Where can I get some information on Canada?

Colombiche says on Jan 10, 2008, 07:42:

Tell her to join a group called colombianosencanada at yahoo.com

There she can get the truth from the mouth of colombians (many recent immigrants) living in Canada, mostly Toronto. She might hear some success stories, some stories not so pretty, but that group is probably the best network of colombians up here.

No me den trago extranjero, que es caro y no sabe a bueno.... (Rafael Godoy)

Man Tequila says on Jan 10, 2008, 10:08:

She may also find the Canadian embassy unfriendly, and access to the lower 48 more difficult than anticipated. It all seems pretty arbitrary. Canada has a shortage of engineers, yet many immigrant engineers remain underemployed.

When I was last in Cartagena, the Quebec government was actively advertising in local papers on immigrant information sessions. If she speaks fluent French, immigration to Quebec, the French part of Canada may also be worth considering. But Colombiche has her ear to the ground on this issue and I do not, although I am an engineer,

Aunque no me creas/ si me lo propongo/ lograre olvidarte/ porque a fin de cuentas/ no soy tan cobarde./ Y termino todo una de estas tardes/ no sera dificil buscar algún sitio donde refugiarme/ donde nunca mas vuelvas a encontrarme. (Polo Montañez)

morphus says on Jan 10, 2008, 10:16:

Its a lot easier for Colombians to emigrate to Canada. The visa is around $4000 USD. My girl in Medellin has a sister that did it. She going to Canada next month.

Colombiche says on Jan 10, 2008, 10:48:

IN Bogota you actually now have to courier your visa application to the Canadian embassy so it's not like she has to set foot in it. My cousin applied for a tourist visa and received a big fat letter basically saying "We love you and all, but we don't want you up here because we think you really want to stay". Canada is not so fond of colombians and latinos in general, they only allow a few to get through. However, if you are from China, India, Pakistan or Somalia, velcome home my friend.

No me den trago extranjero, que es caro y no sabe a bueno.... (Rafael Godoy)

LilaM says on Jan 10, 2008, 11:10:

Take a look on SEDAV Services, do a search on the internet is a Company that guides people to go to Canada....

"Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer." Ed. Cunningham

elmodefoque says on Jan 10, 2008, 11:19:

oye lila, donde vives? perdon, cual ciudad?

over 5 million colombianos in USA and only 27 barranquilleros, i'm one.Curramba, el mejor vividero del mundo!

LilaM says on Jan 10, 2008, 11:25:

En la nevera elmo...

"Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer." Ed. Cunningham

elmodefoque says on Jan 10, 2008, 11:37:

bogota?

over 5 million colombianos in USA and only 27 barranquilleros, i'm one.Curramba, el mejor vividero del mundo!

elmodefoque says on Jan 10, 2008, 11:37:

canada?

over 5 million colombianos in USA and only 27 barranquilleros, i'm one.Curramba, el mejor vividero del mundo!

elmodefoque says on Jan 10, 2008, 11:37:

sweden, whales?? chicago?

over 5 million colombianos in USA and only 27 barranquilleros, i'm one.Curramba, el mejor vividero del mundo!

LilaM says on Jan 10, 2008, 13:02:

jajajaj en Bogotáaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

"Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer." Ed. Cunningham

bopenyan says on Jan 10, 2008, 20:04:

No English and no degree and no skilled job experience means that she will be shot down. She should give herself the self-administered test available on the CIC website, www.cic.gc.ca. She has to reach 67 points, and she is absolutely barred unless she can demonstrate that she has worked for a minimum of one year in a skilled job. Of course, she can always marry a Canadian and go through sponsorship. Visa posts have different rejection rates for spousal sponsorships - Chandigarh, India and Beijing, China have rejection rates of over 80%.

scotty says on Jan 10, 2008, 20:49:

hmmm, maybe you can find info about Canada on a Canada chat site?

