Let’s admit it – most of us have wished to move abroad for greener pastures at least once! The thought of visiting a foreign country for professional avenues indeed sounds oh-so-exciting and lucrative, but is it always that rewarding?
Speaking of working abroad, Canada is one such country that has always been in the limelight for its popularity among students and the working class globally, particularly for the immigration policies. In fact, Indian nationals constitute a major chunk of those residing in Canada for study or work purposes.
A recent article by Forbes quoted an NFAP report which stated that Indians immigrating to Canada rose from 32,828 to 139,715, indicating an increase of 326%.
However, when discussing employment opportunities, things are not as easy as they seem – at least that is what job seekers in Canada believe!
For instance, Salary Scale recently shared a video on its Instagram handle of a graduate student in Canada who feels getting a job in the country is getting tougher by the day.
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Making ends meet with student wages through a part-time job, she said, “Getting a job has definitely got tougher. I think there are fewer jobs that value people’s qualities and work ethics. You must keep applying for jobs, and network on LinkedIn. That’s your best friend!”
Further, rating employment opportunities between 9 and 10 on the difficulty scale, she stated the only way out is to keep trying one’s luck.
Former Google India employee says the experience did not count for him
In another video, a former Google India employee stated that his experience did not matter to recruiters in Canada when it came to hiring. He said, “Recruiters preferably look for Canadian candidates and not Indians. I have been working as a Process Inventory Associate and made about $17.5 since I have been working for the past year. You can hardly survive with that sort of money.”
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He shared, “I have worked on-site with Google India for three-plus years as a digital marketing expert. But after coming here, what I am doing right now is cutting my experience because they are not counting my experience. They think that if you have experience from India, it’s not going to count.”
“It doesn’t make sense because you have spent so many years there and you have done a lot of things, and you have experience. Some of the companies are giving me reasons like I am overqualified for the job,” he added.
IRCC introduces measures in the study, work permits
It may be mentioned here that in a latest move, the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada, or IRCC announced a further 10 percent reduction in study permits for international students in 2025. The reduction has been made from the 2024 target of 485,000 new study permits issued.
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The move, the IRCC stated, is aimed at stabilising the intake cap for 2026 such that the number of study permits issued remains the same as in 2025, which is 437,000.
Apart from this, the IRCC has also introduced other measures such as updating the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program from the fall of this year “to better align with immigration goals and labour market needs.”