Public awareness for the underemployed

New immigrants face huge hurdles in securing employment in Canada. This is as true for Family Class as it is for Skilled Class applicants that are granted residency. The Liberals spent their years in power doing nothing about the situation, birthing the modern legend of the cab driver with the MBA (or PhD., or, name the advanced degree).

Now, in an attempt to do SOMETHING (and rather than waiting for any Tory government to develop progams or policies that will make a real difference in the lives of new citizens), the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council is running a public service ad campaign to wake Ontario employers up to the wasted human resources within their reach.

According to an article published in the Toronto Star today, "Statistics show 60 per cent of immigrants are forced to work a lower level job in a field other than the one they qualify for."

While you can't force any employer to hire anyone in particular, government can make it harder to discriminate against new immigrants, provide incentives for those firms that do employ immigrants (tax credits anyone?), or make small business loans more accessible to new Canadian immgrants.

I'm glad the Ontario government is doing something to bring these issues more into the public eye. I hope Ontario Citizenship and Immigration Minister Mike Colle will take his own advice as someone in power to create policy and, "Rather than talk about it, do something about it. "

Hope Springs East

Lots of activity here on the West Coast that may lead me closer to my dreams back home, back east, back in T-dot. I may be on the verge of breaking my financial drought, and if that's the case, then it will be a fairly quick step to having the bank account back in order, and thus, being able to apply as a Skilled Worker!

So that explains the silence - big business puts big demands on the time...I'll be sure and keep you posted here, but if you can spare a prayer, I know it will help. I so want to come home, and maybe, finally, the time is coming...

Happy New Year

It's been just over four years now since I started this slow journey to Canada. It's a journey I'm still unsure of and one which the conclusion still seems to be so far away and so uncertain.

It's been a horrible year financially, so the funds that I need to apply under the Skilled Worker class (CDN $10K) are still far away from my savings account. Still, I have hope that those funds will come - in God's time.

That's the trick - accepting God's time. Like everyone else, I want things to happen when I want them to happen, but God doesn't work that way in people's lives. I imagine the delay in this immigration process is because there are things He wants me to learn that will make me a better person - one who will appreciate the gifts He gives me.

The one thing I still don't want to think about is this: what if He doesn't want me to come to Canada at all? That's a tough one for me. It's the hardest for anyone who lives a life in faith - to answer the question, "What do you do when God says "No" to your prayers?"

I still don't know my own answer to this. I almost feel like preparing for it is giving up on the hope I have in a positive result.

But New Years are about the future and hope in the future, so I will hold onto hope, hold onto my dreams, and hold onto the love I have for Canada. I was born American, but I have had the soul of a Canadian since I can remember.

God grant me my prayer. Lord, hear my prayer. If this is your year for me, thank You. If not, thank You.

And thank YOU for reading my blog these last few years. Here's to 2007!