Looking for job in Alberta

LOL I was shaking in my boots there for a few minutes grin

I love Canada big time. Strangely enough..even more since my wife became a citizen last fall.

My family didn't need visas to come to Canada 395 years ago. On the other hand...There was no Canada 395 years ago, but we came anyway. This little bit of info plus $2.50 will get you a cup of coffee

 

Unfortunately this isn't the reality over here, thinking that you'll be given a bed of roses and a monthly check for $5000 is extremely naive. As an immigrant, if you are taken advantage of, you can expect something like the following:

You are hired on by a company that "specializes" in hiring immigrant workers, where you are paid $8.50 / hour to perform your job. Only problem is that it costs about $14.10 - 14.25 an hour based on a 40 hour week to cover the costs of basic housing and food, ie, the costs of living in the area that you are working. Furthermore, there is no public transportation and without your papers or a fixed address, you cannot buy a car. The sponsorship company knows this, so, they "help" you by offering a living package, at $7.75 per hour deducted off of your pay check, but they will feed you and give you a place to sleep (usually with 8-10 people per room) and a spot on their bus to get to the jobsite every day. As collateral to make sure that you don't run off, they hold your return airline ticket to your homeland country and your official sponsorship papers. You work like a dog and are only making $1.50 - $1.75 / hour to show for it, all for the promise of being "free" once you have put in your time. Like clockwork 2 - 3 weeks before you are eligible for applying for the right to remain and work in Canada as a permanent resident, the company will inform you that your services are no longer needed, and you will be put on a plane back home. If you run away, you will essentially be homeless and living on the streets without food, money, or shelter, until the authorities find you, put you in jail, and then send you back to your home country once they have processed you and arranged the deportation details. Furthermore, you will now have a criminal record and will never be permitted to return to Canada or the United States.

THAT is a summary of what immigrant workers are going through here every day and is what may be in store for you if you end up with a company that takes advantage of immigrant workers.

 

I wouldn't pay too much attention to this post.

Can't buy a car?

Bring cash... sign here... first page is yours... here's your keys... good luck. That's all you need to buy a car. Of course you'll need to insure and register it afterwards, but that's not a big issue in Alberta.

Yes, you can get taken advantage of, and yes, there are scumbag "immigration consultants" and companies that specialize in this, but not all.

Our economy (especially in Alberta) didn't get hit anywhere near as hard as in the U.S. or elsewhere and we're seeing some decent recovery. Activity in the oil patch is really gearing up again... especially due to the situation in the M.E.

As for companies hiring foreigners, try Yanke and H&R Transport. I DO NOT vouch for these companies in any manner, other than to say they are a couple that I know had programs for foreign drivers. You will find people who have had both good and bad expereinces with them, just like any company. There are others that have, or had, similar programs as well; you should be able to find them if you keep asking and search. I would tend to stay away from the smaller companies unless you can get a good first-hand reference. I'm a local, but I was running my truck under the authority of a small company (~25 trucks) that did hire foreigners (all Filipinos IIRC). They did all they could to take advantage of them.

HTH

 

This is my last post on the topic. You are certainly free to believe what you wish, I have no intentions of holding anyone's hand through the process. I dedicated the last 11 and a half years of my life to training and working in the Criminal Justice sector. I have a university degree with a double major and a minor in these sectors and have no motive to lead you astray. Last year our authorities disbanded multiple organizations throughout British Columbia who were importing immigrant workers in this manner, some of which would "sponsor" over 100 immigrants per year. Come to Canada and work, I'm certainly not against it and I know many people who have successfully done so, but don't come crying the blues on here if you fail to do due diligence on your part and end up in a bad situation.

 

That's because a lot of people are bigots, and think that because there are drivers that aren't driving, no one else should be allowed into the country. However, the drivers that aren't driving, for the most part, are the ones with crap ### attitudes, and aren't employable in most circumstances, and they feel the world owes them, for no real reason.

 

Or there are NO facts to prove that importing truck drivers is required as there is NO shortage.
See any freight stacking up? Nope!
See drivers wages going up? Nope!

Prove to me that Canada needs to import truck drivers.