Last Stop Canada! Promoting Creative Dialogue. CATHOLIC IMMIGRATION CENTRE, OTTAWA CENTRE CATHOLIQUE POUR IMMIGRANTS

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1 Promoting Creative Dialogue. CATHOLIC IMMIGRATION CENTRE, OTTAWA CENTRE CATHOLIQUE POUR IMMIGRANTS With financial assistance from the Multiculturalism Program of the Department of Canadian Heritage

2 Acknowledgements We acknowledge the assistance of the Multiculturalism Program of the Department of Canadian Heritage for the funding for this project. Our gratitude to Kass Sunderji, Senior Program Officer with Canadian Heritage for his interest and commitment to this project. Many thanks to Gertrud Neuwirth, Gerardo Quintanar, Brian Greene, Allan Rix, Carl Nicholson, June Kander, Caroline Williams and Lucila Spigelblatt for their knowledge and commitment. A very special thank you to the people who shared their stories with us. Catholic Immigration Centre. 219 Argyle Avenue Ottawa, ON K2P 2H4 Phone: (613) Fax: (613) Catholic Immigration Centre 2

3 Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS...1 INTRODUCTION...5 THE PROCESS...7 BECOMING CANADIAN...8 Voices... 8 Shared experiences (Everyone said ) Issues COMMUNICATION...13 Voices Shared Experiences (Everyone said..) Issues GETTING AHEAD AT WORK...17 Voices Shared experiences (Everyone said ) Issues SKILLS AND EDUCATION...23 Voices Shared experiences (Everyone said ) Issues Catholic Immigration Centre 3

4 Catholic Immigration Centre 4

5 Introduction Last Stop Canada! presents the experiences of immigrants and refugees who have settled successfully in our community. This is a living document intended to promote creative dialogue between community leaders, policy and decision makers, employers and service providers in order to find ways to ease the process of integration. The stories collected here reflect a rich variety of community members, families and single people, young and mature individuals, men and women, people with disabilities, survivors of torture and people who suffered discrimination because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, religion or political convictions. Their comments illustrate some key strategies that were used by individuals from very different cultural and educational backgrounds to overcome obstacles and achieve a degree of economic inclusion. These stories offer us a window into their assumptions, perspectives and points of view and might help service providers and decision makers to review their own assumptions, perspectives and points of view. The similarity of experiences amongst a wide variety of individuals and circumstances may help to identify best practices for achieving successful resettlement and economic self-sufficiency. The fragments selected are representative of more than 150 pages of collected experiences. Several themes emerge as a basis for dialogue. Some of them are: Support networks are a central element for newcomer settlement. What additional steps can be taken to assist immigrants and refugees to build these networks? Help for developing and pursuing realistic goals for economic advancement is very important. How can the existing services contribute to this? Language was an obvious initial barrier. People identified their workplace as the place where they learned the most. How can employers build on this with the goal of helping people integrate faster into the workforce? For many of the people interviewed, education and training did not necessarily lead to economic advancement. For them, the real benefit of Catholic Immigration Centre 5

6 additional education and training was the network of people they met rather than the actual knowledge or skills obtained. Why is this so? How can we give newcomers access to their professional colleagues and skill sets? These are only a few examples of the questions raised by the retrospective points of view of successful immigrants and refugees interviewed for this study. We encourage readers to raise their own questions and contact us at laststop@cic.ca as a step towards facilitating creative dialogues for promoting the full integration of newcomers in the Ottawa-Carleton community. Catholic Immigration Centre 6

7 The process We conducted a total of 40 interviews with new Canadians who live in the Ottawa- Carleton region and were born in the Horn of Africa, Central America and the Middle East. They were selected for the following reasons: Their own communities identified them as successful. They represent culturally diverse communities They immigrated to Canada recently (5 to 13 years). Most of them did not have language proficiency in English or French when they arrived. Their education and work experience in their country of origin were not recognized by Canadian educational and labour regulators. In order to achieve a degree of consistency we developed the following tools: A series of fields for questioning. A master questionnaire as a reference. A snowball referral process, where a key informant from the targeted community identified the first candidate to be interviewed, and each person interviewed, in turn, recommended further contacts. Last Stop Canada! was not designed as an academic research project. Its intention is to stimulate discussion and hopefully to become a catalyst that accelerates the full integration of immigrants and refugees as productive members of the community. Catholic Immigration Centre 7

