Finding Your Way As An Immigrant in Canada feat. Ana Canseco

Speaker A: 00:00:00

I learned the hard way that immigration humbles you whether you want it or not. I was just, I just graduated and I was too proud to realize that I would have to go back to school. I refused.

I was like, no, I just graduated, I'm a lawyer and you want me to go back to school just to have the same degree? Because I wouldn't be, it wouldn't be a master's. I would have to basically the same thing to be all year here in Canada.

And I was, I was too proud to do that. Which is a big mistake, right? Because I eventually had to do it anyways. I just did it ten years too late.

Speaker B: 00:00:46

Hi, I'm Aaron. Welcome to the CELPIP Success Podcast.

This is the podcast where motivated English learners just like you learn how to speak English fearlessly and learn practical tips and strategies to conquer the CELPIP exam. I am excited to introduce you to Ana Canseco, a regulated immigration consultant.

Ana immigrated to Canada nearly 23 years ago, wide eyed, hopeful and completely unprepared for the emotional roller coaster that lay ahead.

Through that journey, she came to deeply understand the strength it takes to start over in a new country and how for many a immigration is a calling that's hard to explain, but impossible to ignore. Today, Ana, as I said before, is a regulated immigration consultant and the founder of Morehouse Immigration Solutions.

She strives to help her clients be better prepared, not just on paper, but emotionally and mentally, for the realities of life in a new country. Ana holds a law degree from Mexico and a graduate diploma in immigration and citizenship law from Queen's University.

Her professional path has included everything from telemarketing and ocean import operations to translation immigration, and her most demanding role yet, VP of multitasking, crisis management and after school transportation services, AKA housewife and mother. And I totally relate with that last job description. Not the mother part, but as the father. Absolutely. And Ana, welcome to the podcast.

Speaker A: 00:02:26

Thank you so much for having me. Thank you so much. I'm so happy to be here.

Speaker B: 00:02:31

I'm glad you are here too.

So I was thinking, and I can't remember how exactly I found it, but the way you and I got connected was through a post you wrote on LinkedIn and you were writing about emotional versus practical readiness to immigrate to Canada. And that really resonated with me because I rarely see people talking about both things.

And I immediately knew that I wanted to reach out and connect with you about it for an interview. And that's kind of what we're going to be beginning our Chat with today is.

So would you mind taking just a few minutes to talk us through what emotional and practical readiness is when it comes to immigrating?

Speaker A: 00:03:14

Sure. Well, I think we. Well, here's the thing. When I, when I posted that, I think you commented on some friends that had to.

You know, a lot of people go through this where they come here and they have to do odd jobs that would usually represent like a very steep downgrade from what they were doing back home or from what they were expecting to do when they came here. Now this is something that I too experienced when I first came here.

Now when I came here back in: 2003

So I didn't have all that uncertainty of, you know, temporary residence and not knowing what the next step was. So I was, I was prepared on that aspect, like paper wise, but I was not emotionally prepared for what really meant to start over.

Speaker B: 00:04:20

Yeah.

Speaker A: 00:04:20

And I don't think a lot of people understand that starting like immigrating to a new country, you Rarely start from zero.

You, most people start from minus 10, minus 15, with like zero connections, zero networking, just this naive idea of what, what your life is going to be like.

So when you come here and you get confronted with reality, then it's very hard to go through those, through those first few years and full disclosure, I was not prepared. I was not strong enough. It almost broke us and we did go back. So I was not able to, to work through those first few hard years.

So when we eventually did come back, that's what I found out I wanted to do. I wanted to help people, maybe avoid some of those hardships. I won't be, I mean, I can't fix people's lives.

I wish I could, but at least, and that's something that I do a lot with my clients, I try to make them aware that it's things are not going to be easy. But there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Speaker B: 00:05:32

Yeah, for sure.

That's really interesting that you kind of had the practical side of things already set up in that you mentioned that you came already with PR status. Did I understand that correctly?

Speaker A: 00:05:47

,: 2003

I was a newlywed and my husband and I landed as permanent residents already. So we had everything done. But I, I was very young I was very much in love and very naive.

I'm still very much in love, but I think maybe not that naive now. But, but here's the deal. I, I was just, I just finished university.

So in my mind, and I finished my law degree from one of the, my opinions, my opinion, one of the best universities in Mexico. So I had this idea of what my life would look like in Montreal. That's where I landed. And he had no, the reality was not like that.

And that's why I wanted, that's why I mentioned my, you know, my background. My first job was as a telemarketer and that was a really big hit. It was, it was really hard and that, and we were just very lonely.

