Nick Noorani Website

Secrets to Immigrant Success
You’re in a new country with new values, and the rules of the game aren’t the same ones you knew in your country of origin. You’ll face culture shock, homesickness, barriers and perhaps even discrimination, so the question many newcomers ask is, “What do I need to do to succeed in Canada?”
There are three major factors, which immigrants have control over, that influence their chance of success

1. Learn the language. Without learning English, all your skills and expertise will be hidden away. Immigrants should make a conscious effort to learn English and to speak it at least three to fours hours a day. There are many ESL programs to choose from (government-sponsored basic ESL is free (see www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomer/welcome/wel-22e.html for listings); more advanced ESL classes are available for a fee via various colleges and community organizations). It’s the best investment you’ll make in Canada.
2. Stay positive. Yes, you may face barriers to jobs, but complaining about it with other immigrants will just continue a cycle of negativity that will paralyze your chance of success. If you don’t believe you’ll be able to succeed and overcome the challenges of being an immigrant, you will never fully try.
3. Embrace Canada. Remember your dreams about coming to Canada? Well, they have come true. Now go out and enjoy all that is Canadian. That means the nature, the history, the people, the diversity, the equality and the freedom.
Immigrants come to Canada with dreams. Dreams of a better life for their future generations. By doing so, they give to the country much needed labour and future generations of tax payers. But there has been a longstanding gap in helping immigrants settle into the country successfully.
Since April 2004, The Canadian Immigrant Magazine changed the media landscape for Canadian immigrants and newcomers. The magazine goes straight to the heart of multicultural communities, profiling immigrants, their traditions, their challenges, their dreams. The magazine gives immigrants a unified voice and encourages cultural harmony by focusing on people of all ethnicities.
All immigrants know that they will have a struggle ahead of them. The problem is a large number of immigrants do not have the critical information on how best to settle in. The Canadian Immigrant Magazine helps immigrants cross that divide by providing them with positive role models and tools and resources to help them succeed.
I know the struggles of immigrants personally, this being the fourth country I’ve called home. When facing all the usual challenges, I decided to divide things into two categories:
• Things I had control over.
• Things I didn’t have control over.
Here’s what immigrants have power over:
• Not complaining and commiserating with other immigrants.
• Staying determined and positive.
• Getting their resume written professionally and accessing job-hunting coaching.
• Making friends outside their ethnic community.
• Surrounding yourself with people you admire and can learn from.
• Making an effort to learn English and Canadian ways of doing things.
• Not giving up.
If you need further inspiration, contact me at subscription@theCanadianImmigrant.com with your mailing address and I’ll send you a free three-month subscription to The Canadian Immigrant Magazine. (Please write “Free three-month subscription” in the email “Subject” box.)
Good luck!
Nick Noorani,
Publisher, The Canadian Immigrant Magazine