8 Becoming Canadian Voices I felt very strange, with no control over my life. I did not know anybody. I was unable to speak the languages and I had no idea what to do. Nobody I knew was waiting for me. I arrived at the border and my first contact was the immigration officer. A government representative welcomed me. I can still remember his name: Mr. Brunet. I did not know any English at that time. Mr. Brunet had a sign with my name on it. He took me to the Reception House where I was really well received. I will never forget the way they welcomed me. It was as if I was part of their family. I remember deeply the efficiency of the Canadian staff at the airport in Toronto. They even guided me from the door of the plane. I will always remember that feeling of being welcomed because even if it is for a brief moment, it is when you need it most because you are coming to a new country. We arrived in March. We knew it was cold here, but we did not have any idea how cold it was. The first problem we had was our clothing. We did not have enough. Although I kept buying things, they were not warm enough. We did not know how to warm ourselves. We did not know how to use headbands or the things to cover our ears. The beginning was very difficult. I am happy to be out of the unstable situation in Sudan because we are now living in a country where human rights exist. There is no war in Canada. I felt good coming to Canada because I had five or six years working in the United Nations and I would be able to speak the language. We arrived at a big place, called the Reception House. For us it was a very nice moment because it helped us to feel welcome. The people there helped us to get in contact with the Canadian society with workshops and videos to explain what we could expect as a life style in Canada. Catholic Immigration Centre 8

9 When I arrived in Canada, even though I did not speak English, I felt very excited. I had so many dreams and illusions. At the same time, I experienced nostalgia; I missed my land, my people, my culture and my family. After ten years I still do not feel part of society. Here I have all these privileges but still the culture seems very strange to me. I mean interacting with Canadians is part of the work environment, but I still feel like a stranger. I have Canadian friends and they are very nice and we are very close, but when I move out of that small circle I feel lost. I started feeling like a Canadian when I got all my documents, when my name appeared in the phone book and when I had my own mail box; in other words, when I became part of this society. If I were asked, I would tell newcomers to always have constancy and perseverance and it is very important to have a vision. I would also tell them to value friendship. It is a very important factor. Once you have friends do not let them go because making friends in Canada is not easy. I would tell them to obey the law. Finally, I would tell them to enjoy and take advantage of the excellent opportunities Canada has to offer. It is in this country that my kids were born and I raised my family. I consider Canada to be my homeland. I remember when I was getting my citizenship. At first I thought it was only a paper but it gave me a Canadian identity. It is more of a process rather than a moment when I felt that I was Canadian. Depending where I am in my life today, my loyalties change. One day I am Canadian, the next day I am Somali and then the next day I am a combination of both. Having my family so far away was a very strong motivation to move ahead. After living for a while in a culture so different from yours you start behaving like a Canadian. You start to identify yourself with the culture. Of course, you never forget your roots. When I received Canadian citizenship, I started really feeling Canadian. You assume not only the identity but also the responsibility it implies. As your sense of responsibility develops, so does the desire to move upward. As responsibilities, such as having a family, paying a mortgage and paying taxes increase, you start being part of the Canadian system. Catholic Immigration Centre 9

10 An obstacle that I encountered was the Latino stereotype. Canadian culture tends to label Latinos as bad and lazy workers. You must really work hard to stand out in any work you perform. Being a Latino has actually helped me. I have obtained jobs communicating with Spanish speaking companies, doing translations and also booking reservations in Mexican hotels. I still have not figured out what the Canadian way of life is all about. I would like to think I am still a product of Somalia. However, my Canadian culture is pretty much my choice because it is a combination of different people who have come to Canada, and I am able to be an individual yet still connect with my family. I feel at home here. When I go to my country I feel like a stranger. When I arrived in Canada, I knew this would be my home. There are no opportunities for women in my country. I try to be nice to the people that do not treat me well. I try to change their attitudes by being nice to them, by being polite and by teaching them. Maybe if I were like main- stream Canadians, I would be the same. I do not blame them for being that way because they were here before us. We are the new ones. The people who have to adjust are us not them. If somebody went to my country, we would not change ourselves for that person. People here are very nice; they do not expect us to be like them. They let us be who we are, but in my country we are very demanding. We want others to be, think and behave the way we do. I must tell you I enjoy the life of a citizen more in Canada than in my country. In my country, to survive you have to endure corruption. It is not possible to be straightforward in order to get what you want. If I had not gone to work one day I would have had to make up an excuse, for example, that I was ill. In Canada I can sometimes afford to be honest. If I have a good reason for my absence people, I hope, will understand. If I am a hard worker, I do not need to lie. When I arrived in Canada I became part of a Latino-Canadian Association. It is here in Canada where I started to appreciate my culture. I have participated in different activities in the Association, from organising cultural workshops to participating in a folklore group to help in charity events. This has helped me develop a sense of leadership that I never thought I had. I feel like an ambassador for my culture, teaching and showing the positive traits of my country. Catholic Immigration Centre 10