Which is also another thing that people need to understand. There's no way you can get around being homesick. You will miss your people, your, you know, your family.

So there's only one way to get through it and it's understanding that it will happen and acknowledge that it's up to you to do something about it. And it's really hard. You need to be out there, you need to connect, you need to network and it's so hard to do it, but there's no way around it.

You need to put yourself out there.

Speaker B: 00:07:32

Absolutely.

Speaker A: 00:07:33

And make those connections.

Speaker B: 00:07:34

Yeah, that's really tough. I mean, you're already making the massive step of moving to a new country and you think, oh, that's all I need to do is just get here.

Obviously I'm being very simplistic, but there's just a whole Pandora's box of things that opens up as soon as you land. Right. And yeah, you, you are starting to dig into those.

So I'm going to try to backtrack and uncover and go a little bit deeper on those points because I think they're really valuable. And like, when you came, what was your, your plan? You know, what did you think was going to happen when you arrived?

But first of all, what, what was your, your degree in? Or, or you're, you, you were in immigration law?

Speaker A: 00:08:15

No, I'm a lawyer. Well, I, I, I trained like a lawyer. I, I'm a lawyer from, in Mexico.

I finished my, my law degree in Mexico, but I met my husband halfway through my university.

Speaker B: 00:08:29

Right.

Speaker A: 00:08:30

So. And we had a long distance relationship. So. And he always wanted to live abroad and we met outside of Mexico, which is where we're both from.

So this one day he just said, you know what, what if we move? Like he's always wanted to live abroad. Let's move to Canada. And he was very excited. And I'm like, I'll follow you anywhere.

So, yeah, exactly like that. And he started talking like, yeah, there's this program when we can move to Quebec. And. And I'm like, wait, hold on.

Like, yes, I'll move with you, but I need to get married. Like, I'm very old fashioned that way. So anyways, I finished my university degree. My graduation was December 19th.

We got married December 21st and we landed in Canada February 18th. So it was very fast. It was very fast. But by the time we landed, we were already permanent residents. So we did everything beforehand.

But it was, I think it was.

Well, it was definitely before the Internet because I actually did my immigration forms like by hand and a family member had to type the immigration forms for me. So yeah, back in the Ice Age, I guess.

Speaker B: 00:09:47

Yeah, the Ice age.

Speaker A: 00:09:50

But we had this idea of what our life would be like.

And I guess a lot of people come with this misconception that since they ask for a certain work experience or professional profile in your home country, then that means that once you come here, you're going to have a similar occupation or, you know, job. And we got hit with the reality that that's not the case, that you need Canadian experience, you need, you need to know people.

No one's going to open up those doors for you if you don't. If you don't knock them down. Right? So. And it also came with a lot of hardship because we were lucky enough that we never, we come from.

I've never experienced lack or wanting anything, so I didn't run away from anything. So the, the fact that I was here because I wanted to.

So when you turn back and you start comparing yourself to what everyone back home is doing, and then you start thinking the grass is always greener on the other side. So.

And then, so it was very, very hard just being faced with the realities of being an immigrant and having zero Canadian experience, zero contact, knowing absolutely no one. It was really hard. And I can also now again, I've been lucky enough. I don't even remember when I first started speaking English. I've.

I'm from the north of Mexico, so a lot of people speak English from a young age. But I did land in Quebec and I didn't speak French.

So I know how hard and frustrating it is that you cannot find a decent job because you don't speak. I want to say a bad word, but I'm going to hold my tongue.

You don't speak the, the less language so, So I can, I can, I can understand where your audience is coming from too. Now. I was less enough that as I could just take a car, drive a few hours, and I would be in Ontario where no one cared if I spoke French or not.

So, yeah, I, I took the easy way out, which is not something that most people can do here with English. Right. So, yeah.

Speaker B: 00:12:25

So would you say that, that you mentioned, like, the lack of Canadian work experience and also the French part? Would you say that was kind of what was holding you back from practice?

I'm imagining you were imagining that you were going to use your law degree in some way. Was that what you were hoping to do?

Speaker A: 00:12:46

That and yes, that and the fact that I was. This is kind of like a therapy session. I was too proud to go back to school again.

I learned the hard way that immigration humbles you whether you want it or not. I just graduated and I was too proud to realize that I would have to go back to school. I. I refused. I was like, no, I just graduated.

I'm a lawyer, and you want me to go back to school just to have the same degree? Because I, I wouldn't be. It wouldn't be a master's. I would have to. Basically the same thing to be all, you're here in Canada.

