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Immigrants, refugees and women seeking asylum in Canada are four to five times more likely to suffer from postpartum depression than women born here, according to a study published this month in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.
“Postpartum is more likely to be recognized in Canadian-born moms, but our study shows its much more common in immigrant women and they don’t seek help as much as the Canadian women do,” said Dr. Donna Stewart, the principle author of the study.
She said the results of the study surprised her, considering a well-documented phenomenon known as the “healthy immigrant effect.”

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Jagdeep Singh was an information-technology professional in India before he moved to Canada. He arrived in September last year, and his family joined him three months later. Singh has yet to find a job, but he sounded very upbeat when he talked to the Georgia Straight by phone from his home in Surrey. “You need some time to adapt to the way things are here,” said the 35-year-old father of one.
One thing that takes time to understand, according to Singh, is how the health-care system works. He noted that choosing a family doctor is a challenge. “It’s difficult to find a doctor you can trust,” he said.

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PARIS – Canada and other rich countries risk public backlash unless they do a better job ensuring new immigrants find suitable jobs, the head of an international think-tank said Wednesday.
A report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) concluded that immigrants are frequently over-qualified for the jobs they hold, a stark reminder that many are not easily adapting to their new homes.

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A dozen participants in Nova Scotia’s failed immigration program told stories of disappointment and shattered expectations during a four-hour hearing Wednesday before a legislative committee.
After paying $130,000 each to enter Canada under the provincial nominee program, many said that they weren’t matched with companies that suited their areas of expertise and they now want their money back as a matter of fairness.
The program, which was administered by Cornwallis Financial Corp., was scrapped by the Conservative government in 2006, setting off a series of lawsuits filed by the private firm that have yet to reach court.
The Office of Immigration decided in October to rebate $60 million in application fees to 600 immigrants who had yet to take part in the program. Another 200 were denied reimbursement because they had completed their mentorships with a company.

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By Meena Menezes
A once proud man hangs up his business suit to clean lavatories, to feed his family. A successful journalist trains for a job in a supermarket, while others from skilled or senior posts do anything from driving cabs to working in factories, to make ends meet.
The first taste of life in Canada can be bitter, as new arrivals must take any job they can get to support their families.
Some fall at the first hurdle, but for many it is a rite of passage as they gain a foothold in a country full of opportunity.

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Foreign-trained professionals travelling to what many of them consider to be the promised land of Ottawa wind up struggling to survive here, a labour market expert says.
“This is a stream of some of the smartest people you’ll ever see,” said Bruce Switzer. “What employers, and others in this community, need to realize is that our future is dependent on them.”
Switzer is president of Integration Resources Canada, an Ottawa-based employment organization that works with foreign-trained professionals immigrating to the capital in search of work.

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