Settlement

I am a newcomer to Canada. When I came here to Canada four years ago, I had no idea about the culture and the province that I was going to. I even couldn’t speak the English language very fluently. All I knew was I was going to work in Saskatchewan. My first day was fine - I was so excited to see what was here in town where I went. My employer had a room to accommodate me, and I was staying with the few Filipino families in the house, but they were too busy with their work, and didn’t have time to do other activities. I didn’t know where to start my plan to do something for myself and to live my life. I didn’t know how to drive, so I couldn’t go anywhere because my town was far from everything: far from the city, malls, grocery store, church and bank - one good side was I was close to my work just one block away from my house. There were few grocery stores and restaurants there, but most of the amenities that I needed I could not find here, or they were too expensive. As a newcomer I couldn’t afford to spend much money as I had just started to work two days after I arrived in town. However, I was still thankful that I came here in Canada as this was a big opportunity for me to start fulfilling my dream. What I did was to talk to my boss how to start my papers to get my permanent residence, then gather information from my fellow Filipino co-workers who came one year ahead of me and were still waiting for their papers. I was grateful to them because they taught me where to start and the step by step procedure on how to apply for the permanent residence. They recommended to do the papers myself online rather than going to a consultant whose services can cost too much money. They helped me to get all the required documents such as the health card, SIN number and other forms. As years went by, I encountered many obstacles in my journey, but I persevered.

Now looking back at my experience, I would recommend newcomers the following crucial tip: go to a Newcomers’ settlement centre nearby. There, newcomers are guided on what they are looking for: low rental house to live, school for their children, job opportunities, low cost recreation for family, discounts on getting the driver’s license, child care subsidy, free Language Instruction for Newcomers in Canada and many more other programs that will be needed to start their journey. All those programs are useful tools to move forward in our journey of life here in Canada.