And I was, I was too proud to do that. Which is a big mistake. Right. Because I eventually had to do it anyways. I just did it 10 years too late because I did it once.

Once I learned the lesson and once I. I grew up. Yeah.

Speaker B: 00:13:42

Yeah. That's such a hard thing to. It's a hard pill to swallow, as that saying goes, you know, to have to start all over again. And I remember that phrase.

You said that immigration humbles you. I remember reading that in your post and thinking, yeah, it sure does.

And I think I shared in the post that, I mean, we have some very good dear friends who have had to start all over again, even though they came. They came to this country with high training and expertise from their home country. But here they.

Sadly, I don't agree with it, but they had to do it all over again. It's so. It's such a.

Speaker A: 00:14:22

It's very. It humbles you Again, it's very complicated. It's a lot of politics.

A lot of things around it in some provinces are starting to do something to make it easier, for example, for health workers. And, And I agree, but there's still a lot of work left to be done.

But, yeah, because when we don't really take advantage of all of what immigrants have to offer. It's all of us who suffer. It's not only the immigrants. Right. It's absolutely all of Canadian society. Yeah.

Speaker B: 00:14:59

oved back from Mexico back in: 2015

And, I mean, I lived in Mexico City for 16 years. That's where I met my wife, and that's where we got married, and we built a large part of our life together.

en when we moved back here in: 2015

My father and my brother and his family. And even that kind of didn't pan out the way we thought it would because we were. Ended up having to live almost two hours away from them.

You know, so we did face that black hole of not knowing a soul and, you know, and just feeling.

Speaker A: 00:16:01

Gonna make me cry.

Speaker B: 00:16:02

Oh, no, don't cry.

Speaker A: 00:16:03

Yes. Because you know what? There's this. There's this book by. I love it. I keep quoting books because I am. Anyways, I'm crazy about this droopy cow.

There's this book, and I think I also. I also posted something on LinkedIn where it says the weird thing or the. The irony of loneliness is that we all feel it at the same time.

And what you just said about having only five suitcases to your name, I felt so heavy because I've had to do that twice. Right. When I first moved with my. With my husband, it was. But I was all full of hope and newlywed, and it was fine.

It was just starting my life, and it was just us and two suitcases. One suitcase each. But then I had to do it again with now my two children at that time, and I made them put their whole lives in one suitcase.

And it was really hard. And you thought. And I have always thought that I was like, the only one that lived through that, but it's weird because.

No, a lot of people go through that. Right. And me living in immigration, I know that a lot of people go through that, but it's.

I don't know, just hearing someone else say the same experience. Yeah.

Speaker B: 00:17:12

You know, a funny, funny story, when we. When we. We first landed in. In California for like a week or so because we wanted to spend some time in. Went to. I always mix it up.

Is it Disneyland or Disney World, something like that? The one that's in Disney in down there Disneyland, I think. I think so.

We had gone through such a rough experience just to get everything sold in Mexico and to move that.

We just thought, you know, we'll take a little bit of the, the money that we got from, you know, selling our, our home and we'll, we'll just spend a couple of days here in Disney because, you know, just to give the kids a break, they were really small at that time, like seven. And I don't know how well done. Don't do public math. It just doesn't do well. But they were young. But I remember the mess up.

Speaker A: 00:18:01

Don't worry.

Speaker B: 00:18:03

When we arrived, we had to walk from the bus terminal to somewhere and we were just walking along the street with our suitcases and some kind soul walked up to us and gave us. It was a, a coupon for Subway. Like it was like probably around $50.

And they must have thought we were, I mean, thought that we were what we looked like, that we were just homeless, you know, walking the streets without anywhere to go. And we did have a hotel to go to, which is where we were heading to, I think. But some.

I thank God for this person because they, they made our day kind of. But also at the same time I was just like, oh gee, this is what we, we look like, is it?

Speaker A: 00:18:46

People look at us.

Speaker B: 00:18:47

Yeah, it was, that was special. I mean, we got, we got blessed with a meal thanks to someone Kind person. I don't know who they are, but maybe someday I'll be able to thank them.

But that was just so, so funny that you just made me think of it. Yeah.

Speaker A: 00:19:04

And, and to that point, and I, God, I am quite literally crying.

Speaker B: 00:19:10

Sorry about that.

Speaker A: 00:19:12

To that point. It's something that I have lived through as an immigrant myself and I am sure you have while you were living in Mexico too.

