One of most disheartening things I hear about Canadian Immigration is stories of families who return to their original country after unsuccessfully attempting to settle in Canada. One of main reasons for failures, it seems, is that principal member of household that normally supports everyone financially is unable to gain meaningful employment in their chosen profession or trade.

Many of these stories state that once in Canada it is quickly discovered that foreign qualifications do not meet Canadian standards and so they cannot find employment without extensive retraining. Most of these cases may have been avoidable if prospective employment requirements had been thoroughly researched well in advance of landing. Canada has an extremely high standard of education and many other systems simply don’t measure up against theirs – a degree program is 4 years for instance. So chances are you will have to retrain, recertify or normally as a minimum, start again at bottom. This may seem crazy but it’s way it is – at least once your experience is apparent you may well soon find yourself rising up ranks.

When my wife and I moved to Canada I believe we had exceptional luck, but we had also spent two years thoroughly researching our respective occupations in Province of our intended destination. When I realized that my qualifications would not suffice I had to make alternative plans and so set about working towards qualifications that would be attractive to any employer – not just my “niche”.

A first aid at work course run by St Johns ambulance will only cost 2 days of your time and around $150.00 and will instantly make you slightly more attractive to any employer – most Provinces have Laws requiring employers to train their staff. Being computer literate with a variety of applications is almost imperative. Anything that makes you stand out and will reduce cost and time needed to train you, will be a massive boost to your Resume. Also, employers are same world over – everyone prefers people who are keen to self improve and make themselves more employable.

The first step is to decide which Province you wish to settle in as each has its own educational assessment agencies and occupational regulators. The Federal application for skilled trades bases your trade on National Occupation Classification (NOC) list. However, some “Red Seal” trades are regulated in such ways that they transfer between Provinces, but majority of trades and professions do not, which means recertification if you ever move.

When I taught time management classes, one of things I loved to teach was 80-20 rule. It's best explained by examples. Eighty percent of time, you wear twenty percent of your wardrobe. Eighty percent of phone calls you get come from twenty percent of your friends. Eighty percent of dirt is on twenty percent of floor. Twenty percent of salespeople make eighty percent of sales. Okay, sometimes it's 90-10 and sometimes it's 70-30 but you get idea.