Jobaaj Stories
In this feature of Jobaaj Stories, we bring to you the struggles and experiences of CA Jinal Sanghavi, an Indian CA who decided to immigrate to Canada and settle as a working professional.
I am Jinal Sanghavi, a Chartered Accountant from India now based in Canada.
I and my husband had visited New Zealand in 2018, and since then we have dreamed of settling in a country where we could maintain our work-life balance and upgrade to a better quality of life.
That is also when we realized that ICAI and CPA Canada have among them, an MOU which facilitates mutual recognition for each other's accounting professionals.
Thus, we began applying for PR (Permanent Residence) and fulfilling all the prerequisites needed to start our professional life in Canada.
Starting Career as a CA
I had started my path towards CA by opting for commerce.
Mostly because I didn't want to pursue either Science or Arts.
I accredited the letters CA to my name at the age of 22 in 2015, following which, I started my career as a Credit Analyst at HDFC bank.
However, soon I realized that I really wanted to work in MNCs.
Later I changed jobs and was soon working in the finance team at JP Morgan, wherein my major responsibilities involved controlling the accounting and finance operations of JP Morgan's Indian entities.
Deciding to go International
It was in 2018 that I and my husband decided to get married and went to New Zealand for the first time. That's where we decided to live in a country that could offer us an enhanced quality of life and appropriate work-life balance.
We were absolutely struck by its beauty, infrastructure, and foreign lifestyle.
It was when we returned to India that we started exploring career options in other countries open to immigrants.
That is also when we got to know about the Memorandum of Understanding between ICAI and CPA Canada.
Soon, we were filling out online applications, researching about the immigration processes, and saving up for the big move.
Applying for the Canada PR and other Processes
We tried to do all the paperwork ourselves as most of it could be simply done online.
Our combined work experience and job years had greatly helped us in securing the maximum score in the age & work experience front.
Another prerequisite of immigrating to Canada was to crack IELTS (International English Language Testing System).
To do so, we went through a lot of study material and practice modules. Consequently, we were both able to clear the IELTS cut-off in the first attempt.
All that was left to do was be thorough with our documentation and planning.
In Oct'2019, we had completed the document submission and now awaited a positive response.
On 22nd Jan 2022, we finally received a request to submit our passport for stamping.
Canada wasn't much far away now, or so we thought.
Moving to Canada Amidst a Pandemic-induced Lockdown
Before the world actually went into lockdown, we received our Visa in mid-February and booked our flight for 1st July 2020.
And then it happened; the lockdown.
We had already resigned from our jobs, and we didn't have any clue as to what to do next.
We'd frequently hear about the negative impacts of the lockdown, the increased layoffs, recessions, the mass increase in covid cases, and we realized that it was definitely a bad time to move to Canada.
However, this was a dream that we had been building up to for a long time now. We corresponded with many people in Toronto, Canada who could relate to our situations.
In the end, we decided to give Canada a shot instead of trying for new opportunities in Mumbai.
We booked the flight for the 27th of June and hoped for the best.
Our families were also very supportive of the decision and encouraged us to follow our dreams.
During the 36-hour flight journey, we had to constantly wear a mask, gloves, and a face shield to avoid contamination.
However, the moment we landed at Toronto Pearson airport, there was a sense of accomplishment, the feeling that you get when you fulfill one of your dearest dreams!
Adjusting to Life in Canada
When we finally arrived, the first step was to go into the 14-day quarantine. We had booked an Airbnb for straight 4 months since we knew accommodation during Covid would not come easy.
The next step was to settle in.
And it was a bit difficult given the vastly different Toronto culture, of finding jobs, networking with professionals from similar backgrounds and contacting recruiters, opening up bank accounts, getting SIM cards, and applying for Social Insurance Number(SIN).
During the lockdown, the world had to rely on digital methods to get things done. And so did we.
We couldn't find Sim cards at the airport, however, we later ordered them online. Even the SIN process could be executed online now.
The next biggest challenge was finding a job in Canada.
I would invest about 10-12 hours per day just looking out for new opportunities.
You should note that the Canadian experience is highly valued here and newcomers who haven't had any Canadian job experience before often face a lot of rejection in the beginning.
Getting that first opportunity is the hardest.
I went through a couple of interviews and in a month and a half, I had bagged an opportunity in the form of a full-time job in accounts and finance.
I had directly applied for the job posting through Linkedin and I was later contacted by the Manager.
I was then called for a second interview at the office, and within 4 days of that interview, I was hired.
Parting Words for Future Immigrants
If you too are thinking of immigrating, right now is a pretty good time.
My first suggestion is, Optimise Linkedin.
It's powerful and you can find many recruiters and good opportunities there. Ensure that you are sending genuine personal invites and not directly asking for a job.
Also, do your research on the job market and prospects beforehand.
Put in the work on your resume. Optimize your cover letter. Be sure that your resume and cover letter highlight your achievements and the results and efficiency that your skills have generated in the past.
The keywords in your resume should match the job description. Focus on making your resume ATS-friendly.
Most importantly, have enough money to cover yourself for at least 6 months before moving out.
You should be open to contract opportunities as well.
Focus on nurturing your skills. For that, you can engage in courses that can strengthen your resume by adding more technical expertise.
Also, work on your soft skills as the interviews here are more behavioral than technical.
Networking too has a very important role to play here.
It is better to network with people at management as they are in a better position to resolve your queries.
Conclusion
Canada is truly a land full of opportunities for those who are willing to go that extra mile.
One just needs to have faith in themselves.
The job situation in Canada is way better right now. They need people to revive their economy, so it is one of the best times for immigrants to move the moment things start off.
I would just say, it's worth packing your bags and moving to this beautiful country that welcomes immigrants.
Self-doubts are obvious, but it is important to hold on to positive stories...in the end, good things happen to good people,
so it is very important to be a good person no matter where you go.
Also read, 10 Famous Indians Who Are Actually Chartered Accountants
This article is brought to you in association with jobaaj.com
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