There's this saying in Spanish kind of goes like, God does not blink. And I have experienced it. Like there's always. You might feel lonely. Because I have felt very lonely.

For example, there was this one time we were still in, we were in Ontario by, by that time. So we, we stayed in Montreal for like a year. I. It was very depressing working as a telemarketer because FYI, it's, it's very depressing.

Like people yell at you all the time. I was, I had that job because I couldn't get another one because I didn't speak French anyways. So yeah, we moved out of Quebec.

But my husband was working very far away from where I lived and I had to take the 401 to go to my job where I was working at Ocean Imports. And there was this snowstorm and I couldn't drive anymore. So I was stuck by myself in my car because I just. I had a small car I couldn't drive.

And this random old guy, just like the kindest guy, just stopped for me and drove me home. Wow. And I never saw him again. So I.

And I was crying because I was like, if I were in Mexico, I would have called my dad, my brother in law, or any random friend and they would have come and picked me up. But my husband couldn't pick me up. He was like hours away. It was in the middle of a snowstorm and still God never blinks. Like there was.

There was someone there. And I've had things like that happen to me just sprinkled over the whole living abroad experience. So. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker B: 00:21:15

Oh gosh, us too. We could probably do a whole podcast about those things.

Speaker A: 00:21:20

Yeah, that's. Yeah, we could have another whole other conversation on that topic too.

Speaker B: 00:21:24

And it might be very encouraging for someone who's listening, who's going through a rough patch, that's for sure.

Speaker A: 00:21:29

I hope so, because it is. It is very hard and there's no. There's no magic pill. There's no way to get around it.

It is hard and you are going to get lonely and you are going to miss being with your parents and your family and. But there's also beauty in it. There's an and. When I, like right now, I do not know why.

As soon as we went back to Mexico, as soon as I landed and I had a very beautiful 10 years in Mexico, I was very blessed, I was very happy. But my heart was always set on coming back. I love life here with all of its hardship, with being by ourselves, with being alone, with.

With the weather, with having to shovel nine months a year or. I love it. Some people are just called to other lands. I don't know why I. I don't know why I.

If you have any insight as to why some people just love the heart life, I would love to know because I have a lot of people who just ask me, what are you doing there? Yeah, my heart is full here. Even with all of the hardship, My heart is full. Yeah, I've got the maple leaf just tattooed in my heart.

Speaker B: 00:22:47

Yeah, my wife says I've got Mexico City tattooed in my heart.

Speaker A: 00:22:59

Well, I've got both. Our lady of Guadalupe and the tattoo, the maple leaf. They're together side by side. Yeah.

Speaker B: 00:23:10

So how did you start making those connections to build out your social friendships to help you get out of that loneliness? Was it a long process for you or how did that work?

Speaker A: 00:23:26

It was a very long and very hard process. It took a lot of forcing myself to get out of my comfort zone and do what you're afraid to do. There is, again, there is no magic pill.

And I think there's also something to say to all those youngsters out there. Things don't get easy when you get older. You're still afraid. Yeah, you're still going to be afraid to start.

It's like starting a new class or starting, like, what am I going to do after high school? You're still going to be unsure the rest of your life.

So it's just about taking the leap of faith, I guess, and knowing what's the next step and being brave enough to do it. But again, God does not leave you alone.

So I found this amazing, like, group of people that help you build your own, like, yeah, network of professionals.

Her name is Olena Weber and she helped me figure out exactly how to reach out to people and started my presence online, either on LinkedIn or YouTube or TikTok. And, yeah, that's. That's what's helped me on the professional side. On the personal side, kids also help you because you have to get out there.

Like, you have to drive them. You have. So that's also part of networking and connecting, connecting with other people. Right. So.

But yeah, it's also all about getting out of your comfort zone and, yeah, just forcing yourself to do it because, yeah, it's. It's not easy. It's never easy.

Speaker B: 00:25:20

So we're kind of already talking about this, but you made a point in your post.

And by the way, I didn't mention this before, but I'll be linking to your post in my show notes today if someone would like to read it, and I highly suggest you do. But you make the point of letting go of how things should be in order to be constantly learning.

And we've kind of been talking about this a little bit and the fact that you had to kind of let go in a way of your law degree and, and start over again here with retraining or doing something that you've already done, but locally. And I was wondering if you could share a little bit more about what you think about letting go of how things should be.

Speaker A: 00:26:09

Again, it goes back to exactly that. Like, when I first Came here, I had this expectation of what I wanted my life to look like.

