This question is for those who lived in mid-east for a long time and than got Canadian immigration & moved to the Canadian life style. How happy are you? Are you satisfied? Can you justiy the move? A family member just did that and the wife is quite depressed as she has to do everything herself now. She had a servant in Dubai.
Her husband could not find a job in banking field and now he is working in a factory outside of Toronto.
So anyway I was wondering how many guppies have done this and how are you doing?
Re: Bye Dubai & Hello Canada
You will find the same story from 95% of the immigrant came from Mid-East in last 12 years. Specially the professionals who are 40+ of age with not so fluent English or Multinational company's experience.
Re: Bye Dubai & Hello Canada
first generation sacrifice, keep it up donot loose your patience!
Re: Bye Dubai & Hello Canada
canada, amreeka europe people come, they donot have anything but still they donot have to i would say kissey kay samnay haath jorrh kar kharray hona parta. except you have to go thru the system and there is no shame in that since ups and downs come along the life time.
Re: Bye Dubai & Hello Canada
I haven't done that but the consensus from people I've met who have is unless you are guaranteed a well paid, skilled job theres no point leaving a beautiful, relaxing place like Dubai for a cold sh%thole like Canada or any other western country. In Dubai at least life is easy and cheap, but shift westwards and people get a reality check having to do everything on their own. And the drop in standard of living can hit some folks hard.
Re: Bye Dubai & Hello Canada
*I have lived in both the States and Canada. I would say that the lifestyle here in Canada is much more similar to Middle Eastern countries if you are financially set. In the States, I felt people were in much bigger of a hurry than here in Canada. As Marshad stated above, it is all about first generation sacrifice. I have seen many well off Pakistanis here as well (not as many as in the States though, ofcourse!); it’s all about the initial struggle and giving your kids a chance to do something with their lives. I see many desi kids here wasting away their days without doing anything, and I pity them. *
Re: Bye Dubai & Hello Canada
I agree …and i have seen people who came and left for the same reason even though they had great educational background and english …Dont move unless your gaurunteed a job here…sure isnt worth a life like that
Re: Bye Dubai & Hello Canada
I have two close families in Toronto. It is indeed sad to see a banker and a doctor working in a factory and as a guard. Both parents have to work now full time and there is hardly anytime for the kids. Grass is always greener on the other side.
MARSHAD: as you said "First generation sacrifice, keep it up donot loose your patience!"But I don't agree. Whatever happened to their own life.
Re: Bye Dubai & Hello Canada
- How long could have the parents stayed in Dubai? Do they grant permanent residence? If they did, then indeed all the people moving here would be nothing but fools. But they don’t. In addition, university education in Dubai is extremely expensive. Atleast you can give your kids a chance to educate themselves through government loans and the like.*
Re: Bye Dubai & Hello Canada
From a purely utilitarian point of view, there’s no comparison between Canada and the Emirates when it comes to the professional development of the young generation – like game said, in Canada you can capitalize upon various educational opportunities and subsequently transition into gainful career opportunities.
On the flip-side, if you are a mid-career professional who’s well settled in the Emirates, then from an individualistic standpoint, I would advise against coming to Canada because there’s a lot of elementary toil and tussle that one has to live through in order to establish oneself and you’ll almost never have the same lifestyle as you did in the Middle East – mainly because you get more value for your buck in the Middle East, and the workplace competition doesn’t impinge as much on your personal life.
I’ve seen this first-hand with my parents who moved to Canada to get us a better education which they did, live through odd jobs etc., switch careers and didn’t realize the same level of satisfaction from life as they would have if they stayed put.
Re: Bye Dubai & Hello Canada
i would suggest against it.. if ure middle aged and have a great lifestyle in the middle east.. dont go just for the kids.. if u must .. send them as international students.. my dad stayed put in saudi and sent mom and us kids off to canada... he didnt wanna lose his awesome job and work as a guard or cab driver in canada... it wasnt worth it tho.. dad would have spent a lot less if he had just sent us kids as international students ....
my dad for instance struggled to get where he is today.. for him to quit work.. move to canada and start the struggle once again.. age doesnt permit it.. nor would it be fair.
its a great country for youngsters or ppl just starting their careers... for well settled men .. its not (unless they get a good offer that matches their present jobs)..even then.. job stability in canada isnt as stable as it is in the middle east.... unkils i know have been in the same companies for the past 3 decades :D
p.s) oh and ya.. there have been other families we know who planned the whole thing out amazingly well.. the whole family goes.. get citizenship.. and come back.. if kids are in uni.. they stay put.. the rest come back... ofcourse not everyone is lucky enuff to do so .. these ppl who did had sound education .. good experience.. the candian passport was the whippin on the cake :)
Re: Bye Dubai & Hello Canada
Umer: What you have said is so true. Those families that we know are very distressed. Now they are talking about moving to USA in our city after the get the citizenship. Go figure that out. My suggestion to them was to go back to Dubai, but ofcourse final decision is there. They got upset on this as they think I am keeping them away from the wonders & blessings of USA! :D
Khawateen: It must be tough for you to live separately from your dad but I think that was the right decision. If one is in just for the citizenship & planning to go back afterwards thats another thing. I also know people who have done that but they had tons of $. An average middle class family can't do it. Its even harder if thats the only income they have & have to support elderly parents back home too.
In my opinion, bottom line is that you get only one life and you got to live it & enjoy it too. It is our culture thing that all parents do everything for kids and forget themselves.
Anyway, guys thanks for your input.