a stupid immigrant and you might be told to “go home if you don’t like it here!” No wonder this country is still in the Stone Age.

- Both education and health care is abysmal. Why are Canadians creating this hype about their health care and education system? It is government propaganda on the radio, on TV, everywhere. The Canadian government will honestly tell you in your face that Canada is the greatest country in the world with the best work force in the world. I have heard this countless times. Apparently Canadians believe this. Try to tell them anything differently…have fun. BTW, I find the work force lazy, numb, and nobody takes pride in what they are doing.- Depression levels are high, so is drug and alcohol abuse. Why? Because it is one boring country. There is nothing to do here, except for visiting national parks. No culture, no night-life, just hockey. Nothing to do but working and spending money. Dull, dull, dull…

It’s good to come here for vacation, but having stayed here for 7 years makes it 6.5 years too long. Now we want to move back and try to get some sanity back into our lives. Don’t get me wrong when I say this: if you are from a developing country you might like it here (though I heard people say they want to move back, too). If you come from the US, Singapore or a European country you may be disappointed. 
Some say Canada is freedom… it is not. You are welcomed into slavery. I have never felt so imprisoned in my whole life. Canada is a very sad and depressing place.

Also – Canada has one of the worst employment benefits packages – one week holiday a year compared to Europe’s one month a year. All work and no play, that’s Canada. Eat, sleep, slave, repeat.



@American man: Fortunately my country of origin (Germany) is so much better already. In comparison to Canada, there is nothing to improve, that’s why we are going home ;-)
As my wife always puts it: We are going ‘back to the future’!



People need to understand Canadians will stay the way they are, high superiority complex, extremely vocal with pretentious manners, and fake economy based on sales of commodities and it may end like Greece. It is definitely not a place for qualified people, which Canadian company is in global list?, check comment of research in motion or blackberry founder, he himself says, Canadian economy is designed to fail. Ironically USA should stop recognizing Canadian credentials and in 1 week , all attitude problems of Canadian will go away. There is no good quality construction work, look at windows and ceilings in homes which are falling, very bad healthcare, no knowledge based companies, nothing and still false pride and ego, based on what?



I have been here for 3 years and can tell you I have wasted my money coming here in CANADA. I had to redo some courses to get my degree recognized and gave been working in an unrelated job for 14$/h. They are lying to people and it’s about time we show to the whole word that the Canadian government is doing a shameful propaganda to show us a country with jobs, money to make, degrees to obtain. Yes there are all of that, however what they don’t tell you is that you will spend a fortune paying for a degree with which you will be able to work for a job that is badly paid since they will tell you you don’t have the experience in Canada. At the end you wasted more than 50000 $ and didn’t have your pay back. People are quite hypocrite and just talk to you if in need. People in Québec province are the worst, very rude, and think they are the best since their prime city Montréal has an European flair (in their opinion which is untrue). I am European and would not waste any more money in this city and country. Believe me when I tell you we are better off in our country back in Europe. Sure there is recession for the time being but in overall the quality of life is better and people much more open minded, open to criticism to improve ourselves, better food, better hospitals our health care system.

Going to the US seems the best alternative for immigrants since they are very upfront with their immigration policy. You have to have the skills and you will get the money. Here in Canada they ask for money first and then tell you, you don’t gave the skills you have to get credentials. I say go to the US or to Europe if you miss your country but don’t stay here in Canada they are using us, it’s about time we start to invest our money where we know for sure we are not losing it! Do you hear a lot of people regretting moving to the US, compared to Canada ?! No. You will not because you know in what you are getting into when you go there. 

USA is not the promised land either, there are still racism in some part of the country , the poor are not getting better and the education is expensive. However those who strive hard to success have an equal chance. If you are talented and get handle competition you are sure to enjoy the ride. 

The American dream is still possible in USA but has never existed in Canada. Do not be fooled by their advertising whether you are in India, Pakistan, China, Nigeria, Africa, or Europe. This is a lie. All of my friends already go back to Europe and some are in the US right now.