And when I was faced with the idea that, no, it's not going to be like that, you need to take these steps, they didn't align with what I had in mind. So I resisted.

And I think this is also a lesson that I've learned through some pain, mostly through motherhood, because I think it's something that we do a lot of with our kids. We have kids and we have this expectation of what their life is supposed to look like.

And it's a lot of work to accept that they have their own life and that we are just there to support them. And whatever they choose might not be what we expect of them. I think it's all encompassing, this letting go of expectations.

And again, in the professional side, I had to go back to school. There was no way around it. If I wanted to do something that would fulfill me professionally and personally, I had to go back to school.

I decided to work in immigration because for me first, it was so. It's kind of like a me approach at first. Like I wanted to do something that was somehow related to what I had studied back home.

And this was something that I had done before. I did my own process when we first came here. So it kind of helped me to be somehow connected to what I had studied back home.

But then I also thought, and this was kind of my thought process was that it would help me, like, play a part into building Canada as a whole or like Canadian society, you know, like helping people come here, helping people who will eventually become my neighbors. So that was like my first approach. But then again, growth, you. You grow. It's just. Life is just amazing.

It's just all about growing and learning and evolving. Then I had this amazing opportunity that I am not sure if you can get anywhere else in this world.

At least I know that in Mexico it's almost impossible to start a new career at 40 plus with serial experience. Yeah, I am not sure you can do that in any other country but Canada.

So when I was around 40, so about 40, about four or five years ago, I had the amazing opportunity to actually start working as an immigration assistant before I finished my degree at Queen's. And I would be forever grateful to. It was at Vermex with Peter Verez and Miriam Ortega. I'm very well grateful.

And it was my first direct contact with people, with clients, and actually working in immigration. And I remember this one day, it was like a very long day and I was super tired at the end.

But when I went back up, because my office is in my basement. So when the day finished and I went back up, I was super tired, exhausted. But I felt fulfilled. I felt happy. I felt like my. My work mattered.

I had made an impact on someone's life. So then my. My. My why. My. The. Yeah, the reason why I'm in this completely shifted. I. I felt. You know how some.

Sometimes people say that, like, we are on this earth to be happy. Like, that's the meaning of life, is to be happy.

Speaker B: 00:30:05

Yeah.

Speaker A: 00:30:05

I've heard a lot of people say that. I've always thought, like, I had this, like, up here in my head, like, no, we're here to be of service.

Speaker B: 00:30:14

Yeah.

Speaker A: 00:30:14

But I've never really felt that until I was actually of service to someone, so. So that's the epiphany that I had when I was like, I can't cook. I can't heal sick people. I can't console people when they're sad or when they're.

Yeah, but this I can do. I can help people with their immigration process. And this makes a difference in their lives. Big difference for me now.

It's the only way I can be of service. And that's all I want. That's. That's why I'm here. So it's. It's been changing. It started as a. The why was just because I.

I wanted for me, but now it's like, yes, it's still for me, but I. It's just, I just want to be of service, and that's all I can do. I don't. Those are the gifts that I have. And. Yeah, that's my why.

Speaker B: 00:31:25

In your post, one of the things that really stood out to me was you wrote that having a work and study plan that's in alignment with an immigration pathway is really important.

And I was just thinking to myself, I had never thought of paperwork as being a strategy, but the way you presented it in your post, it was like, wow, I never looked at it that way. I just always thought of it as, this is a necessary evil that I have to go through.

But you write about it as a strategy to follow to get where you're trying to go. And I was just wondering how. How that works and how you help your clients do that.

Speaker A: 00:32:10

Well, yeah, paperwork is indeed a necessary evil. There's no way around it. But what you do, like, whatever you decide to do here in Canada has to be, like, connected to your final goal.

Now, this goal, of course, might change in time.

Like, for example, when you first come here, you might come here with the idea of, I just want to, for example, study and get some, some Canadian experience and then go back home, which is perfectly fine. It's actually what most people should be aiming for.

But then, so that means that you would look for certain programs that will align with that strategy, right? So what program would give you the best outcome once you go back home? Like the best, the best opportunities back home.

But then what if, what if you're. During your time here, your goal changes and you say, you know what? No, I want to stay here longer or I want my.

Again, rules change almost every single day now.

So if your plan was to stay here and work and you notice that the program that you're on right now will not give you enough time to get that Canadian experience, then you do need to change what you're doing right now. Your work or your study, you need to change that to meet your goal. Now that's for study.

However, right now that things are so hard, there's a lot of strategy again, in the kind of work that, that people actually take. So. And I know it's very hard because, I mean, you got to pay the bills, right? So you take whatever job you can get.