11 Shared experiences (Everyone said ) Many of the people interviewed knew little or nothing about Canada before coming here. They were surprised by the services that were available. On many occasions, however, contact with the support services happened more by chance than by design. Canada presented major surprises. Newcomers did not have an opportunity to explore the reality of their new country before arrival. Little things became extremely important and the information to deal with everyday life was critical. Feeling disoriented and having no one to turn to was extremely frustrating. These issues were considerably less stressful for those who had support from family or settlement agencies. Supportive volunteers, the welcoming attitude of Canadians, Canadian Immigration staff and others played a key part in developing a feeling of welcome and belonging. The predominant comment of the people interviewed, was their rapid realization that Canada was the last stand, and that it was up to them and not to the environment to make it an opportunity or a failure. Many felt welcome, although it took time for them to acquire Canadian friends. Some experienced non-welcoming attitudes from Canadians, but they had a realistic understanding of how difficult it might be for the host community to face and deal with the diversity of the people coming in. Setting long-term goals and planning for the future appears to have been a major inner resource in overcoming feelings of inadequacy to the challenges of the new society and the feelings of alienation. At the same time, the acquisition of Canadian friends, Host Volunteer support, as well as interaction with ethnocultural community volunteers, helped them to have a feeling of belonging and welcome. Using the inner resources of their own culture seemed to assist in the process of becoming at home in a country where diversity is appreciated. Initially, the inevitable cultural shock had to be faced but for all of them, there was a point in the integration road when a symbolic moment made them feel that they are now part of Canada and rooted in its land. Seeing Canada as their country, the country of the future for their children, and being proud of it, seems to be the trend of the majority of those interviewed and a major motivator in building a future for themselves. Catholic Immigration Centre 11

12 Issues Leaving family and friends Mourning Uncertainty Isolation Anxiety Hope Starting life in a new country Climate Feeling alien No-man s land Where am I? Where am I going? Dreams and reality Belonging Extended family responsibilities What issues do you identify? How would you address them? Who else should hear these stories? Please contact us at laststop@cic.ca Catholic Immigration Centre 12

13 Communication Voices During the first two weeks in the Reception House I became very depressed. I was so depressed that I even asked to return to my country. The people working in the Reception House, who have been in Canada a long time, told me not to leave Canada and that coming to Canada was a wise decision. I now know that the main reason for my depression was because I did not know the language and felt isolated. When we arrived in Canada, we did not know how to speak English. We received English classes for 6 months. We arrived in a small community in Ontario where only English was spoken. At the beginning it was a very difficult situation. I remember once that one of my sons was very sick. I had to take him to the hospital. I could not explain to the doctor what was happening. Even though those moments were really difficult, it helped us to learn the language faster because we needed to express ourselves and not depend on somebody to translate for us. We will always be grateful to our host (a Host Program volunteer). He was a person that visited us each week. He held our hands when we needed it. We could call him in any emergency. Even now, when he has finished his commitment as a Host volunteer we continue to see each other. He helped us as a friend, and as a family member. He made us feel that we really belong to this country. I felt totally isolated. Then this volunteer sat with me and started to teach me how to count in English. I remember that I had a headache even to remember the numbers. But the patience of the volunteer kept me going. How proud I was when I counted from one to ten without a mistake. Once in Canada I lived with my brother and his family. When I lived with them, I always ended up speaking Spanish, my mother tongue. This did not help me to learn a new language. Because of that, I decided to move and live alone to improve my English and not be dependent on my family. An obstacle to be faced and overcome is the language. To make it harder, it is not just one language, but two: English and French. Catholic Immigration Centre 13

