Navigating Canada

It's been more than a year since Jane moved from Montreal to New York for work. In this episode, she tells Halima about how her experiences in Canada prepared her for the big move, the challenges she's faced since moving to another new country, and what she's enjoying about living in the Big Apple.

Jane talks to Kemi Oyegunle, who moved to Quebec in 2018, with his wife and three children. He shares some of the challenges of immigrating to Canada as a skilled worker -- and the mentorship opportunity that helped him find rewarding employment.

Here's a link to more information about employment assistance programs in Quebec: https://www.quebec.ca/en/employment/job-search-tips/employment-assistance

Janet talks to two of her friends — Fatima Okunola and Elisa George — about having to learn French and pass a French language exam, to apply for permanent residency in Quebec. They also delve into some of their experiences as English-speaking immigrants living in Montreal.

We're releasing this episode just a few days after Quebec passed Bill 96 into law. Here are some articles that explain what the Bill is and the concerns it is raising for non-French speaking communities:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/bill-96-explained-1.6460764

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/immigration-impact-bill-96-1.6465770

Happy 2022! In this episode, Janet talks to Nina Barango and Watson Ogoriba about the good and not-so-great experiences they've had with dating as immigrants in Canada. They also drop some tips on where to meet and connect with prospective daters.

Nina is the founder of SoPlugged, an online directory for Black businesses: https://www.soplugged.com/

A few resources for people interested in therapy:

-https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca

-https://www.betterhelp.com/

-Find out if your company has an Employee Assistance Program that offers short or long-term therapy/counselling sessions.

Jane and Halima look back on the triumphs and challenges of 2021. They also discuss the lessons they are taking into the new year.

This year, our episode with recruiter Rebecca Lee was featured in CIC News: https://www.cicnews.com/2021/02/how-to-get-a-job-in-canada-as-a-newcomer-0217228.html#gs.k5z69n

We also got a shoutout in Franklin H. Ezenwa's new book, "Crack The Dream Job Code: How To Land Your Dream Job In Canada As An Immigrant”. More details about the book here: https://allroundachievers.com/

We talk to Adrian Rojo de la Vega about moving to Canada from Mexico and raising three daughters in a new country.

Halima and Jane reflect on the first anniversary of the Navigating Canada podcast. They also check in with some of the international students who shared their concerns about the pandemic in the first episode of the podcast

We talk to two people who moved to Canada less than a decade ago about how they learned to save and invest in a new country.

Halima and Jane reflect on the previous year, and talk about their personal plans for 2021.

From the unforgiving cold to dealing with loneliness, we discuss some of the things we wish we knew before making the big move to Canada.