But sometimes that means that you are quote, unquote, wasting the time that you get on that work permit, be it a post graduation or any other type of work permit, because maybe that job that it's actually paying the bills is not good enough to qualify you either for express entry or Canadian experience. Or maybe you're better off working a construction job or as a cook or as, you know.

So those are the kind of things that, I mean, I do not find jobs for people, but I sit down with them and explain to them what the immigration feel looks like right now and what are the possible pathways that they have. Because there are also changes every day and they're just limited moves that they can do to improve their chances if they want PR right now.

Speaker B: 00:35:01

Right.

Like if they were to notice, I mean, with all the changes that have been happening in the past few weeks, like if they were to suddenly notice, oh my goodness, my, like the, my objective has changed because of rules, you know, because of the changes in the, in programs that they might have been involved in, maybe that has changed. How? Like, the question that popped into my head was, if they notice this is happening, how quickly should they respond to it?

You know, like, should they make an immediate change or should they wait it out a little bit or what would you normally suggest?

Speaker A: 00:35:37

Well, I guess there's no one size fits. All right. So it all depends on the specific scenario I would suggest that they keep.

And I'm sure they all have that end date of their status being their work permit or study permit or visitor record, like, ingrained in their brain. So just make sure that you are aware of what's going on in immigration and you act as soon as possible.

So I would like to say a few months before your status expires, but it's not always possible. And there's also a lot to talk about. There's a lot of changes, there's a lot of pressure.

And the end goal for the government is to eventually reduce the number of temporary residents. So you may try to do everything in your power, but eventually a very big number will have to go back home.

But that does not have to mean the end of their journey. So there's always something. I mean, if you are meant to be here, you will be here. You just need to follow the rules. So that's, that's.

And it's frustrating because a lot of people follow the rules. They do everything right. They have exactly the perfect, like, exactly the profile that, that you would be proud to call your neighbors.

They are just the perfect example of what you would call a perfect Canadian. And they still can make it through. It's frustrating. I understand it's very hard, but there's only so much you can do.

Speaker B: 00:37:17

Yeah. Oh, man, it's hard.

Speaker A: 00:37:21

And it's very hard because sometimes during consultations, there's no good news to share.

Speaker B: 00:37:28

So.

Speaker A: 00:37:29

So it's. Yeah, sometimes there's nothing else you can say, but you need to go back home. And, and it's, it breaks your heart because I, I know I've.

I've done it. And, and, yeah, it's, it's very hard.

And when you have kids and you have to uproot them from the only place they've known and just take them somewhere else and. Yeah, but I think that is better than staying in a place where you don't have status or just. Yeah, that's not something that I would advise.

Speaker B: 00:38:09

Yeah, but you said something interesting there, that even if that is the, the thing that you need to do next, returning home, you said that. That doesn't mean that it's the end of, you know, if, if you're, if your dream or your, your, Your big goal is to live here, you can.

I mean, it is a tough pill to swallow, but you can see it as part of a strategy that you're following. Right? To.

Speaker A: 00:38:34

Yes.

And I think, I think also the government is kind of aiming towards that because right now, for example, like the difference that a year of work experience back home can make in your Express entry profile, just like the extra points you can get from that can make the difference and you can actually get that invitation to apply after a year of being back home. So I know it's a lot, it's a lot of expenses and moving back and I know it's, it's not easy. I'm not saying it's easy, but.

Speaker B: 00:39:09

Yeah, but it's, it's one thing to go back home. Yeah, it's one thing to go back home without, without a plan and think, well, I just wasted my whole.

However long I was in Canada, I feel like a failure.

You know, maybe it was just a huge mistake to begin with, but if you have that in your heart that you do want that to arrive in Canada at some point, going back home with a plan like I'm doing this as part of, maybe it's an unexpected step in my journey, but there's still a, you know, steps that I'm following even though I'm back in my home country.

Speaker A: 00:39:50

But then again where you can let go of expectations. So you expected, your expectation was to stay here in Canada and just get pr. We need to let go of expectations and follow the path that is before us.

So just take the next right step. And again about strategy and this was actually not a client of mine, it was a colleague's client. But, but when they approach strategy.

So there's this category based draw for express entry. So he was already in the pool, but he didn't have enough points.

But back home he had the opportunity to get a job in one of these occupations in demand. I don't remember if it was health or construction, one of those. So he decided to leave his good work that he had here.

It was a qualified work but didn't give him enough points.

