This week on Canada AM, a series will focus on issues surrounding immigration. The first part of the series looks at the struggles of new immigrants to have their foreign credentials recognized in their efforts to find jobs in Canada.
For new immigrants to Canada, the struggle to find work in their chosen fields means they often have to take jobs that hardly relate to their training.
This is an experience that Ashraful Islam, a university graduate from Bangladesh, is familiar with.
" Now I'm doing (jobs) as a sorter at Purolator. I have part-time jobs and I'm looking for full time," he told CTV's Canada AM.
Islam's struggle to find work is an experience shared by many newcomers to Canada.
A survey investigating career advancement in corporate Canada released by Ryerson University in February found that 48 per cent of visible minorities with foreign educational credentials felt their employers did not think their credentials were equivalent to comparable Canadian degrees, diplomas or certificates.
"We are deceived. They give us points on our degrees, (but) they don't accept our qualifications," said Abdul Kayum, who was an accountant in Pakistan finding it hard to find similar work in Canada.
Between 2001 and 2006, census statistics indicate that the addition of 1.2 million immigrants increased Canada's population to 31.6 million people at an average of around 240,000 newcomers each year.
Many like Kayum and Islam, who are unable to find jobs in their chosen field, attend skills centres to help establish themselves in the Canadian workforce.
Earlier this year, the federal government announced the University of Ottawa will lead a $3 million study to learn why skilled immigrants have trouble finding the right jobs.
Karen Webb of the Community Microskills Development Centre says the issue is very important. Microskills works to help new immigrants become self-sufficient with language skills and to network with people in their fields.
"A lot of engineers, for instance are coming in, a lot of accountants. Their credentials aren't recognized," Webb said.
She also attributes the struggles of immigrants to a number of wide-ranging issues that organizations like Microskills attempts to address through their workshops on issues such as teamwork, handling conflict and interview etiquette.
If you have any questions or comments regarding this series please email them to immigrationquestions@ctv.ca