Go to the US, you can have better wages than here and great quality of life. Canadian will tell you it’s a dangerous country but there is not a single day without a murder case in Toronto or other Canadian provinces. Luca Magnotta the guy who killed the Chinese and dismembered him with putting the video on YouTube was from here Canada in Montreal , and now we have another case of murder with cutting off limbs in Canada in the same city. 


People are as sick here as in the US. It’s not the peaceful country they want you to think.
To all migrants worldwide, reconsider the country where you want to emigrate, Canada is not that great and pretty much am overated country which knows need migrants to save their economy which would collapse over wise, that’s why they make it seems they give you great benefits when coming here and show you the residency card or even the citizenship. But they don’t give anything in the end since all they needed was your money. Don’t be fooled! Go to the USA it is my last words.



@going home. I felt the same way when I moved from the UK. I and my wife realised we immigrated to a country that was 10years behind the UK.



When immigrants applied for permanent residency they are not aware of that their education is of no value in Canada without studying further. Most of them came to left their government jobs, when they worked in Canada as a general labour it makes them depressed and feel them guilt to come in Canada so most of them decided to go back in their backhomes.



It is naive to think that this discrimination is due only to some employers. In first world countries, imperialist countries, the government is representative of the highest class, just like a puppet. The immigration system in Canada is just a plicy to import highly qualified professionals to turn them into common workers for industry or agriculture. It is not by chance, it is a well established policy to build a high quelify population and avoid greater social issues, ’cause professionals are mostly civilized people that won’t get into crime, drugs and such things. It is a system of importing high educated slaves, in the modern slavery of imperialist capitalism.



I came from the UK 8 years ago. First 2 yrs were fun, trying to explore the place in Toronto. After that you start to see the cracks. Canadians like to say they work hard, yes you do but not efficiently. They like caos, confusion then say they work hard, yes work hard to sort mess out. They never tell you what they think, its awlays smiles – but they will stab you in the back. UK, Europe were brought up on values Christian values this does not happen here. Everyone in Toronto think they are cool. Lol I wear clothes from Europe they stare it is very rude, this is how you get laid lol, the girls are that easy and slow. There is a lot of Brit backlash now, not so cool to be Brit here anymore. I wish it was easy to be social here its not communication has gone. Im in pain writing this, just awful here. Canadians do youself a favor come out of your shell more, they are some very interesting people here.



I came here to canada in 2009 as a student when i was 17 years old from Dubai. I am from Indian Descent. I completed my Bachelors of Business here. Majored in marketing and new venture creations and graduated in 2013 December. i have barely any accent left, most my friends are canadians born and raised here. I am moving back to Dubai next month. I still havent found a job in my field. I have been working as a night auditor at a hotel here and applied for my PR but it still hasnt come through, gonna take another 3 years and seems like the gov is playing a great game here of scamming international students of 100 of thousands of dollars to study here in the dreams of settling down in canada and then taking over 4 years to give you a residency so they can milk you even more. The system is so messed up here. For those saying english is an issue with immigrants getting a job in Canada. I got 8.5 out of 9 on my IELTS Score for just 3 months ago. Plus even after graduating out of a Canadian University with a double major in marketing and new venture creations i am struggling to find a decent job in my field. I would love to see some comments if someone is currently in my situation.



I have wasted many years of my life here in Toronto and now feel trapped because I have grown children living here. There is absolutely no culture here, you feel totally disconnected from the rest of the world, it is like Narnia ‘always winter and never Christmas’, as stated in a previous posting we are about 10 years behind when it comes to fashion, furniture, appliances etc. You also feel so isolated as there is nowhere interesting to visit. I came from Europe where I had six weeks vacation and guiltless sick days and would stay home if I had a headache, cold etc. I could jump on a train and go to so many interesting places for a day, or a weekend, and experience history and culture at its very best. But here in Canada you have to work 52- weeks of the year and only get 2 weeks vacation in many jobs. And you are made to feel incredibly guilty if you try to call in sick (only a terminal illness is allowed)! To anyone planning to move here from Europe, PLEASE think twice. It is all about work and even if you do have some down time there is nowhere to go. It makes me laugh when I hear Canadians talking about Toronto being a world-class city – as it is more like a back water. Don’t be fooled by the cottage propaganda either – the Canadian highway is jam packed during the brief, humid summer weeks with cars driving for 4-6 hours or more just to arrive at a small plot of land to look at the same scenery every weekend, get eaten by black fly and mosquitoes. The land is parceled off around the lakes North of Toronto, just like the city, so you can’t go hiking and exploring, as you are surrounded by private land so will be trespassing. I can say this, because I have been there, done it, and know first hand that it is not worth it. As for winter sports, it is too bloody cold to be outside in the winter. I know this is a very negative posting, but I feel if I had been more aware of what was involved in emigrating here, I would never have done it.