Get Rhythm, when you got the blues. Johnny Cash

jinksmiester says on Jan 10, 2008, 23:51:

Alberta has a constuction boom on the go..fueled by oil.All of alberta is very busy for work in the oil patch...you can,t get qualified people...and its not just trades people its all areas from office personal..designers..truck drives..you name it.The past few years has seen american tradesmen working in canada to fill shortages of labour but also a lot of immigration.Unfortunatly most of it still unqualified.Ive spent the better part of my life in refinery and the oil and gas sector and can say that skilled labour has never been in demand as it now.If a person can handle the elements and cold weather there are loads of opportunity..either that or just work the spring summer and fall months.There are jobs that are paying people to stay in work camps ...jobs that offer 5 bucks an hour in bonus bucks if you just show up to work..An example would be the cnrl oil sands plant in fort mcmurray...they are paying people 220 can bucks a day tax free to use for accomadations and if you look around you can find a place for about 8 hunded a month and bank a lot of that cash and make some fat pay cheques as well.A 24 on 4 off work shift will (net) a qualified tradesman about 11 grand a month plus anouther 1000 going towards pentions and rrsps and over that they get 100% dental,presciption, and eye coverage...not bad.The down side is its all work and no play as that kind of shift is good for the wallet but hard on free time or familys.
..you can find jobs working 10 on 4 off...17 on 4 off...24 on 4 off...5- 10s...etc.I just left a job opti nexon long lake and had a crew of 15 people consisting of 3 jouneyman tradesman..2 canadian apprentices and the other 10 were somolians..and philpinos some who could,nt speak english worth crap and truth be told they were not much good to me because they had no exsperience what so ever.The job i just left (one of manny)is looking for about 400 tradesman in my field and really..they would be lucky if they managed to find a half a dozen skilled people to go to work for them.Everyone who wants work has it so all they can do is try to lure people away with more money or incentives.At present work visa,s for skilled american tradesman are limited to the one job they come for and they are not allowed to go to a different job or company...when the job wraps up there visa does too.The trade unions and indeed big general contractors are lobbying the goverment to make changes so these skilled tradesman can tranfer to other work.With the price of oil its no wonder.
Perhaps once your friend has a degree she could seek out employment..i think her chances would be a lot better with a degree that without one.
My bet is that canadian immigration in bogota is a tough nut to crack and she better have everything going for herself she can before even trying.I do believe however that with the right company going to bat and trying to hire her chances would improve.I don,t know why..(seems like b.s. to me) but getting a visa out of bogota sounds harder than getting one if you are chinese..filipino..somolian..etc.
You have to convince bogota you will return to colombia if its a short term temorary work visa...a skilled worker visa is probably the best bet.

A man is not old until regret takes the place of dreams

scotty says on Jan 11, 2008, 02:48:

there you go...a boom in Canada maybe us americans can just cross the border and start working there since we are in a recession and starting to be a poor nation like mexico. i wonder if Canada will also give us free school and medical and we can bring all our relatives there and get driver license and vote there. we the americans are the new illegals, here we come Canada.

Get Rhythm, when you got the blues. Johnny Cash

jinksmiester says on Jan 11, 2008, 05:36:

I am a long term member of a trade union here and can tell you that when it comes to talk of forien workers The u.s. workers are refered to as our american brothers.Ive had some americans that worked for me on projects in the past and they were great guys.Im sure the same would be said of canadians going to work on u.s. projects.The fact is most people in the trade unions here bieng affiliated with the same unions in the u.s. want to open up the door and offer this work to our american nieghbors.The oil companys however..(mostly american)..seem more intent on hiring cheaper forien labour from other countrys.You get what you pay for and hiring all this cheaper unskilled labour has backfired on them on various projects with huge cost over runs and doing a lot of the work twice or three times.The oil companys have gone as far as buying some of there own airplanes and flying forien workers to and from there home countrys and for canadian workers to and from other provinces.They are spending vast amountsof money..its projected there will 70 or 80 billion spent on norhtern projects alone over the next several years.There are some very good forien workers who are skilled and will be a benifit to canada but most are unskilled.Its sad that american oil companys would rather hire from other countrys than employ there own citizens and from my perspective its nothing but greed.With record breaking profits each and every year certainly they could spring for a few more dollars for skilled labour and perhaps offer some of that work to there own people who also happen to be the biggest comsumers of there product.The work is definitly here...everywhere you go its help wanted.My own small business is suffering as well and ive turned to hiring a few forien workers.Getting aproval to do so was not hard...there are a lot more jobs than people who will fill them.