14 My ESL teacher told me, Don t worry about your English. If we can have a Prime Minister that speaks poor English, you will have no problems Language was not the only issue. Even after some years, when I attended parties with colleagues, I had a sensation of alienation. Yes, I understood well what they were talking about, but I could not understand the context of what they were saying, the issues and things that are part of being born here. I stopped going to those parties. If I had known how to speak English and if I had known how to write, I would have been more successful. Language is very important, and I did not know how to communicate with others. I had a profession and I had a goal and a dream but I did not know how to express my dream, how to express what I needed or how to get a job. So I started going to evening ESL classes. Learning English was the biggest factor in my success. Our first strategy was to get to know English. We knew that without the language we were condemned to low paying jobs. That was not our idea of Canada. At first it was really hard to find a decent job. I started doing all types of work. This of course, is one of the consequences you face when you do not know the language. You cannot expect too much if you do not know the language of the country. We went to ESL classes that a group of volunteers organised for us in a church basement. Later we were allowed to go to school. That was only six months all together. I was cleaning by night but I did not want to do that job. Through a friend I met a foreman in a construction site. He spoke Italian. With my Spanish, I was able understand some of it. He gave me my first job. It s odd, but I learned Italian first and later English. I came as a Government Sponsored Refugee in I didn t go to the ESL program because I was not entitled. The Immigration Officer said that my language was good enough. This wasn t true. So after 40 days I started to work. I had language problems, so I had to take language courses at the same time as working. That was a very frustrating and difficult time. But I started working and attended evening ESL classes at the same time. Catholic Immigration Centre 14

15 Shared Experiences (Everyone said..) Communication was the largest single obstacle identified. The majority of the people interviewed came to Canada with little, if any, knowledge of English, French or the Canadian way of life. It was clear to all of them that language proficiency would be a key factor in their advancement and success, and that the lack of communication skills contributed to their feelings of isolation and alienation. Most people interviewed overcame the communications barrier directly at the work place. Indeed, the majority improved their English by work osmosis rather than by ESL training alone. One person interviewed actually learned Italian before English in order to function in the construction trade. Not mastering English or French precluded access to most well-paying jobs; it also made it difficult to access volunteering opportunities in order to overcome the big obstacle of not having Canadian work experience. Language as a communication tool was not the only issue; there was a need to think and react as a Canadian. Language is not just a way to communicate but it is also a way to view and understand a society and its culture. After having learned basic language skills, many still felt unable to mix with Canadians and co-workers. They were also unable to understand the communication nuances of a living language in a different cultural context. Understanding jokes, political comments, sports news, life styles and other similar elements were an obstacle to establishing real and equitable communication. Language and cultural context were common obstacles faced when trying to get access to jobs or education. One very positive factor was the opportunity to interact with Canadians. Initiatives like the Host Program, and the presence of other Canadian volunteers made it easier for them not just to learn the language but also to have a better understanding of Canadian culture and way of life. Another positive factor was the attitude that they had to start communicating immediately in order to emerge from isolation. They did not wait for somebody to translate. They sought situations in which they were forced to use English rather than their mother tongue. For those interviewed, the need to learn English or French was a major obstacle to be overcome in achieving economic inclusion. Catholic Immigration Centre 15

16 In the Ottawa-Carleton region, the fact that they had to learn two languages in order to be eligible for many jobs was an additional challenge. The majority learned only English because of the job market preference for that language. Language acquisition seems to be one of those Catch 22 situations; namely, workplace experience is one the best ways to improve proficiency in the language but in order to be accepted in the workplace you must be fluent in the language. Issues Language Non- verbal communication Culture Bilingualism The right kind of language What issues do you identify? How would you address them? Who else should hear these stories? Please contact us at Catholic Immigration Centre 16

17 Getting Ahead at Work. Voices When we came to this country, my husband and I decided to be hard workers. We had three children and we wanted to create a future for them. We set goals and were motivated. That made all the difference for us. In the beginning you have to work really hard. I worked long hours in order to achieve my goals. A social life was not possible. Work became life. I have been working ever since I arrived in Canada. I started from scratch. I started washing dishes and cleaning bathrooms. I also worked in security among other jobs. At first, I only received the minimum wage, but as my language progressed, my salary started to increase. I started working two jobs at the same time. One was delivering goods and the other was house painting. I remember when I received my first salary I felt something new was starting for me. I felt that I was a productive and capable individual. Working really made me feel good about myself. I am working in a very nice group. What I am doing requires a lot of responsibility. I feel that I am progressing a lot. Perhaps it is just my perception, but working as an immigrant, you have to work harder, because you feel that you are not on equal ground. I think the company has recognised the extra work I have done. Here, time is money. If you work you have money; if you don t, you have nothing. From the beginning I made money and paid for my own requirements. I started to see that around me, people were advancing and there were opportunities to do other things. I took these opportunities. I had to support myself to pay my rent. It was a lot of money, but that was something that motivated me and forced me to work. I never missed an opportunity to find other jobs. Slowly I started to see that there were a lot of opportunities. Now I have a good house, which I own. I have been helping my family. I am living financially well. I am happy about what I have achieved in 11 years. Catholic Immigration Centre 17