Toronto Ontario is the best city that Canada has, all the others cities large, medium, small are less than Toronto. If Toronto is still considered crap, can you imagine how all the other cites (Victoria, Vancouver, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Saint John’s, Fredrickton, Halifax, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Yellowknife, Iqaluit, etc) are like? The smaller places would be much worse. The web site Topix has lots of comments about Canadian cities, provinces, and country. Just pick a place name and read everything. It is not good.



Seems no one wants understand want to do good for the economy.politicians / higher decisions making people can’t read these topics or they do not want to . they closed their eyes thinking we do not see the lion & lion will not eat .Canada is heading towards deathbed.
Try india . india is not it uses to be. Job from IT to cab driver. Abounded skilled worker. Every thing is home made.do import from China. Corruption is big issue but now decrease side.



I came to Canada with part of my family (mother, brother and sister) but my father and other brother stayed back home and now after many years of trying to bring my father and other brother to join us in Canada we couldn’t find a way to bring them here because to sponsor my father we have to have a high level of income and our income is not enough also my brother is considered as an adult so we cant sponsor him to come to Canada even though he is unmarried. so now since there is no way to bring our father and brother to live together in Canada, now we are forced to leave Canada and live somewhere else where our father and brother are allowed to join us and live together.



A LOT of truth to these statements..came here from the UK for opportunity….what a waste of time and money… I was better off staying in the UK!!!. I also think that Canada is WAY behind the rest of the modern world and agree that there is NO culture here…Tim Hortins and hockey…and that is ALL. I cannot speak for the rest of Canada but I don’t know what the Liberal government are doing in Ontario…driving the province and taxpayers into the ground with a Tax and spend mentality. There is no middle class here anymore …it’s the have and have nots. Canada as a country could be so much more…but it doesn’t recognise skills or schooling from other countries …which is absurd, as they are generally much better than Canadian system or schooling. The education system here is a joke …when I ask my daughter what she learns in school she replys “we play all day”. We will be going back to the U.K. as it is just a rat race here….modern day slavery… No life /work balance. I had 5 weeks holiday in U.k here 10…days.



@ Jaffa, why would the governments and private companies recognize foreign school credentials when they hardly even recognize Canadian school credentials from citizens? It is all just a scam to squeeze money out of everyone at every stage. Go to school to get a better paying job they are too cheap to actually hire for. Then you get sent back for endless retraining, repeat. At every level, someone will profit from you instead of you. That is the Canada, USA system. You are just a money cow.



