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An engineering graduate from Chandigarh, Harjot Sandhu, landed in Montréal, after a short stint at a telco (telecom company) in Delhi. He got his immigration visa (Permanent Resident Status) before leaving. And the best part is, he did it himself without any help from immigration consultants! After exploring the job scene in Montreal and Toronto he moved to Edmonton, Alberta, where he briefly worked with a leading BPO before landing an engineering contract in northern Alberta. Six weeks later, he was interviewed by Nortel Networks and landed a full-time position in Ottawa, Ontario, where he continues to work. I am reproducing here excerpts from my dialogue with him, in the hope that this information will be useful to our readers, particularly those with a tech background who have been sending in queries in this regard. Over to Harjot: How do you suggest students go about it? Well, if you really ask me, I'd say students (particularly engineering students, but equally applicable to other students) who are not getting any viable job options in India shouldn't waste time (like I did for 1.5 years) sitting and wishful thinking. They should get on with GRE/GMAT (if interested) and come here (US/Canada).
The big question here will be money and there is a short answer to that — student loans. If you have good credentials/ great GRE/GMAT scores and admission letters from good universities, getting loans is not a problem. Banks like HDFC /ICICI offer loans as a matter of routine. Students can apply for PR status while in Canada itself (It would definitely help if you have some family in Canada and some prior work-ex). The normal time for acquiring a Canadian Permanent Residency from India is 4-5 years. If you are already in Canada as an international student, it will take you about 2 years after you have filed your application. If you want to work in the US, you'll need to get a H1 sponsorship (the number is limited to 65,000 p.a. for general category and 20,000 for people holding Master's degrees from the US) and then wait for a green card (PR) approval (which could take anywhere between 7-8 years).
Depends on whether you are a 'calculated risk taker' or a 'better safe than sorry' kind, and also whether you are looking at US or Canada. With respect to jobs, the US is most definitely much stronger than Canada (while USA has a population of 300 million, Canada has a little over 30 million). I'm not advocating either US or Canada here, but simply trying to give you a picture of the economic scene in North America. For a calculated risk taker, the best (and the fastest) way is to go to Canada on a student visa. This will give you the opportunity of doing a co-op training for about six months before your visa expires. That is the critical time when students make a place for themselves in the corporate world and finally get them to sponsor a work visa and eventually, a permanent residency status. There is also a latent advantage of doing a Master’s from there, you get to bind with the University /Industry, which is very helpful for your future and you are in a position to help your friends or family. For the safe player, the best way is to apply for Immigration ASAP (in order to qualify, you need 67 points on the Canadian Skilled Worker table on: www.cic.gc.ca. It definitely helps if you have work experience and you're married). If someone has the relevant experience, as I've seen in my case and some other cases as well, it's just a matter of time before you get a good job. The prospective employers are favourably disposed towards you because they don't have to get a work permit or deal with immigration issues for you. Even if you don’t get a job you like, you can go for a master’s degree, which is very cheap as compared to the fees that international students have to pay. For instance, the international student fee for a 2-year master’s programme is approximately 20,000 CAD. But for a PR, it’s only CAD 4000 - 5000. It is absolutely imperative that you start making contacts if you are planning to go there as a skilled immigrant. Majority of Indian engineers are employed in Ontario/Alberta and some in Vancouver (B.C). With the recent oil boom in Alberta, there is a big vacuum for Project /Infrastructure/Electrical Engineers. However, you may require some orientation programs like getting an Alberta Professional Engineers Certification or take some vocational courses before jobs open up for you.
Most definitely! And more importantly, ‘relevant’ work experience. It also helps you get your student visa (though it's not mandatory), getting a job upon completion of master’s as well as in getting a PR status before you move out of India (if you choose to do so). If you plan to go as a skilled immigrant, the optimal job experience for being a serious contender in the job market is about five years by the time you get there. Where the jobs are… Industrial, production, civil, infrastructure and electrical engineering jobs are in very high demand in Alberta due to the extensive oil and gas exploration, especially under Athabasca Oil Sands Project (AOSP). Many Indian engineers are employed in the heart of oil sand exploration in a town called Fort McMurray. A friend who has a Master’s in Electrical Engineering from the University of Alberta is doing really well in an oil exploration firm. Alberta is facing such a shortage of labour that coffee vending companies like Tim Hortons are offering 15 - 18 Ca$ per hour for people to work in remote oil exploration areas. According to one report, some companies even resort to hiring people serving time in jails for minor offences! This just goes to prove what kind of labour shortage Canada is facing. Some of the oil companies exploring the oil sands are: Shell, Suncor, Petro Canada, Schlumberger, Chevron, Texaco. Electrical/Electronics, Software and Communications jobs are concentrated in Ontario, British Columbia and some in Alberta as well. Electrical jobs: the primary hub for these is Ontario (Ottawa, Toronto, Greater Toronto Area and Vancouver (B.C). Software development jobs are concentrated in Toronto, Ottawa and Montréal (Québec). For more information, and a listing of IT/Telecom companies, just Google 'canadian technology companies'. Toronto is not only the fourth largest city in North America, but it’s also the financial capital of Canada. The 401 highway which goes through Toronto is the busiest in the whole of North America. Most of the mechanical engineers I know, live either in Toronto or in a small town called Windsor which shares a border with Detroit, USA (better known as the automobile capital of the world). The biggest employer is General Motors (US and Canada) and Chrysler (US only). However, many skilled workers who go to Canada (such as engineers) don't sufficiently toil the job market. They loose patience, get frustrated and eventually plumb for a truck or a taxi driver’s license. Don't get me wrong, most truckers are doing even better than engineers! Some of them have even turned entrepreneurs and started their own transport companies. Lots of folk are running successful Indian restaurants, gas stations, food and distribution chains like courier and goods services. Many have gone into real estate like hotels and sale of residential property, especially in the hot markets such as Alberta. All told, Canada is a peaceful and welcoming country for new immigrants. What makes it great is the emphasis on discipline and the pursuance of rules and established standards for everything — from human rights to road safety and traffic. The writer is a noted career consultant Please send in your query, preferably on a postcard, along with your full name, complete address and academic qualifications to: Editor, Jobs and Careers, The Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh-160030, or at careers@tribunemail.com
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What’s the best way?
Is work experience an advantage?
