Opportunities

EDUCATION
Canadians enjoy a well funded public school system from kindergarten through
university. There are no user fees through high school for permanent residents
or citizens. Although tuition fees are charged for post- secondary education ,
permanent residents and citizens pay the same user fees , which only only cover about one third of the actual cost of the post secondary education . Canadian universities compare favorable with the U.S. universities . Although none are in the same league as the vary top U.S. universities, all are equal to, or better than the average U.S. universities.

In addition , Canada has well regarded private schools from elementary through
high school, as well as for vocational studies. Publicly-supported post
secondary schools include vocational colleges and universities.

The medium of instruction in Canadian schools is either English or French.
Students are not required to be fluent in both official languages, but they are
required to study both languages. English is the primary language of
approximately 75% of Canadians, but many send their children to French schools in order for them to become bilingual. Public school in the multi cultural
centres of Vancouver , Toronto and Montreal often provide special classes for
immigrant students who cannot speak English or French. However , post secondary students are expected to be fluent in an official language.

FINDING A JOB AND BUILDING A FUTURE
Government agencies , volunteer associations and employment agencies assist
people to find suitable employment. In addition, basic basic employment
information may be found in such places as professional journals, newspapers,
the human resource department of private sector companies, government
departments and agencies and through federally operated Canada Employment
Centers (CEC),which are a part of Human Resources Development Canada (the
Canadian Ministry of Labour). Also,many post-secondary institutes have placement offices for their own graduates and might be willing to assist well qualified immigrants as well. For many years the government of Canada has published a list of occupation open to prospective independent immigrants. This list also provides the points assigned to each occupation. It is important to remember that score for occupation are just one component of the overall scoring system,other points are based on such factors as work experience, education and language ability. The major thrust is in the service sector, where more jobs are available for experienced as well as inexperienced candidates,rather than in manufacturing.

In addition to the CEC, and for profit employment agencies, résumé,
"networking" , which is to say , talking to people who might be able to direct
one to interested firms, is another way to find employment. And , of course,
national newspapers such as the Globe and Mail or major newspapers in large
metropolitan center , have classified employment advertisements.

Many immigrants have found permanent employment through firms which provide temporary workers tm Canadian employers. Many Canadian firms prefer to hire temporary workers on a contract because, if the employee does not work out , he / she leaves automatically when the contract ends. However if the employee proves to be useful, a full time job may be offered at the end of the temporary assignment.

The fastest growing occupations are expected to be in the Information
Technologies industry , specific health care positions such as occupational
therapists and physiotherapists , and in other technical sales field . Recently
growth in the community, business and personal service has been particularly
strong.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE
Canadian companies are particularly interested in immigrants with
post-secondary education , work experience in highly skilled occupations and a
good command of English or French, the two official languages of Canada.
(Outside Quebec, few employers require employees to know both official
languages.)

Professionals like C A's, Engineers and MBA's may need to re-qualify, before
they can practice in Canada. Qualifications vary by profession and province. In
addition , like Canadians who move to another province, immigrants may need to rewrite qualifying exams and accept an entry-level position.