So he left his job here, went back home, worked for six months in that occupation in the Med and he was lucky enough to actually get an invitation to apply under that category based draw. Again, there is no guarantee though. Like you never know when the next draw is going to be, you never know if you're going to have enough points.

But it's a strategy. I mean it's better than doing nothing. It's not always the case for everyone.

But again, that's the value that a consultation with either an immigration lawyer or a regulated consultant can bring to the table. Right. Like just seeing what the options can.

Speaker B: 00:41:28

Be, for sure, foreign. I told my newsletter subscribers about our interview today and that you had graciously agreed to answer a few of their questions.

And as an aside, if you're listening to this episode and you realize, hey, I'm not a subscriber to this newsletter you're talking about, you can easily do that. Just go to helpitsuccess.com subscribe and you can be in. Well, you'd be on the newsletter and you could have asked Ann one of these questions.

So, on with those questions. And the first one is actually a combo question, because you let me know beforehand that you could probably respond to both of them together.

So here's the question, and it is for all the temporary residents who are approaching their expiry date, what are the best options for them?

And is it worth it to propose to the employer to apply for Lima and get a closed work permit to make their stay longer, knowing that this processing time is longer and it's a tighter process? What do you think? I know that's a big question.

Speaker A: 00:42:52

Yeah, it's a lot. So let's break it down. So is it an I. Is it worth it to ask your employer for support either with an LMIA or a job offer?

The answer is always yes, it's always worth it. Because if that means that you can extend your work permit or get or renew your work permit and extend your status, then yes, it is worth it.

It's not easy because an LMA is very expensive. It takes a long time to actually get through the process, but it is worth it. And that brings me to the answer to the first part of the question.

Right? What options do you have? I can't tell you exactly what options, because again, there's no one size fits all.

But what you should be focusing on is extending your status. So right now, applying for PR is getting harder by the day. So what you need to do is to ensure that you have a valid status.

That means either extending your work permit, getting a study permit, or changing to a visitor status. That's the first part of the equation.

The second part of the equation, which is just as important, is ensuring that you comply with the terms and conditions of your status, which means no unauthorized working, no unauthorized study. So keep that in mind. If you change.

If you cannot extend or get a new work permit because you don't have the support of your employer because you're not eligible for an lma, exempt work permit, or any other type of work permit, then you would need to either get a study permit and Then you would need to reduce your hours that you're allowed to work. If you are allowed to work or if you get a visitor record, then keep in mind that you are not allowed to study or work.

So those would be the two sides of the equation. Keep status and comply with the conditions and wait until. Yeah, wait it out. Wait. Ride the wave until you can eventually find a crack.

Not a crack in the system, but until you eventually find a way into pr.

Speaker B: 00:45:19

Right.

Speaker A: 00:45:19

If that is your main goal.

Speaker B: 00:45:21

And I just realized I mispronounced that. I think I said L I, M A.

Speaker A: 00:45:26

That's okay, Levi. I think that's okay.

Speaker B: 00:45:28

L, I, M A. No. L M, I A. Anyway, thank you for that.

That is really tough, having to be patient and try to keep your status and to just ride the wave, as you say, that's, that's pretty tough.

Speaker A: 00:45:42

And, and it's a lot of stress. Yeah, I, I, yeah, I didn't have to go through that personally.

And I can only imagine having to go through that and knowing that it's not only your status, like, like your family status depends on that. And yeah, it's, I understand it's very hard for everyone out there.

Speaker B: 00:46:04

Yeah.

And that actually segues beautifully into the next question that came from one of our subscribers is how do I manage the stress caused by all this uncertainty around immigration?

Speaker A: 00:46:18

My heart goes out to everyone. I just want to hug everyone. It's very hard. Just understand that there's. It's gonna be hard. And I would say community. Get some people around you.

So, and be. Yeah, community. Get out there. I volunteer.

I do find, and it's something that I, I also found out later on in life, there is a specific type of healing that you get from doing something from someone else for. I'm sorry, doing something for someone else.

Speaker B: 00:46:53

Yeah.

Speaker A: 00:46:53

So try to find some kind of activity where you help out in any way in doing anything at school, with your kids, volunteer at their sports club, whatever it is that you can do that takes you out of your own mind and puts your mind into helping someone else and surrounding yourself with good, positive people because it's very. Not to leave your friends aside. But I've also find it here that since you get to know people who are in the same kind of boat as you are. Right.

But suddenly if you are constantly talking about negative things because you're all on the same boat and you're all stressed, that's going to help you at all. So, so yeah. And stay informed, do whatever. It's in your control, whatever you can do.