18 In my country I was a nurse. When I came here I went to a settlement agency and a counsellor there told me that I could not work in my career. After a year, because I came as a refugee claimant, I got my papers so I could start to work. I wanted a job. I wanted my own business. And with the help of my husband I started my own business, a catering service presenting a variety of dishes from my own traditional culture. My first work was as a nanny. I was working with children. I found a family that gave me a contract for a year. Professionally, I did not feel realized of course. But I did it because I needed it to achieve a goal, which was to get my papers. Actually it took about six months for me to get my social insurance number. So I started working in low-paying jobs. I was cleaning floors and I was working at a store, but I did not mind. I knew what I was up against so I was ready to take anything. I gave up the idea of being on welfare. I was scared to get trapped. I remember the first time I had a talk with my welfare worker, I told her I was looking for a job. I received welfare for six months. It is very important that people understand that immigrants do not come to Canada to receive welfare only. We do appreciate this tremendous help, but we come from cultures that are used to hard work. Not only are we willing to work, but we are also eager to move upward economically speaking. This is why immigrants, after receiving welfare for a while, start experiencing the need to work, to really produce. We experience culture shock and a feeling of failure when we are willing to work, but are very limited at the beginning. I wanted to get off welfare as soon as possible. I wanted to work. I felt very unproductive. It is important to understand that a lot of people who come to Canada have the need to work. We do not enjoy sitting around waiting for the government to come and help us. We really appreciate receiving welfare, but there comes a time that we must work or else we feel trapped I saw an ad requesting help at a Quickie store. I went. They said they needed someone for the post office, to sell stamps and packages and other items. I was lucky. I started as a part-time worker in the evenings, from four to eleven. I did not mind doing it because I knew I would get a better job because I had the qualifications. You put pride aside and survive Catholic Immigration Centre 18

19 I found out about an interview skills program. I took a course but I must say it was mostly a major disappointment. There were so many things that are different from my homeland. From the teacher s perspective, the assumption was that because you were from another country, no matter how many qualifications you had, you were not going to be able to use them. They sent me as a co-op student to get experience in marketing; I wanted to do public relations. I ended up doing filing and nothing but filing. That depressed me, so I returned to work. My first boss was a twenty-three-year-old girl. Can you imagine that? I felt like her grandmother. I am fifty-five now. I was forty-five at that time. She was my boss when I started to work in a postal office. Around ten o clock at night, when we did not have any more customers, I had to clean and mop the floor. I did not want my children to see me cleaning. You have to be a hard worker, be patient, be ambitious and have a goal. If you have goals you will never give up. If you are a hard worker, you can do it. So I started to work in low-entry-jobs. I was cleaning the floors. I was working at stores, but I did not mind. I knew what I was up against so I was ready to take anything. So I gave up the idea of being on welfare because I was scared to get trapped. My advice to those who are new to Canada would be to always be positive, have faith as well as perseverance. Do not give up, even if the worst obstacles come in your way. My personal conviction and my desire to move upward helped me the most. I have always had a positive attitude, especially in difficult moments. You must always have strength, especially when you are so far away from your family, your culture and your country. You come to a country and a culture so different from your own. You do not know how to speak the language. You do not have enough funds to survive and you do not know anyone. You must start everything from scratch. I am a strong believer that faith, a positive attitude and perseverance are indispensable tools in reaching what you desire the most. This is the formula I used. This is how I registered my company with my two associates. We had difficult times, but that s part of life. Generally speaking, we did very well. It is not only the income you earn but also the personal experience you gain. Catholic Immigration Centre 19

