Infocentre

Canadian Newcomer Series: The “How-to” Guide to Immigration

Introduction

A teacher from Jamaica spends 13 years working in the Canadian hospitality industry and fights to unionize her workplace. The son of successful immigrants faces racism and bullying at school and struggles to adjust. A cardiac surgeon washes dishes for years in Toronto before throwing in the towel and returning to China.

These are the stories that Nick Noorani encounters daily in his role as founder and publisher of Canadian Immigrant Magazine, and during his CBC Radio program “The Link”, where he answers common newcomer queries. Every year 750,000 people apply to immigrate to Canada but only about 250,000 people are accepted. They pack up all of their belongings and arrive in Canada with the idea that the education and skills that got them here are the same ones that will help them secure employment, only to be frustrated by the complexity of the Canadian system. To help more newcomers avoid obstacles and achieve successful settlement sooner, Noorani and his wife Sabrina - who both emigrated from Dubai in 1998 - wrote the first and only guide to Canadian immigration titled Arrival Survival Canada, part of the Canadian Newcomer Series, published by Oxford University Press.

“This was the first ‘how-to’ handbook for immigrants written by immigrants,” says Noorani.

Arrival Survival Canada is an immigrant’s guide to the first year of life in Canada and covers common but confusing topics, such as packing before emigrating, opening bank accounts, creating a credit history, and understanding Canadian culture. It was written for second language learners and is consistent with the Canadian Language Benchmark levels 4-6. Noorani says that the book is so useful because it was inspired by his own experience, as well as that of several immigrants he has met and spoken with.

“We came here from Dubai, where we both had high-paying jobs in our chosen careers, to give our kids a better life in a country we had fallen in love with,” Noorani recalls, adding that, like many immigrants before them, the Noorani family struggled with low-paying jobs that were below their skill set. “This is the ‘transition penalty’ that immigrants pay. Both Sabrina and I began our journey into corporate life through entry-level jobs.”

In their first year in the country, over 60 percent of newcomers are forced to take “survival jobs” outside of their field in order to make ends meet. For over 15 percent of immigrants, the struggle proves too difficult, forcing them to leave Canada to return home within that first year. Experts agree that fulfilling and meaningful work placement is the missing ingredient in most settlement stories. For this reason,Oxford has published the second title in its Canadian Newcomer Series, How to Find a Job in Canada.

How to Find a Job in Canada looks at traditional job topics, such as composing cover letters, resume writing, and interviewing, but tackles these issues from a newcomer’s perspective. It also features topics that are specific to immigrants’ concerns: preparation before arrival, survival jobs, and newcomer employment services. This book is written for Canadian Language Benchmark levels 7 and above.

Written by Efim Cheinis, a Russian immigrant to Canada who lived through the difficulties of finding a job, and Dale Sproule, the publisher of Canadian Newcomer Magazine, the book combines their experience and knowledge into a problem-and-solution model in straightforward language.

As so much newcomer information is regional, both books feature Creating Your Canadian Experience sections, which allow readers to personalize their research. The books also have glossaries with definitions taken from the Oxford ESL dictionary. In order to make the books even more classroom-friendly, Oxford is creating accompanying workbooks.

Noorani and Oxford University Press believe that the Canadian Newcomer Series will smooth the transition period for newcomers and help to improve outcomes for immigration in Canada. Noorani stresses that well-planned, informed immigration to Canada can be a win-win situation.

Immigrant success stories are everywhere. Noorani points to the case of Martha Bowen, who fled Colombia after being kidnapped. She started working at Vancouver stores such as IGA and Capers but now, as CEO of Latin Organics, her products are sold on the very shelves she once stocked. As well, Korean Mi Hee Sung won a “Lilian To Scholarship for Immigrants” to study immigration so that she can help more people like her achieve their Canadian dreams.

“Immigrants are good for Canada” says Noorani - and, armed with the up-to-date information in Oxford’s Canadian Newcomer Series, Canada can be good for immigrants, too.