This is all correct. I remember when I got the immigration paper done family friends and colleagues were advising not to go to Canada as its a FOOL’s PARADISE. I wish if I would really think in that way too and would not choose to migrate here. I have professional masters degree in finance from UK and its recognized in Canada so its nothing like qualification matching problem. Secondly, I have plenty of experience on serving various head positions back home and even in UK so experience is not an issue. I have a decent background so I am good in communicating as well. But here I am searching a job since 3/4 months even at a low level but in my field but not getting any response. I have applied over 500 jobs / positions in various positions and some of them were matched with my professional skills and past experience and I was so confident that I will get at least an interview call from there but nothing comes up. Then I start making fake experience resume and started distributing that that worked and I got 2 interview calls out of 150 I have applied. Than some one told me that only reference work but here equal opportunity employment act also falls and its a law so they have to give it on merit. Then I come up to the conclusion why I am people dont get calls and done get hired on merit. Firstly they dont have Canadian work experience so your chances are already limited like only 10 percent chance that the employer will even bother to call you. Now how that 10% comes down to 1% or even 0%, let me explain. They create opportunities to show Canadian government that we are creating employment opportunities for that they get marks and rewards in terms of 50 best employer of Canada or 100 best employer etc. So they create fake positions, so believe me or not remove 40% of those positions. So 40% of that 10% is removed and you come down to 6% chance that your application will be successful. Now out of those 40% they always say did you work for this company before do you know any one. Means reference for that an employee who is referring is getting a monetary benefit for hiring a right person and for that they take priority. So all the employees try to get their own references and there is only 1% chance that you get some hiring manager picked out of nowhere from those who has been referred by an employee. so if you apply that 99% on that 6% chance you get 0.000000001% chance that you get employed by a company randomly.
So my dear friends dont waste your time here and go back to your home country with a respectable jobs rather cleaing kichens and washing floors of mcdonalds or kfc. This place is for those who cant get good pay rates in their home country for labour job and hence cant buy home and or buy new car. This country is paying good to them and rewarding own home (which is banks property but you feel like its yours) and car on financing (which is also not yours) but in the end of your life you feel like you have everything. So I am packing my stuff and going back where I belongs I dont give a sh*t who dont respect my knowledge experience and education.



I came here 11 years ago , I compare myself with my friends where I came from , I found myself lost many things and value , it’s not about money but I feel like I am in a labour camp , work from 8 to 5 , pay massive amount of tax , everything I own belongs to the banks , layoff many times without notice , work like donkey and not able to save. Yes I was able to work in big companies , has a job in IT managerial role , but you can feel how much discrimination , white people or whatever they call them are the worst , I can feel the pain when a white people report to you , I can feel how they are hoping to report to white people like them , I have been laid off and replaced by a white guy just because I complain my white boss to HR , I can feel how the law in the side of the Canadian company , they can laid off you any time without cause , and you cannot complain to anyone , I am thinking seriously to leave Canada forever , this is not what I came for , I always tell newcomers , plan your future , try to continue your education , get your passport , and don’t build deep root , the government doesn’t give a shit about you , you are just a number paying tax and build the glory of Canada



WOW to this extent Canada is shit. I can’t really buy all these gloomy stories … I don’t know why I have a feeling that someone is purposely fabricating such stories to discourage others from applying to immigrate to Canada … might be wrong … anybody else share me the same feeling. ?!!!
Come see for yourself Yemeni. We’d love nothing more, than for you to come suffer with us.
Nothing beats real life experience. Why don’t you immigrate to Canada and find out for yourself?



I am an active reader of this forum since January 2014.All of the facts stated here is true and honestly derived from immigrants personal experiences in Canada. I too moved to Canada (Alberta –Calgary) in April 2013 with a professional accounting designation from UK/Ireland. It was immensely hard and daunting task to find job in desired field in Canada. Nothing more to re-iterate ,I have taken a wise decision to return to Ireland in April 2014,immediately find a job with one of the top 4 US MNC bank in Ireland. I am now happily resettled, bought a new house, recently had a new born baby, one promotion, enjoying the friendly European nature and culture. Once I thought, my life was lost for ever in Canada. I took my decision based on conclusion reached by own personal experiences, general observation, similar comment posted on this forum. My advice to those who are willing to immigrate, please do not go to Canada if you have a decent job and family in the Country where you are living, otherwise go and ready for further challenge for next 5 years in Canada.



@Yemeni, the negative Canada comments would be just possible Bull Shit is only few people are saying it and typing about it all over the Internet. It is very likely true when there are many people all over the internet web sites such as Topix, Ratemyemployer, Yahoo Answers, Canadian Immigrant, and others saying the same things. Don’t blame other people that they did not warn you when you ignore their advice and insist on learning things the hard way.



everything you said about Canada is right



If one one of a few people all over the internet said the various parts of Canada sucks for everything, then it could be true. It is not BS when many people on many web sites have the same opinion. Yemeni can learn the easy way or the hard way. Don’t say we did not warn you.