So stay informed, do things right, get help, get information and whatever is not under your control you need to let go of which is so hard. That is just the theory I do not practice that I try every single day. But that's just a theory I cannot practice, is that I am.

I excel at anxiety and wanting to control everything. So yeah, but that's, that's my advice, not that I follow it. And yeah, I understand and, but seek help. Seek help. Stay informed.

Control what you can control and let go of what you cannot.

Speaker B: 00:48:30

Yeah, that's so important. Learning, Learning what belongs to you and what you need to just. I can't do anything about this. I'm doing everything that I can.

But there are some things that just way outside of what we can do. Right? Yeah, that's a tough one for me too. I think everybody struggles with that. Yeah, yeah, sorry.

Speaker A: 00:48:48

But I mean at least we have the, we have the knowledge. It's just the practice that it's not yet. Not there yet.

Speaker B: 00:48:55

But yeah, it takes time. So as a regulated immigration consultant, how do you help people?

Speaker A: 00:49:05

Well, personally what I do is basically my practice is like twofold. I do consultations, which is always like the first step of every service.

But these consultations can be again the first step of a full representation file or it can be just a strategy or an information session. We get together, we evaluate if they're eligible to what program are they eligible, how can they improve their profile and what steps they can take.

That's one part of the services that I provide. The other type of services that I provide and I can help people with is that I can represent them with certain applications.

So I usually do temporary residence like work permits.

So spousal open work permits, other MIA based work permits, PGWPs or spousal sponsorships, that's for PR or their express entry profiles and their PR applications. What I also do though is provide like a refusal review service.

So for many clients who've provide, who've made their own applications and they receive refusals, I get together with them, we analyze what happened in their application, we get the officer's notes and we will analyze how we can improve or what were the weak points and how they can either submit a new application by themselves or I can help them do that.

Speaker B: 00:50:46

So yeah, and so do you, do you help people all over Canada or do they have to be in your area, where you live, except Quebec?

Speaker A: 00:50:54

So I can't, I, I'm not, I'm not authorized to, to practice in Quebec. So as Long as it's. There are federal applications, I can work, I can help out anywhere. So. Yeah.

And, and of course, for provincial programs, I only do Alberta.

Speaker B: 00:51:11

Only Alberta. That's okay. So we're.

We're kind of at the end of this and it's been amazing to chat with you, but if someone wanted to reach out and get in touch with you, Ana, what would be the best way for them to do that?

Speaker A: 00:51:30

I'm on LinkedIn. They can find me on LinkedIn under Anaconseco.

Or I'm also on TikTok, but on TikTok, most of my content is in Spanish, but if you contact me in English, I'll reply to you in English, it's fine. And they can also contact me through my website, which is Morehouse Immigration Ca. And yeah, that's where I can be found.

Speaker B: 00:51:57

Okay.

Speaker A: 00:51:57

Basically, yeah.

Speaker B: 00:51:58

Well, thank you. You know, just talking with you, when you talk to someone, you can get a feel for their heart, for what they do and why they do what they do.

And if someone is out there listening and you're struggling with trying to find help and you are feeling alone, you're feeling like.

I need somebody who understands what it feels like to be, you know, struggling, like really going through a hard time, then I, I want to encourage you to reach out to Ana. I think she knows what it feels like to be in those shoes. And. And like she said, she. She'd probably give you a virtual hug if she could. Oh, God.

Speaker A: 00:52:36

Or we'll just cry together.

Speaker B: 00:52:38

We'll cry together.

Speaker A: 00:52:40

I need to work on that because, yes, that's definitely not professional. But I, Yeah, if I don't cry on screen, I'll cry after the call.

Speaker B: 00:52:48

Oh, no, but you know that that means the world to somebody, I think, to know that there's another human being out there that really resonates and understands and can empathize.

Speaker A: 00:52:59

Isn't that, after all, everything is about connection? That's all we want, right? Connection. So, yeah, yeah, totally.

Speaker B: 00:53:06

So I'll definitely be linking to your LinkedIn page, your website, and any other links you share with me. I'll definitely put that in the show notes for today. Well, for the episode. So if anyone is interested, please connect with Ana.

And yeah, I hope you get a flood of people who are reaching out to you.

Speaker A: 00:53:26

Thank you so much, Aaron. Thank you so much.

Speaker B: 00:53:29

It was wonderful to chat with you, Ana. Thank you for coming.

Speaker A: 00:53:31

That was great. Thank you for the opportunity.