# Indian Architects in Canada



## kartikjadhav (Nov 7, 2015)

Hello,
I will keep it short.
I am an architect, having masters degree from UK and planning for immigration to Canada. It would be great help if I get the general info about following factors :

*1. Average time for an architect to acquire a professional job. 
2. What are the living conditions in Canada? factors such as weather, local people's acceptance, involvement with local culture and people.
3. Which would be the best province to target? Or Ontario is the only best option. 
4. How is the city life, night life? is it boring for Indians or it is as good as we always imagine.?
5. If I won't be able to get a professional job soon, what are the other options? What would be the best way to survive?*

Thanks in Advance. Cheers !!


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## WestCoastCanadianGirl (Mar 17, 2012)

1) Unknown. The economic conditions in each province in Canada is different, so what may hold true in Vancouver definitely _won't_ hold true in Toronto or Charlottetown, PEI.

2) The living conditions are great in Canada in general... the country is consistently high on the list of the best place in the world to live.

In regards to weather... since the country is _three times as large as India_, it's going to vary. How would you respond if I asked you "what State in India has the best weather?" 

Some might say the south because it's hot all the time. However, I don't like cyclones (I lived on a little island in the Caribbean years ago and every summer we lived in fear of hurricanes from May to December). 

Some people may say Shimla or other places in the north (not PoK... too much unrest there). I grew up in Canada, so I'm used to cold weather, but if there's snow on the ground all the time, I don't like that either.

Others say Goa. I've not been to Goa, but from what I've been told, it's too beachy and touristy.

Local people's acceptance of what, exactly? Crappy weather (not great)? High taxes and low wages (definitely not!)? When their hockey team loses the Stanley Cup (hockey to Canadians is the same as what Football and the EPL in general is to the English)? People from other parts of the world (definitely so... there are large Indo-Canadian communities in most major cities in Canada)? 

Involvement with local culture and people... not sure what you mean here. 

Weather wise, Vancouver is probably the most similar to the UK... I grew up in Vancouver and now live in London and hardly notice any difference in the weather... it might be a teeny tiny bit cooler in London during the winter, but as far as overall winter miserable-ness (i.e. autumn/winter rain) and summer good weather goes, they're practically identical. Anywhere else in Canada is going to be way colder in the winter and quite a bit warmer (and humid) in the summer (think of what Delhi/Agra/Rajasthan/Mumbai is like in September/October and you're getting close to what Toronto/Montreal are like in the summer... i.e. hot and humid).

3) Job wise, it's impossible to say... as previously mentioned, each province has its own economic structure, so the job market will vary from region to region.

It would also depend on what you are looking for in your off time... i.e. what do you like to do when you're away from work? 

Ontario has its positives but as someone who was born and raised in Vancouver (in the province of British Columbia, on the west coast) I would personally find it to be a bit on the boring side... I am accustomed to having _lots_ to do year round. I grew up 5km from the ocean (I could see the dark outline of Vancouver Island in the distance from the back porch of my Mom's house while I was growing up), so I spent a lot of time on the ocean when I was growing up (I lived on a remote island for a year back in '04... I loved it); my home was within a 30-40 minute drive from the mountains (I could see them above the roof lines of the houses in my neighbourhood as I walked to high school), so skiing was and is popular, and my brothers and I were members of our school's ski club and we went skiing once a week during January/February.

4) It would be impossible to determine, as tastes in nightlife will certainly differ from what you are used to in India.

5) Not really sure what your options are... you could find a lower paid/lower skilled job to tide you over, but you're going to need to show that you have enough CAD $$$ to support yourself when you first arrive, as you'll not be able to go and collect Unemployment... unlike in the UK and their Job Seeker benefit, you _do *not*_ automatically qualify for $$$ if you haven't already paid in to the unemployment benefit plan, and even if you had paid in, if you haven't paid in for long enough, your cover will only be for so long. 

Heck, the social welfare system in Canada is a lot more strict than in the UK (i.e. as a new arrival, you'll not necessarily qualify for the same sort of cover as you might if you were to try to go on Benefits in the UK). There are private agencies you could approach (Salvation Army, local food banks etc) but if you're expecting the social safety net in Canada to be the same as the UK, it's not like that... it's not as severe as what it is in India, but you're not going to get what one might in the UK.


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## kartikjadhav (Nov 7, 2015)

*Thanks*

Thank you very much for your brief information. 
It will definitely help me throughout the immigration process. 
cheers!!


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## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

I know that, in Ontario, you can not be an Architect if you didn't get your license in Ontario.
For that, you first need to work as an intern in Ontario, pass some tests and projects. Don't remember exactly if you need to pass exams too. But it will take a while, and getting an internship that qualifies may be a challenge at first. So try to expand your professional network within the world of architects in a specific province of your choice long before you arrive.


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

kartikjadhav said:


> 1. Average time for an architect to acquire a professional job.


That will vary by person. And that is a regulated profession here so you won't be able to show up and work as an architect. You will have to work under a licensed architect.




> 2. What are the living conditions in Canada? factors such as weather, local people's acceptance, involvement with local culture and people.



There is no way to answer that. Canada is the second largest country in the world and all of those vary widely from one region to the next, and also vary within regions. 




> 3. Which would be the best province to target?



Whatever one you feel like living in.




> Or Ontario is the only best option.


Why would it be?





> 4. How is the city life, night life? is it boring for Indians or it is as good as we always imagine.?



Again, there is no way to answer that.




> 5. If I won't be able to get a professional job soon, what are the other options? What would be the best way to survive?



Once again, this question is too broad for us to answer.


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## kartikjadhav (Nov 7, 2015)

*Thanks*

EVHB - 
Thank you very much. As per ur suggestion, I have already started communicating the local architects from various provinces in order to know the exact situation. Lets see whats next . 
Cheers!!


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## kartikjadhav (Nov 7, 2015)

*Thanks*

colchar - 
Thank you very much the reply.


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