My husband and I arrived here 4 months ago. We are contract workers in Singapore. I feel so depress because we have applied to so many jobs but we didnt recieved any call for interview. We are confused if we will just go back to Singapore or will still try to find job here. We are scared thay our hard earned money will be finished here due to unemployment. Please give us some advise



I have lived here for 15 yrars , my life is going down everyday but I have to take care a Canadian born ill husband. I am 50 years old woman,have no job,always apply for one but never get it. I live on credit card,almost bankrupt now. Please go back to your homeland before it’s too late as me,that has nothing to for retirement, just live in poverty.



It is hypocritical people defending “Canada’s Immortal Propaganda” about how good Canada will forever be. These people are in self delusional denial about how the system and society is slow crumbling and heading towards a fall. When citizens, immigrants, temporary are all saying the society and system is a dysfunctional mess, you better believe it or you can not blame others for tricking you. all over many Internet web site is this exposure of Canada’s dirty secret as a money sucking scheme. Go and check the web site links in the other comments and learn before you are too late.



To people who advocate Canada or asking people to stop complaining -
For something to be true we need to look at the number of samples. Here in this forum, we could see ~95% or more failures. As far as i understand, the Canadian Govt / Immigration system is making money with people trying to move there. Like some one mentioned, once you move in, that’s all. You earn, you pay taxes, if you don’t earn, still you pay the rent and for consumables, through with they get money. Once you have left, un-successful, there is space for a new bait. 
If 1/1000 people live a better life than others, then its not a paradise. People are milked their money for every process in immigration and education.
I read that Canada targets 1,85,000 people in a year for 2016.
Why do they target 1,85,000 people to Immigrate to Canada?
To solve the problem of not able to fill the job vacancies?
No, just to make money as long as people move in and spend there.



@Canadienne, you are not alone in Canada being squeezed dry and living in poverty. The top 1% to 15% in anything are doing fine regardless if the economy goes up or down, it makes no difference. The other 85% of Canadian citizens, immigrants, and temporary foreign workers or refugees get treated like money ponzie schemes. All those college and university educated people being forced to do high school jobs to live is really wrong. Then the high school students have nothing. I find most government and private company employers seem to be playing hiring games to waste everyone’s time only to make themselves look good. I think they just make up some BS job vacancies to appear to be hiring, training, and contributing to society. In reality, they are just cutting everything and everyone to increase their own bonuses, and profits at everyone’s expenses. Each person and organization with a vested interest in continuing the sham line up to inhale your money. You get to pay, wait, apply, reapply, and other things, but you will never get to actually play. They advertise, ignore, readvertise, whine about having not enough staff. That is just acting and they don’t really care about having staff or not as long and they save money and keep all the profits, even if they crash their organizations in the process.



came here 3 years ago with wife a 3 boys, I have worked so hard and wife too, no culture just work work work pay out all out for cost of living, six months of winter nothing to do TV sucks food sucks, it’s a hard life when I talk with old people that have slaved all there life and have very little it’s just a trap here get here and slave. We are going to the US as soon as possible, don’t believe the hype on Canada



BY reading all these commends many canadian whites saying there is a 24% job shortage there.In that case the canadian government must stop this skilled migration programme until all canadians having their own job.If you have a skill shortage in canada and no canadian is there to fill upthose vacancies,what the government can not offer job letter to the foreigners before asking them to file the PR process?even the new express entry system also not effective.if u have skill shortage your job sites should not mention that “eligible to work in canada” even if the job profile sits in skill shortage list.If you have skill shortage and need foreign people to fill it advertise FIRST in internationl job sites,then ,after the company select people ask them to get PR and migrate to fill that vacancy.Not that canadian government authority FEELS/SMELLS that there is skill shortage and ask everyone to migrate to canada for NOTHING.use brain.If white people are jobless why government allow others?



@Vinod, many of us agree with your question. Do not assume the Canadian Government or corporate policy and decision makers are actually intelligent with common sense. They just have higher rank and power, interested in cashing in on their money bonuses and perks. The more immigrants and temporary foreign workers the system can push in and process, the more money every vested interest person and organization can generate. Many of the other commenters have mention that everyone (citizen, temporary worker, immigrant) is nothing more than a money cow to be milked. Canada has a serious problem with Canadian born citizens with college and university education being forced to do retail, fast food, private security, cleaner jobs to pay school debts, other debts, etc. The system and society is broken and declining. It is all a fraud. Immigrants and others keeping quiet about this fraud is doing everyone a disservice. The Internet should be the great knowledge equalizer to combat the misleading propaganda.



