I want to go to Canada now!

Ana Lucero's story and her family life in Canada

From the series: Immiland - Life Project

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Being ready to move to Canada is key, everything happens faster than expected, things flow well, even in the worst case scenario, then, deciding to move and arriving successfully are given almost immediately as a gift from God, this was the case of Ana Lucero, a Mexican client who applied for her visa with Immiland Canada and one day like any other she received a message that changed her life with her family.

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Today we have the pleasure of publishing her story in one more case of the series: Immiland - Life Project of our blog about immigration to Canada. Join me to read her journey of fears, disappointments and surprising happiness. Let's get started!

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Living in fear in our own country

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"Hello everyone! My name is Ana Lucero Medina Peraza and this is my family story heading to Canada."

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Before the pandemic I lived in Guadalajara, Mexico. By then, my two children were in kindergarten, I had my dental office and my husband, Rigo, had his restaurant. Let's say that everything was "fine", until one day I said: no more, no more fear of going out with the children, no more fear of going out at night, no more fear of being asked for "piso" (an illegal fee charged by drug traffickers to merchants in exchange for protection) in our businesses. 

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"The reality is that we were fed up with classism and racism among our own countrymen, that the color of our skin or something as superfluous as the car we drove was what defined us as human beings, even that the brand of a pair of shoes was more important than our own values."

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I already had experience of what it was like to live abroad and I knew that there was a better quality of life outside my country, so one day I told Rigo: I want to go to Canada now! He happily turned to me and said: "let's go!" and from that moment on our journey began.

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Emigrating under adverse conditions

"The first task we did was to research how to start the travel process and we understood that the best thing to do things correctly was to have an immigration appointment with experts in the field. In our search, we reached out to a first law firm and also explored information on requirements and such on the Canadian government website and focused on watching videos on immigration to Canada."

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It was shocking for us to find out how much money we had to prove, to put it jokingly: we almost had a mini heart attack, but nothing stopped us, so we started a savings plan to raise the money and began the process, this time with the help of a second firm, which was Immiland Canada.

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"In the course of our migratory process, the COVID-19 pandemic started, however, even though things got complicated, you could say that everything flowed. In our case, we had to go to Guatemala for biometrics, in addition to traveling to another state in Mexico to get the COVID vaccine, among other tasks. Finally, we compiled all the documentation and sent it to the Immiland team and now all we had to do was wait.... I was just thinking: as always, Canada is teaching us what it means to be patient!

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The most awaited e-mail!

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"One day of routine errands on the way to the Costco store, while the kids were on their usual school day, while Rigo was driving down the road with me, we got nothing more and nothing less than an e-mail from Immiland! It was from Eddy Ramirez, Canadian lawyer and CEO of Immiland, and it began, "Congratulations...!". Reading this word and Rigo stopping at the first space he saw free were two things together."

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We couldn't stop crying with excitement because we knew that from that moment on our lives would change for the better, although we also knew that it wasn't going to be easy. Even though it was a time of pandemic, we went ahead, sold everything and packed up!

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From Guadalajara to Hamilton

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"In August 2021, we arrived in Canada. As I told you, it was pandemic times, so our children had to quarantine. A month later, just in September, I started my studies at Mohawk College, a public institution of higher education, located in the beautiful city of Hamilton, in the province of Ontario."

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As for settling in Canada, we spent a month renting an Airbnb while we got a family home and everything else that is required in this type of errands. After that time, we got a beautiful basement where we lived for two years. Luckily, the one we got had three bedrooms and two bathrooms for our comfort, and it was a few blocks from Mohawk College. 

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A basement is a basement that fits in many Canadian homes and is a very good option for medium or large families like Ana Lucero's. There are many opportunities to rent near educational institutions.  

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Immiland has family housing services, residence halls and the best thing is that with the Mohawk and other colleges we have discounts and benefits in your registration .

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"Despite the pandemic, everything went very fast and positive for us, even, within a week, Rigo bought a car and processed the driver's license and, something essential that every newcomer to Canada must do: manage the SIN Number or Social Security Number, as this is a document that allows you to work legally in the country. Also, we followed other Immiland's guidelines and opened a bank account, and more basic errands to establish a good family economy in the new country."

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As if all this was not enough, the second week after arriving, Rigo got a job and it is, in fact, the same job he still has today. As I told you above, I started my higher education a month after arriving in Ontario and I am still preparing myself at this college in the attractive city of Hamilton. 

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After graduation the good stuff starts!

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"My last two semesters in college I paid for by working in the summer as a nanny, fortunately, my mother visited during this time and helped me with my own childcare while I studied and worked. Finally, I graduated and the good stuff started...job hunting!"

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By then, I would get together with a friend who was on the same search as me, we would make a fresh pot of coffee, fire up our respective laptops and spend hours and hours applying to jobs, tweaking resumes, customizing cover letters and contacting people in the professional environment through LinkedIn."

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Ana Lucero and her friend did the most recommended thing when you want to find a job in Canada, that is, literally, prepare with your entire professional portfolio, dedicate yourself to look for the job offer and other key steps. 

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Be ready for the interview

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"In less than a month, I had been called in for an interview! Although it was online and lasted an hour, I had set aside quality time, prepared the physical space with good lighting and WI-FI connection. I had already done the study recommended by Immiland to get to know the company, the products they handled, among other important aspects. The best thing was what happened the following day because..."

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They called me to schedule an in-person interview in Mississauga! This time it would last three hours and I would talk to three people, including the CEO of the company. I also took care of preparing my personal image and, almost literally, I ran out to buy an outfit for the occasion, I started to study more about what I was going to answer and I was confident that everything would go well. 

The day of the interview came, I was on time and, at the end of the interview, the HR person asked me if I could show up the next day!"

I was so happy that the CEO hadn't even arrived when I had already said yes. The most incredible thing is that it was the same day of my graduation; the company suggested that the meeting be online, but I chose to show up in person and then leave with Rigo immediately for my graduation ceremony. I still didn't know whether or not I was still on the job, so the weekend was a lot of uncertainty for us."

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One NOC/TEER 2 position

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"You have no idea how you are changing my life," is how I responded to my now manager when he welcomed me to the team. I thanked him and I felt (and feel) very fortunate."

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In Canada, it is common to talk about jobs with a NOC/TEER 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 on the Occupational Classification Scale (CSR), according to the level of education, training and experience required and the complexity of the responsibilities, Ana Lucero already had previous studies and work experience in her field because in Mexico she had her own dental office, in addition, she continued with the logical thread of her career at Mohawk College so she managed to get hired in a position rated NOC/TEER 2. Here is a chart describing her level of job readiness as required by IRCC.  

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TEER 2

Occupations that generally require

• A university degree
• apprenticeship training of 2 or more years, or
• supervisory occupations

Computer network and web technicians

Medical Laboratory Technologists

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/eligibility/find-national-occupation-code.html

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"I have been working in the lab for a year now as Pharmaceutical Sales Representative having as my assigned territory from Hamilton to Niagara. It's a privileged place, you don't suffer with traffic and the doctors are very friendly. Thanks to everyone who supported our dream!".  

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Ana Lucero Medina Peraza

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So far we share this testimony. Thank you for reading it to the end. If you would like to know more about our immigration services for Canada, you can write to us at info@immilandcanada.com.

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For an educational consultation, you can make an appointment here.

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With love,

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Immiland Canada Education