A man is not old until regret takes the place of dreams

Timba says on Jan 11, 2008, 06:12:

Colombians are currently one of the top immigrats to Canada.
Having an education /skills would help her immensely.

Timba says on Jan 11, 2008, 06:33:

A little bit of Colombia in Canada ?



Drug killing suspect pleads guilty to conspiracy

A 31 year old man has been given a nine year prsions sentence for his role in a drug related execution style slaying in Mississauga of a man with alleged Colombian drug cartel ties.

Jorge Ablerto Restrepo pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the tageted hit of Mauricio Castro, 31, on Jluy 26, 2005.

Castro, a Colombian natiional, was allegedly involved in a drug trafficking network that ran between Canada and several South and Central American countries.

A lone gunman shot Castro several times while he sat in an SUV parked outside Square One Shopping Centre around noon. Four days later, Castro's father, Humberto Castro-Tirado, 71 was shot to death in Colombia.

Colombiche says on Jan 11, 2008, 07:16:

There are always stupid colombians going around giving us all a bad name, then the rest of us have to walk around dealing with the stigma.

Anyhow, Alberta is the way to go. Fort McMurray, Calgary, Edmonton. Big boom going on right now. My brother in law just arrived from Colombia to Calgary, speaks so so english (enough to get by) and is already working an office job making 16 bucks an hour. That isn't so bad for a guy fresh off the plane.

No me den trago extranjero, que es caro y no sabe a bueno.... (Rafael Godoy)

Man Tequila says on Jan 11, 2008, 12:50:

Not so bad for Calgary. In Fort McMurray, McDonald's pays $18/hour, still closes due to staff shortages, and would not be enough to pay the rent. Boomtown economics are funny things.

http://oilsandstruth.org/worlds-most-expensive-babysitters

Aunque no me creas/ si me lo propongo/ lograre olvidarte/ porque a fin de cuentas/ no soy tan cobarde./ Y termino todo una de estas tardes/ no sera dificil buscar algún sitio donde refugiarme/ donde nunca mas vuelvas a encontrarme. (Polo Montañez)

Sam Salmon says on Jan 11, 2008, 19:59:

http://www.notcanada.com/

Consider carefully......

' a la orden!'

tompower says on Jan 12, 2008, 05:41:

Many of the colombians I meet in the Toronto Area came to canada as refugees. MAny of them came through the USA. Ever since 9-11 illegals in USA had it really tough with no chance of ever getting legal status. It's a tricky process getting to the canadian border because if they are screened by american border first they get deported. There is a shelter in buffalo that many immigrants who are attempting to enter canada go to and they wait there as immigration canada works through the shelter for people to present themselves in order. Also, if the immigrant has family living in canada and able to present themselves at the border crossing when their family member arrives it makes the process smoother infact many I talked too believe if you have family that can meet you at the border you are assured of a place and ability to cross. I'm not nor were many of the colombians I've met really serious about the threat of returning to colombia they all seem to know how to present theri case to immigration and many seem to have been awarded residency. The best thing for colombians living illegally in the US trying to become refugees and enter canada is that once they enter they are given a hearing date which takes a long time years for many, but also they are given social insurance, and refugee id, they are free to work open bank accounts and exist as free citizens send children to school etc. With the process of appeals they could hang on for years before being deported or if they work hard with other colombians they could present a believable case and win their hearing. The one down side is it seems all of them are cut off from returning to colombia to see family,... that;s tough made tougher still because even after they receive residency many of them say that they still cant return until the 3 year mark when they achieve citizenship because refugees who make visits home to countries they flee many times are tried for fraud??!! Its a tough process but for an immigrant who's been living in limbo in the US for years Canada really is the place to go. I hope more colombians come to canada to let the pressure of Elmo in New York he's really suffering down there.
Remember, we're all in this together.
Tom Power

Rikito says on Jan 13, 2008, 07:37:

There is no such address as colombianosencanada at yahoo.com. Is there something I am doing wrong maybe?

It is not life that matters, but the journey.

tompower says on Jan 13, 2008, 19:11:

http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/colombianosencanada/