This weekend I was able to watch  a program aired I think last year at CTV. The program is called W5, a well known show in Canada which when I have a chance, I am always watching. It was called Canada: a land of broken promises and talk about immigrants living in Canada. To me, really, this is not new. Lots, and I repeat again, lots of immigrants are coming to Canada every year. And I know, because I had the same problem when I came to live in Canada that it is not easy to find a job in your field. You have to work really hard and prove to yourself that you can succeed in Canada as I did.

However, what is important to notice is that it really depends of your profession. For some of them, it is almost impossible and if not impossible, it will take a lot of time, money, patience  and effort to practice your profession in Canada. Which ones? The ones that you have to apply to have your credentials recognized. A friend of mine is a well known doctor in Brazil, and he’s been trying hard to work as a doctor in Canada for at least 2 years, and still no success. Another one is a lawyer in Brazil, and she couldn’t work as a lawyer in Canada. Now, she’s back at school studying to become a paralegal.

I don’t know what is the case of the histories presented on the program, how much effort people used to learn about the Canadian system, what is involved in finding a job in your profession and if, your profession need any kind of credentials. This is a point where you have to decide if it is really worth to leave your country and come to Canada. No question that this country need immigrants. We know we need, but sometimes as you will see on the videos below, the jobs required in Canada are not the ones that people usually apply as a skilled worker. This is the difference, and you, as a candidate should evaluate and do a lot of research if you can work in your field once you arrive. Take a look at the videos below:

Sorry, you have to visit the website to see the video!

There are some points that we should discuss and it is really important your opinion at this time:

1. You, as a candidate, do you really know what you will face in Canada once you arrive?
2. Did the Canadian embassy tell you what you can expect once you arrive in Canada as a skilled worker?
3. What do you know about your profession in Canada?
4. I’ve seen more than 100 comments on my post about the new immigration rules. I hope people that already applied as a skilled worker can see this post, and talk about they’re expecting.

The reporter also mentioned Joe Volpi (he is not the Immigration minister anymore) about the NotCanada website. If you did not heard about it, check it out. I will read carefully about the website and will share with you my thoughts in the future.

Canada: A land of broken promises is a post from: How to live in Canada

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Have you heard the safe third agreement before? Can you answer the following question? The Safe Third Country Agreement helps Canada and the United States work together to give protection to refugees. I was reading the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website and said Yes as an answer. And I was right. If you have never heard about this agreement between Canada and the United States, it is related to refugee claims and the abuse that it is being used by people.

This Agreement between Canada and the United States means that refugee claimants must ask for protection in whichever of the two countries they enter first. For example, if a person from South America wants to claim refugee status in Canada, but passes through the United States, they must seek protection in the United States (the safe third country in this case). They can’t pursue a refugee claim at the Canadian border, unless they meet one of the exceptions, for example: they have family in Canada or are a child traveling alone.

The intention of the Agreement is not to limit the number of refugee claims in Canada, but to make sure that Canada and the United States share the responsibility of providing protection to refugees. By cooperating with the United States, we can handle refugee claims in an orderly way and reduce abuse of the refugee system.

You can read more about the Safe third country agreement visiting Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

Safe third country agreement is a post from: How to live in Canada

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This week I am back to school. Maybe I am a little bit crazy, but I need to do something to change my life and I decided to study again. I am not sure if I’ve mentioned before, but back in 2006 I was taking another undergraduate program at Ryerson University in Toronto. The reason for this is that my employer was paying all the tuition fees and hey, why not right? However, it did not last long enough. I did not even take the final exam from the first subject Yeah, I dropped the course. You may be thinking why… Well, I already have a degree in computer science and can you imagine what I was taking? Yes, another degree in… computer science!. The course still exists and it is called Information Technology Management. Very good course, I’d say.

Now, after not doing a lot in terms of career development I decided that it is time again and here I am! I am studying for two different certificates in two different universities. One certificate in e-learning at the University of Toronto and another certificate in Non profit and voluntary sector management at Ryerson University. Well, that’s what I’d like to do and I am very happy. What I’d like to share with you today was the process involved, maybe this is something that you also would like to pursue in the future right?

My focus today is at the University of Toronto though. In terms of requirements, it depends of the institution that you’re applying. At the University of Toronto, after visiting the website, I found the course that I was interested: E-learning certificate. I am taking now the Foundations of Project Management (something that I like a lot). The process was pretty simple.  There is no pre-requisite and I just filled up the forms. It was asked me things like name, address, SIN (Social Insurance Number), e-mail and method of payment. Actually The fee is $645 dollars.

After completing the form and submitted, I received an e-mail from the University of Toronto with the pertaining information that I would need. The day the class starts, ends, the instructor, how to get to the building and the required books. In addition to this, also an username and password to use at what they call Blackboard. At the Blackboard, we have some links with the pertaining information about the course, announcements from the instructor, calendar, we can download documents, a forum for the students, etc.

Textbooks are required for this course and I had to buy. The Foundations of Project Management requires two books. You can buy these books at the University of Toronto bookstore:

• Information Technology Project Management 6e, by Kathy Schwalbe ($100.15)
• A guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge fourth edition ($71.80)

I had the first class last Tuesday and the class is full, maybe with 40 students. The time is from 6pm to 9pm once a week. The instructor uses a projector with power point slides, he is well known and very smart guy. Other than that, maybe you know that I have lots of material to study right? What I want to mention is that passing on this course does not mean that I am a Project Manager. This course is only part of a certificate that I am taking and if you’d like to become a Project Manager, you should take the PMI Certification.

In the future I will talk about the other certificate that I am taking at Ryerson: Non profit and voluntary sector management.

Continuing education in Canada is a post from: How to live in Canada

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