20 The job will not come to you. You have to go for the job. You have to try hard. Always remember this is not your country. It is a privilege that has been given to you. You have to be happy for that and participate. To achieve my goals I adopted a positive attitude, was constant and didn t give up. This attitude helped me to achieve economic independence by trying to get off welfare as soon as possible. I wanted to feel productive in a working society. I will always be grateful to the government of Canada for the assistance I received. I knew I would not remain on welfare forever. My moral values would never accept such mediocrity. I had a good background in research. I was glad I had brought my BA thesis with me. I had travelled to a lot of other countries and the research was in English. I had some of my previous work with me and a curriculum vitae. This was my last stop, and I had to do something. When I came to Canada, I was very optimistic. I believed I would succeed and get into my field of study. I had a lot of hope, and I had goals. Having a good education, volunteering and having a good attitude is a recipe for success. Attitude is very important. I started working as a volunteer. By performing this type of work, I was able to show my skills and sense of responsibility. This was an important step because it helped me enter this working world. Catholic Immigration Centre 20

21 Shared experiences (Everyone said ) Determination is the key to survival. The interviewed showed that they were willing to start from the bottom but needed to set goals to advance. Finding a job soon after arrival in the region helped many of them. The first employers provided many good tips on how to survive and develop within the job market of Canada. They were ready to work and to do more work if necessary to secure a better future. They were ready to put pride aside to get started in order to build their economic future. They called on the resources of their culture to help them to feel proud and capable of achieving goals rather than succumb to obstacles leading to failure in the job market. They realised that flexibility and adaptation were necessary for the job market. A positive discovery was that there were plenty of opportunities to be pursued. The realisation that employers would recognise their skills and work commitment sustained them during the early days. The need to start at low-paid entry-level jobs did not deter them. There was an attitude of perseverance, of trying over and over again. The constant search for options and opportunities propelled successful newcomers from low entry jobs to better-paid and more adequate jobs. Catholic Immigration Centre 21

22 Issues Qualifications are not recognised The need to show work ability Lack of Canadian experience Change of work culture Welfare The fear of being trapped Feeling wasted Work permits What issues do you identify? How would you address them? Who else should hear these stories? Please contact us at Catholic Immigration Centre 22

23 Skills and Education Voices They told me that I would never work as a nurse in Canada and that I would waste my time trying. Look at me now; I am not only a nurse. The health community and the education system have acknowledged my experience and training I had to adapt what I know and I had to adapt myself. Sometimes I tried to build a profession in tourism here such as I had in my country, but there were several obstacles, most of them economic. I did not want to depend on anybody or the government. I needed time to realise all that. Perhaps if I had had some financial support I could have built a career in that area in Canada, however, I didn t think about it at the time. My goal was to have a house, be independent and I did that. I had the opportunity to work again in aspects of my previous career but I was already in a different kind of life. I was my own boss, lived well and had my own business. I did not want a nine-to-five job at a desk for a small salary. I would have really liked to obtain credit for my bachelors degree. If that had happened, I wouldn t have had to work in areas totally different from my profession. It does not matter if you are a doctor, a dentist or an astronaut. When you arrive in Canada, you must start from scratch. A lot of time is wasted as well as resources. Not only does the immigrant lose but also so does the country that receives that person. It would really be great if newcomers could receive credit for the education received back in their countries. This would save a lot of time and work, not only for newcomers but also for Canada. I will be very frank with you. There are a lot of great programs. But newcomers do not know most of these because there is nobody to orient them. That is the reason for the frustration. The people take the first thing that is offered to them, and keep doing it. After many years of the same kind of work they feel that they came to Canada to become failures. What happened is that nobody was there to help them to plan a future. Catholic Immigration Centre 23

24 What I would like to have done is to have been able to re-study here in Canada. I would have liked to have a diploma but at the beginning I made some mistakes because I dedicated myself to working to get my own home and I achieved that. But I don t look behind me now. I had my Master s Degree in Library Science. I was head of the Librarian Department at a university. I was also an instructor, teaching librarian science courses. That was back home. In Cyprus I worked for two news agencies and later I also became the director of the library in the best college they had. I tried to have my Librarian Certificate recognised. I even took courses at Algonquin, but they did not need anyone with a Master s degree. I took some courses, but when I talked to one of the guidance counsellors, I realised they would never give me a certificate because I already had too much education. They said that I could take as many courses as I wanted but they would never give me a certificate. So I could never work as a library technician. I have a Bachelor s degree in advertising. I graduated from an overseas university. Unfortunately, I did not receive credit in Canada so I could not develop as a professional in here. Positions in Ottawa are very limited. In my country this occupation is very competitive and common. For this reason, I decided to change my life, by coming to Canada to look for new experiences and opportunities. I wish there was more orientation for professionals. In Canada, there are a lot of professional people that cannot realise themselves in their own profession. I tried once to have my papers accepted but I did not have the support of other organisations. There wasn t a social worker that could help me by looking at my documentation. I think if there were support of this kind there would be more professional people working at a professional level with professional incomes and opportunities. I went back to school to do my Master s. I had a lot of difficulties because they did not respect my previous studies. I had to almost restart my BA degree by doing a lot of make up courses. In my case, who helped me to get ahead was my counsellor at Algonquin College. At the beginning I did nothing without consulting her beforehand. Catholic Immigration Centre 24