I was an international student in Canada from 2003-2006. Graduated with a computer science degree, graduated in top 5% percentage, dean’s list and completed some co-op work terms. Even while applying for co-op work terms, the competition was intense. There was very little opportunity from tech companies in Nova Scotia for internships. I ended up working at the computer science faculty as a lab admin and later at the same university IT dept doing Oracle DB PL/SQL scripting and web programming projects. I thought the work experience was OK and it was something good to be added into the resume before landing the first “real” job.

After graduation, I did apply for IT jobs in Canada, but I was not getting any interview. My student visa and passport were expiring very soon, so rather than trying to pay food and housing bills with menial jobs, it would be easier to go home and start a career there. Even menial jobs for an international student requires “legal”work visa back in those days because I was lucky enough to have an on-campus job which paid $7.xx an hour (min. wage in NS). I decided to return to Malaysia to reunite with my family members since I had been away for close to 3.5 years. Coming from a Chinese ancestry, I have a strong sense of filial piety, so I thought it was a good time to pay respects to some elders and parents who granted me the opportunity to complete the university education in Canada. Back then, the exchange rate was RM2.5-RM3 to $CA1. Because of forex, my folks worked and saved few times harder to give me a western “Canadian” education experience. Having experience both western and eastern lifestyle in cities, western family value has degraded much more. It is still a common sight for 3 generations living under the same roof, grandparents, parents and children harmoniously in Kuala Lumpur. Those who were born after the 70s are more exposed to western education, hence more influenced by western thinking and behaviors.
I landed my first job easily in Kuala Lumpur, one job application, an interview the next day, and I started working the day after. Over the years, from 2006 – 2012 in Kuala Lumpur, IT sector has been one of the easiest fields to find a job if you are good at what you do. Started off with RM32k and worked the way up to RM9x k annual salary. 

I applied for the Canadian PR in 2007 with the hard earned savings in Malaysia. I did not close the student bank account and I diligently saved up $11k (TT and paypal) over the next 2 years. Only in 2010, CIC sent me a letter that my PR has been approved and I needed to do the landing within the 1 year period. I did the landing at Vancouver airport in Aug 2010 while keeping my permanent IT job in KL, I thought that was a smart move to spend 2 weeks at a relative’s home in BC. That short stay did not provide me with a lot of insight other than seeing Canada as slow and bureaucratic in certain aspects of public sector/service.

Almost a year later, I was offered a job at an IT startup in Halifax while still working in KL. So, I thought that would be a good time to move and fulfill the 2 years residency obligation. 3 months later, my contract was terminated with the IT startup and that was my first taste of being fired because higher management decided to go with a different direction. When they let me go, they said what a team player I was for putting in extra hours and etc, and we are sad to let you go. The different direction here implies after having a newly immigrated software developer/engineer completed a milestone feature that assisted the funding of a grant, the contract engineer is no longer needed and higher management can use the grant money for “something else”. I was actually happy to leave that startup and moved on. Few weeks later, I found another job with an IT Consulting firm in Halifax, the pay was $55k a year for an intermediate developer position. Took it because my housemate and I just signed a new 12 months apartment lease, so there is a need for pay check to settle the bills. Worked there for about 5 months as part of a contracting software consultants to an Oil&Gas company. The job was not fulfilling at all compare to the ones I had in Kuala Lumpur, it was just maintenance tasks for an old web project developed 4 years ago. So, I decided that if I were to work in IT, I would definitely enjoy a higher sense of work satisfaction, promotion and bonuses, warm weather, better food and family company in Kuala Lumpur. It was obvious enough for me to resign and travel a little bit in the maritimes. Left Canada in Sept 2011.

I went back home as a different person, much more appreciative of close family and friends. Worked in IT again and that short “misadventure” in Canada turns out to be a blessing because my salary was almost doubled when I return to the old company I used to work for.

