Find a job in Canada in one hour

I have prepared a motivating interview for you with a person who managed to leave Belarus during the protests, arrive in Canada during the closed borders, find a job, and successfully begin to adapt to a new country with the whole family.

Olga has been in Canada for a month now, two weeks of that time being under quarantine. However, Olga and I have known each other for a long time, as a year and a half ago she was a student in our course about searching for a job in Canada.

Immigration by steps

Olga moved to Canada under the Atlantic Immigration Program. First, she took a job search course and understood how to proceed. She studied English, had her diploma assessed, took the IELTS language test and received level 6. Olga also consulted with an immigration consultant, and was recommended to consider immigration through the Atlantic program. So, she decided to look for a job in Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia.

"You prepared us for great difficulty in finding an employer, but I found an employer in an hour," shares Olga.

When the family received a provincial nomination, they applied for a work visa, which they successfully obtained, and then for a permanent residency. With a work visa, they came to Canada without any problems, despite the covid restrictions.

Employment in Canada

In her home country, Olga worked as a nurse, then became an X-ray technician. But as medical professions in Canada are regulated, she could be a caregiver.

"Everyone told me not to chase the salary, but to chase at least to get a job," laughs Olga, "but I chose the biggest salary".

Having found a suitable vacancy, Olga prepared a CV and sent it to a Canadian HR specialist for review. After approval, she sent her application for the job. In just an hour she got a call back from her future employer inviting her for an interview and then making her a job offer.

Difficulties in immigration and adaptation

Olga admits that the immigration journey has costed her a lot of effort, both physical and emotional. For a year she spent 3-4 hours on weekdays and 8 hours on weekends studying English in order to pass the language test. For the sake of this she had to put her hobbies and interests on the back burner. She felt at times that she was wasting her time, that she had everything at home, and that in Canada, at 40+ years of age, she would have to start her life from scratch. The effort was not in vain, and the whole family, including a dog, immigrated to Canada.

"I'm grateful to myself that I decided to do it after all, and that I didn't give it up," says Olga.

In addition to the worries, there were technical hitches. After the work permit application, the family had 90 days to apply for permanent residency under the Atlantic program. But it took a very long time to process the application, and the work permit was received shortly before the deadline for application for permanent residency. By that time, Olga should have already been in Canada and started working.

It took 28 hours to fly with a dog because not all flights accept pets. It was also difficult to find accommodation with the dog because short-term rentals with pets cost twice as much as without them. So, the family looked for long-term rent.

Olga told me that other immigrants helped them a lot, as well as her employer, who even brought them groceries during the quarantine and shared the contacts of a local realtor. Renting the three-bedroom house cost $1,500 CAD per month, with the first month and deposit paid by the employer.

Accommodation in Canada is usually rented without furniture. Another problem was that Belarusian bank cards do not function in Canada. Olga's employer brought air mattresses and pillows for the first time, then the family ordered regular mattresses from Amazon and uses them instead of beds for now.

Temporary difficulties do not scare Olga, because she had experience living in the U.K. At that time, she contacted an agency that helped her organize every detail, but Olga was able to come to the country alone, her family had to stay in Belarus. Now, on the contrary, the whole family immigrated, but there are many domestic difficulties which are not so terrible.

Living and working in Canada

Olga has very positive impressions of the people of Canada. According to her, many are trying to help, passersby smile and say hello, and colleagues explain and show everything many times. The climate in Halifax is mild, a little warmer than in her home country, Belarus. Among the unpleasant things, Olga mentioned strong temperature fluctuations.

Olga works in a long-term care home. About half of the staff are immigrants. Back in her home country, she found a part-time job as a caregiver because she knew she would be moving to Canada. But there she worked for families.

"Physically, I'd say it's easier here," thinks Olga.

Olga notes that in a Canadian long-term care home, there are many devices that make work easier, such as elevators. Much attention is paid to the safety of the staff, to ensure that people are not overworked and get enough rest. The work week is 40 hours.

On the first day, Olga was assigned to an experienced caregiver who showed and told her everything. The woman admits that one day of training is not enough, but since people are always ready to help, there are no problems.

Olga does not work for a home, but for her employer, who is an agent. There are five branches in the city, and the woman can work in any of them. When she comes to a branch where she has not worked or has worked little, she is usually given lighter residents.

Alex Pavlenko, founder of Immigrant.Today