25 You have to get an education. You cannot depend on a network alone. In my country, you can. There you do not need to know anything. You just need connections to get a job. This is not the case here in Canada. I got a scholarship at Waterloo University. It was a national scholarship to do my Master s and it is not given to a lot of people. That made me a little more secure. When I started to work, where I am working now, I felt I was competing at the same level. I feel totally satisfied in my present job. I have rejected certain job opportunities because of my religious beliefs (for example, being a bartender). In other jobs I have always received training, so my low education has not been a big problem. I first encountered discrimination when I realised that the organisations they sent me to did not treat me as an equal person. I did not know much about racism. There was one gentleman who told me that if you are refugee, you have to work ten times as hard as everybody else does. I took that to heart so I decided to go back to school. The challenge was tremendous. I was talking the other day to a friend of mine about the kind of challenges that you face at university. It makes you want quit all the time. The way the professors treat you, the racism, and the way they do not know anything about where you come from. Being a refugee brings a lot of baggage. I would have really liked to obtain credit for my Bachelor s degree. If that had happened, I wouldn t have had to work in areas totally different from my profession. It does not matter if you are a doctor, a dentist or an astronaut. When you arrive in Canada, you must start from scratch. It would really be great if newcomers could get credit for the education received back in their countries. This would save a lot of time and work, not only for newcomers but also for Canada. I tried to get the government to recognize my studies by sending my papers to different government levels, but in the end they only recognised 60% of my degree. Catholic Immigration Centre 25

26 Let my tell you something that happened to me. You should not waste your time at the school was the advice of a Salvadorian. Here, we know that for us Latinos our destiny is cleaning and for Italians and Portuguese it is construction. When I said that this was then a reason to get an education so that you don t get trapped, he answered: No! Here everything is already organised I do not believe that such a master plan exists and that the purpose of immigration is to fill up the low- entry jobs needed. I tried, initially, but I found it very difficult to become a nurse in Canada. I was a good nurse in my country, but with my religion, I did not want to feel like a foreigner in the nursing system of Canada, so I turned to hospitality and became a professional caterer. I was more qualified than many of the candidates but I could not get some of the jobs because I did not speak the French language. I got my jobs finally by networking. I have been in Canada for over ten years and I have had many different jobs. In all that time I have received only one job from an ad. All of the rest were by using networking connections. I tried to apply my industrial design degree, in getting a job. But all the doors were closed. I then took some courses in drafting by computer thinking that it might help. One of the professors of the course asked me to help him and so I was paid some extra money. What helped was not getting discouraged and seeing the opportunities that were here. Looking always ahead, I decided to get into the university to do an M.A in physics. I knew that it would be a big sacrifice for me and my family and that our economic situation would be hard, but I did not want to get stuck in the kinds of jobs I was doing such as being an attendant at grocery stores, for example, and ten years later find myself frustrated with my life. Catholic Immigration Centre 26

27 Shared experiences (Everyone said ) Developing a network seemed to be a key element in their success. For many, the greatest advantage that resulted from having taken additional training or education was the network of people they met rather than the actual knowledge or skills obtained. Many failed to gain adequate information in order to identify the training best suited to their needs or the career that would have the best economic outcome for them. Lack of information and inadequate knowledge for an efficient transfer of credentials was a common occurrence. Those interviewed showed a great degree of flexibility in reorienting their studies or skills to new areas of work. Catholic Immigration Centre 27

28 Issues Where to get accurate information? How to use resources? Need for a network Use of self-marketing resources Work mobility and advancement Skills and qualifications Specialized skills Licensing requirements Canadian accreditation Change of work culture Feeling wasted What issues do you identify? How would you address them? Who else should hear these stories? Please contact us at laststop@cic.ca Catholic Immigration Centre 28