Moving to Canada Process

Long story short ? For me France and especially Paris is depressing.


it's a multi-sided choice: I never really liked northern Europe, everything is grey (sidewalks, buildings, weather, people). I know it might sound stupid but it really had an impact on my mental health. Plus I need daily social interactions and stupid smiles being randomly exchanged with strangers (ask me how i'm doing during the quarantine).

I never liked what the French call the "Metro, Boulot, Dodo" (Metro, Work, Sleep) lifestyle. When you combine that with the fact that I need space, in the sense that European Cities can be overcrowded with a super high density and no escape escape from it, compare that to Montreal or Beirut where I randomly jump in my car and go on road trips to batroun or faraya to take a breath.

From a university standpoint, Europe has great universities but "compatible" countries that include good universities and possibilities of getting a job aren't that many if you don't speak the language, so there go Spain and Italy.

Montreal, to my surprise, has approximately twice as many sunny days as Paris (yes I googled it). When you combine that with the fact that their lifestyle (culturally wise) and "overall happiness" are closer to what i'm looking for, well it starts to shift the balance. Furthermore the Quebecois government "heavily" subsidise French students, I'll pay exactly as much as a Quebecois resident (even less that a Canadian citizen not residing in Quebec) for an excellent level of teaching and the reputation that goes with it.

As an example, HEC Paris is 70000 euros for an MBA, HEC Montreal is about 7000$ if you're French. Granted it's not as prestigious, but it doesn't justify a 900% increase if you're self financing(for the sake of easiness, i didn't take into consideration the difference in money value).

Add to the fact that you have a better purchasing power in Canada vs France and most European countries, as well as a lower unemployment rate (pre-corona). I could also go into what I see as a better more relaxed work culture / work relationship in Canada than in France, but I might be wrong here since I've never worked in Canada.

Finally, I really enjoyed Montréal and I like an adventure, I believe that as a French-Lebanese I can have an added value compared to locals without being discriminated because I do speak the local language.
In France i'd just be another French, In another European Country i'd be at a disadvantage because i don't speak the local language.

Hope this helps.

I like Europe (generally) and have friends and I like the active lifestyle.

However Montreal seem to offer a better standard of life (especially concerning accommodation) an the professional environment appears to be more forgiving, more chilled, more validating than the one in Europe.

Immigration to Canada is generally easier than Europe. Also USA and South America is more accessible from there.

VincentKeyboard wroteMontreal sounds nice. Do you need a masters degree to land a good job there?

I can tell you that in IT, if you have experience and skills then have a chance, assuming that Covid does not annihilate the economy.

To all those looking for a way to immigrate to Canada, I'll try to answer some questions since I'm going through this process right now. It's extremely competitive right now, and the bar is only going to get higher with time. Might as well pull the trigger on it now while you have a chance.

The ways you can get a PR (permanent residence) in Canada as Lebanese:

1- Marry a Canadian, duh
2- FSWP (federal skilled workers program), which is the express entry route that most people go for
3- Sponsorship by an immediate family member (siblings, children, grandparents or parents) with enough financial means to sustain you

Most of us, including myself have no other choice than #2. Which puts us in a pool with candidates from around the world, where we compete on bi-weekly draws that select an X number of people that score above a certain threshold. That threshold is determined by your score, you can calculate it here. https://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/crs-tool.asp

Generally speaking, if you don't score above 460 then you have no chance of getting your PR (the current cutoff is 468, so 460 is being optimistic too). There are ways to improve that score such as getting higher grades in the language proficiency tests, obtaining a higher degree from outside of canada, obtaining a degree from Canada, getting a job offer from a Canadian employer, getting a PNP (provincial nominee program endorsement)...etc.

Play around with the CRS website that I linked and see what you need to do to get to the desired cutoff score. The score fluctuates with each draw every 2 weeks. But it's only been increasing over the years due to Chinese and Indian applicants getting higher and higher degrees for relatively cheap from their countries.

If you have money stuck in Lebanon, a good way to use it is to invest it in a Canadian degree. CIC (canadian immigration authority) has given international students the greenlight to pursue Canadian degrees online, even from abroad during COVID-19. The previous immigration rules were that at least 50% of your degree needs to be taught in class, but this is a good way to start while the borders open back up.

Furthermore, you're eligible of a PGWP, which is an open work permit after graduation that matches the length of your studies, to a maximum of 3 years. I'm taking the accelerated route and cramming my 2 year program in 1. I don't need the 2 or 3 year PGWP, since the processing time for the PR application is generally 6 months. So the 1 year PGWP I will be given should be good enough, while my PR application gets processed.

Lebanese banks """"should"""" allow you to transfer money abroad for tuition. It might be a major cost, but think of it as an investment in a better life.

I've been in Canada since last July and will hopefully be graduating this August. If you have any questions feel free to ask. Additionally, you can find so many resources online regarding this topic, there's absolutely no need for an immigration "consultant" or maktab, I did it all by myself.

duke-of-bytes wrotecan the skilled visa be earned without a college degree but a lot of certification and work experience?

If you have a job offer for an IT job there then you could qualify for temporary worker (with a limited permit) even if you have no tertiary education degree.

I immigrated to Canada in 2015 and now have citizinship when i applied it was a different process, so cant help much there... but if you guys have like specific questions about life in Canada ( Toronto since i live there), post here and i will try to answer...

Concerning the IELTS exam, what i did and i think worked very well for me is to download and practice/time yourself on previous exams. You can find books or download from the internet (good old way of getting free stuff).