Then, my life journey started to turn more inward and spiritual due to few other major life events. Started volunteering in organic farms, growing my own food in containers, meditating and studying Buddhist dhammas. In 2013, I return to Canada to volunteer in a retreat center. Ever since, this has been the way I live, far away from the cities and close to the mountains and lakes at Kootenays.

Like most of the comments above, if you are already successful in your home country and it is reasonably peaceful without war and terror, there is very little reason to migrate to another “developed” country to seek material success or wealth. If you are from an Asian country where a lot of good virtues and family values are still hold onto, it is foolish to abandon those values and replace with modern western values that will cause the inner well being to degenerate. Even living amongst or close with low morality people will have negative impact in your life.



@ Canadiene I’m in exactly the same boat and understand every word you say. My Canadian husband is retired on disability. All my savings went on making sure we had no debt. Now stuck, unable to get a job & no way to leave. It doesn’t help having no family here, and so called friends who always turn out to be just out for anything they can get. That seems to be a common trait here – nobody helps anyone without a price attached. I have been stabbed in the back so many times that I don’t trust anyone here at all. I am desperate to go home, but can’t wish for it as it could only happen if my husband …… well you get the idea. The loneliness and depression which this country has caused in me is mind blowing. The occasional bit of pretty scenery in no way makes up for the numbing boredom of day to day existence here. And before anyone suggests it, yes, I have tried hard to integrate, but when you are constantly treated as though you come from a different planet and are stupid, it soon makes you stop trying. It really feels to me that Canada is on a different planet. There is so little connection to, or knowledge of, the wider world, that it scares me.



@ Gabby who were your ancestors? Mr crowfoot or Mr. Deergoot? To all Canadians defending Canada…. We call this ….” Gunndu chattile gudhirai otradhu….” No problem if you guys dont understand this. Right now I am sitting in northland mall and no eee kakkaa moves….Canada sucks big time….over inflated country and people…. Wait and see Canadian dollar go $0.50 USD….useless Canada… Useless Canadians….immigrants think we’ll…I am here for 9 years now



@JD I’m sure you have read this entire forum. Consider these few things before you move. You will need a very good amount of savings, much more than you will show as settlement funds. Keep in mind childrens education costs, your take home pay after 30% Tax cut. As soon as you land- you need a rental place to live, a cellphone connection(so recruiters can reach you) a bank a/c, maybe a printer/scanner to print resumes and cover letters, the weather is cold compared to India. Prepare for the worst case scenario (I’m not trying to scare you, nor be pessimistic) based on my research it takes an average of 4 months to score a job,please read real life stories of Immigrants, its all out there on the internet. Hard earned huge savings getting wiped out, those people are educated and “street smart” mind you, this is because at the time of applying for immigration no one imagined that they would have to pick up survival jobs- all they assumed was that they have the experience and the education and they are qualified enough to immigrate. You may be a teacher/esthetician etc in your home country but in Canada most professions need Licenses and you have to upgrade and pay for licenses accordingly. Read, research further. I have been invited for a Provincial Nominee Program- I’m having second thoughts now that I have started reading and researching in-depth. Most immigrate with the assumption that life will be rosier,the lifestyle will be better, but ask yourself at what cost? Have a back-up plan just incase. JD I’m not aware about the job scenario, for your NOC Code. When we applied, the Job Bank sent irrelevant jobs and the reason could be because the job market is bad. Are you willing to work on a contract basis? I’m sure you’re aware to qualify for the express entry- you have to have your education assessed and also take the English exam like IELTS before you create your express entry profile.The grass is always greener on the other side.I want to thank those who have been open enough to share their struggles and warn others(not that I will base my life decision on their experience) My indecisiveness to go through with my application is what brought me to this forum. JD,I wish you the best of luck in your endeavor. Most importantly follow your HEART and no matter what you choose never regret that choice.



