Journalist Kaberi Dutta Chatterjee draws on 12 years as an immigrant in Canada to expose systemic gaps newcomers face: unclear guidance on housing, jobs, and services, plus predatory agencies. She's launching a panel series with recent immigrants, professionals like dancers and chefs, and experts to share practical advice on finding work and avoiding scams.
Chapters
This is a gift from my son on my birthday, and at this age I am learning a new guitar. So I am new learning a new instrument, stringed instrument, because it was it had been one of my bucket lists to learn a new instrument. So guys, how are you doing? So I've been it's been a long time since we've met, and I've been busy. So you've been busy too, but I guess we. can catch up sometimes for a lot of chat, chat, and knowing a little bit of Kanda. So you can see the weather, it's fantastic, it's sunny and it's beautiful, and I have sunshine on my shoulders, which makes me happy. Lots of things going on over here, and— but I'd like to talk to you about something very important. I've been receiving a lot of emails from you about coming here, as usual, about coming to Canada, immigrating to Canada. There's one A very important thing I would like to tell you is that since I am a journalist and I cannot ever be ever stopped being a journalist, and there are several things that new immigrants or immigrants who want to come to Canada or people want to know about how to get a job here, what to do in Canada, so how to lead a life of happiness the way I am portraying to you. This has this happiness has come to me after years of years of struggle and years of like personal. Perceiving this country, you know, understanding this country, what this country wants. So it doesn't happen in a day. So I would like to give you the advice of how to make it happen in a shorter period. Like we've been here for almost 12 years now. So you might want to do it in 2 years' time, in 3 years' time, whatever. So it it would be a shorter time for you to do this. I mean, you would take a shorter time, and for that I'm starting a segment which is a new segment. Which is a kind of a panel discussion segment. So we are inviting people who are new immigrants and who are struggling to get a job in this country, or immigrants who've got a job in their own fields, to share their experiences, and which will be helpful to new immigrants or prospective immigrants who want to come to Canada. So this will be reaching out to them because, as you know, you are given immigration on the basis of your experience and knowledge. And experience and your education. So definitely you should be able to get a job in your field the moment you come to Canada, which doesn't happen. So we need to know what it— what are the criteria and what are the parameters that you need to come to Canada and get your— get a job in your own field. In fact, the moment I remember when I landed in Canada, It was 12 years back. I landed with my son and all I was handed at the airport was a portly, it was a sack or bag full of information of how to open your own bank account and how to start your— how to get your health card and child support. And they do not say anything about housing. Where do you want to live? What kind of locality? What are the localities you like to live? In fact, and also nothing about jobs, like where you going to apply for a job? What are the right sources? Where— which are the right websites you can go on? You know, there are millions of websites, and which one will you go on to get the right kind of job instead of going in circles and circles? So this— I'm going to use this platform which has over 11,600 subscribers, and I would like you to call out to you to be able to share this subscribe to my channel and hit the notification bell because at the end of this summer, very soon, we're going to have a panel discussion. So I'm bringing along my friends and people I know who are new migrants and who would like to participate in a discussion. And we're going to have a panel discussion and we're going to discuss, and it's going to be long discussion so that, you know, you guys know exactly what you need to know because I do not have all the knowledge in the world. So a lot of people can, and there will be some experts also who we are trying to contact, and the experts will give you the exact what you need to come to be able to come and settle in Canada. So it's like, in fact, like I was saying, when I landed in Canada, I didn't even know for a very long time which city I was living in. I thought I was in Toronto, but after, it's almost after 6 months, I came to know that no, I'm not living in Toronto. Toronto is not part of my address. Like, I'm living in another city, like, which Toronto is the airport for that city, you know. Toronto is surrounded by several small towns, so I'm living in one of those small towns. I didn't even know I was living in a small town, so I thought I was in Toronto, part of Toronto. So nobody gives you those advice, nothing. Nobody reaches out to you, really sits down and tells you, okay, you You buy from this shop and don't go to that shop. You know, this this shop sells this. This is the price you should be paying for every small small detail. So I'm going to plan. I'm planning to take everything up on my channel and we're going to start a series called I haven't named it as yet. So you can guys can suggest some name if you want to. So we will do that series and I I expect to give all answers to all your questions because I've been getting so many emails and it's not possible. To answer every one of them. Like the other day, I got an email from somebody who says that he's, he's a dropout, undergraduate dropout in India itself. So does he have any chance in standing in Canada? That's so— he's in a family business and he's an undergraduate. Okay, so I don't want to give you false hope, neither do I want to tell you that no, you cannot apply. You can apply through such other means other than, you know, there are a lot of other ways to apply in Canada. So I am not the expert, so I will be calling in experts and we will have a panel discussion. We'll be using this platform to reach out to you and to give you everything. I'm so glad that you guys have been following me, following my videos, and I want to make this channel more useful, not just showing you around and giving you glimpses of Canada life, but make it more useful so that you You feel, uh, you, you, if you want to come to Canada, you feel there's a— you can, you will be able to do it, you know. So that is what the main thing is. Another person is a dancer and she wants to be a Kathak dancer. I am— I was a Kathak dancer. So she reached out to me, she said, I want to start teaching Kathak dances over here. Definitely you can. There are several people who made a huge name for themselves themselves in Kathak dance. I have not. I have tried, I had tried once, but I did not. So that's so, it's not that you cannot, but first of all, you have to come here. You have to be approved for immigration, and for that there is a process. There is, there are some parameters which you have to follow. So I'm getting several requests, several types, different types of requests. So I think I need. I will not be able to handle this all by myself. So I'm calling in some experts. I'm calling in people who have migrated, who are dancers or probably who are chefs. How did how did they come? Yeah. So they they will be sharing their secrets with you. So I'm sure it's going to be a very interesting platform and definitely we will be premiering on a particular day. I will tell you. I'll let you know. The premiere is probably going to be. I haven't. Selected the days and date as yes. Sorry, honestly speaking. So keep watching, okay? And it will be premiered, and the moment it will be premiered, you'll get a notification bell. And please, please ring the— ring that bell so that you get the notification. You can watch it live and you can interact with us live, you know. We'll also be on Facebook Live and YouTube Live, so just keep a watch. Just keep the notification on so that, you know, you can reach me. And in that panel discussion, whenever you ask, you can ask direct questions and the experts will be able to answer you directly, you know. So I just hope I can— I'm trying my level best to help you guys and to reach out to so many people because there'll be so many, uh, like, uh, sham agencies who are taking hundreds and thousands or lakhs of rupees from you, and, uh, not— they're not treating you well, they're not guiding you in the right direction. So I seriously want to just eliminate that part. And if you can follow my videos, I'm going to make this into a platform of, uh, information platform, and I'm going to call in people who will be able to— with whom we can share the information. So this Will soon turn into an information platform, and I just want you guys to be able to get a lot of information. Keep asking questions, keep subscribing, and write in the comments whatever questions you want to be asked on that particular day. So this will be very soon, in a week or two. We are trying to gather the people; that's it. So it will be in a week or two. I hope you enjoyed my video, and like, subscribe, and share as much as you can. Have a good day from Canada. Bye bye.
