Sitting next to Canadian pine trees, many of our compatriots dream of seeing native birch trees
If you want to change your place of residence, move, then you will surely gather as much information as possible about the country or city where you plan to settle. Residents of megacities, seeking to escape the frantic pace of life and terrible environmental conditions, move to villages and small towns, looking for decent housing and a new job in a new place. And some think about moving abroad, to a country with a higher standard of living and better conditions for business.
Very often Russians choose Canada for emigration, but only about 1500 families per year can move there for permanent residence. How do these people adapt in a foreign country?
Statistics are an imprecise thing, often far from reality, but any research shows that it is hard only for the first five years. Then emigrants settle in, fully adapt, and rapidly build careers, ultimately becoming more successful than native residents. Residents of CIS countries find it quite difficult to settle abroad due to the entrenched poverty mentality and the virtual absence of a middle class in the states where they lived before. Another reason why it is hard for our compatriots to quickly integrate into Canadian society is the so-called "great-power chauvinism," celebrated in jokes. National self-awareness is very high, and the opinion is cultivated that Russians are generally unique people, but few people know about this outside of Russia.
Thus, in Toronto and Ottawa there are so-called "Russian quarters," but their location is not of interest to other residents of these large cities. It is within five years that reorientation and then assimilation into a new country takes place. During this time, you can fully experience a feeling of nostalgia, constantly visit forums of the city you came from, watch Russian television. Psychologists advise minimizing contacts with the historical homeland and resuming them only after 2-3 years.
The biggest problem that emigrants face in Canada is finding a job. Despite many social benefits and help from the state, you have to look for a job, and without knowledge of the language, it is difficult. Therefore, if you want to move to another continent, do not think that the language will be learned by itself while working.
You must be prepared for the fact that you may not find employment in your specialty or your skills may be insufficient for working in your profession. In addition, institute diplomas must be verified and corresponding exams taken in English or French (Canada is a bilingual country).
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