Most of the IT jobs are ‘just for name ‘ the person is already hired for the role



Canada does not need people with MBAs. Canada does not need managers and office staff. Canada needs trades people and laborers. Canadians will obviously hire Canadians first. There are many highly qualified and fluent English speakers competing for these white collar jobs. Why would I hire somebody that can’t communicate properly and cannot cohesively operate in a team because they have no concept of the social etiquette and protocols that are expected in Canadian business? Welcome to the real world. I expect this is the same in every single country, especially in the xenophobic Nations most of you come from. Sorry your time in Canada has been a waste but you clearly failed to do any research before coming here.



If you are from South Asia or Africa, then maybe Canada is for you but if you are from Europe then think twice before coming here..I lived in Germany as an Immigrant and I curse the day I divorced my German wife to come to this waste land…Career wise, I lost a great job in Germany and all I have been doing in this Toronto is working over the phone because je suis Francophone..I excellent civil engineering diplomas from Russia and Germany, and 2 college diplomas in Toronto..all did not work..Canadians in general are insecure and fear the intelligence. there are bad and good people all over..Toronto likes the Entrepreneurs so if you are one, then life maybe better for you..all in all, it depends on your experience but for me Germany is much much better than all North America.Good luck with new adventures!



After working for 10 years in the banking industry here in Canada my husband finds it extremely hard to work his way up. people openly tell you; it’s not what you know, but who you know that helps you secure a job. With only five big banks to choose from, most positions are filled this way. Your experience and qualification take a back seat. They expect new immigrants to be content with low paying jobs and don’t want to promote them.They think are communication is not on par. We are incapable of formulating ideas and opinions. We are moving back to India, where the air might not be the cleanest, but where we are treated with dignity and where peace of mind resides.



@ everyone, the government and corporation left and right hands do not know what they are doing. They will tell you one policy while all the other branches will contradict their organizational policies. It is really a dysfunctional and confusing mess called Canada. This seems to be the situation in the entire power and private sectors. Canada, USA and almost all the Western Block of countries are in long term decline, and maybe fall someday. Rome and the other ancient empires shrank and eventually collapsed as everything started to disintegrate like a societal cancer.



(Source: http://canadianimmigrant.ca/community/integration/why-some-immigrants-want-to-leave-canada)


My thoughts:

I had to delete a lot of pathetic comments from cakers. While yes, some immigrants are ignorant and don't assimilate - those tend to be refugees and poorly educated people from fractious countries. There's no reason to assume that educated people who are doctors and engineers are "not trying hard enough" or "blaming others for their shortcomings".

The cakers also ignorantly suggest that people "go back home" or stop complaining because they "chose" to be here. Many people came for family or to avoid war, poverty, etc. This may not have been their first choice, or may have been their only option. Just because someone came to Canada doesn't mean they should automatically accept being treated like dirt, or racism and bigotry, or working menial low-paying jobs beneath their skill set.

Canada needs to improve its immigration system, stop it's false propaganda and advertising world wide, and solve the disconnect between foreign and local education.

I met a Somali man working for the government in Ottawa. He came to this country dirt poor. He told me proudly that he had spent EIGHTY THOUSAND DOLLARS obtaining "Canadian" education and qualifications for his job. I was gobsmacked! This same position is one that high-school graduates can get through friends/family connections, or bilingual people can apply to with no special training. He is the perfect example of the conned and shamefully mistreated immigrant! He no doubt has spent years paying back his loan-debts and will continue working slavishly and paying ridiculous taxes and costs of living!

I, myself, a born-and-raised Canadian was mistreated in the same way. I was told my education (at a loan cost of $20k) wasn't "good enough" simply because I switched provinces! I was told that I too would need more education, testing and paying fees because I didn't have "local experience"!

I was forced into a series of menial, minimum-wage jobs and humiliation needlessly!

I truly feel for all the immigrants taken advantage of! I detest Canada and can't wait to escape. I can't imagine how bitter I'd feel if I was misled into coming, lied to about prospective opportunities, and forced to pay $10,000+ in CAD just to come.  (And from some of these poorer nations with lower currencies that is the equivalent of $50,000!) Just to arrive and be spat on by racist cakers, then forced to work at Tim Hortons? Awful!

My advice: go to Europe, or the US, or anywhere else unless you are a refugee.




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