I didn't have any education that could have been transferred over here but a lot of my friends from Hong Kong would not come to Vancouver because their diplomas would not be transferable. This could have encouraged me to study some sort of adult education here when I arrived but money was the first issue. Generally, people in Vancouver are very nice but sometimes I feel that my employer could have been doubting my ability. Without the initial lump sum of money, I think many immigrants won't take the necessary risks to own their own businesses or become managers.
The transferability of education is something that many immigrants face on a regular basis. It may be a potential barrier to entry for many immigrants who hold diplomas and lower level of education but for professional and business degrees who can spur the Canadian economy, there shouldn't be too much of a problem. For many immigrants, money is the first and foremost important thing and so the idea of starting or continuing their education in Canada is a difficult decision. Education may be a long term commitment but at the same time, immigrants who arrive in Canada in their early 20s might feel that it is too late to start as they wish to start a family soon. In my mother's case, that was exactly what happened.
With further research and questioning, I found out that my father was working at a high quality upholstery firm. With previous experience in Hong Kong, his trade and skills were transferrable and were an asset. During the same time when my parents had my sister, my father was offered the opportunity to buy out the mid size upholstery firm. But being risk adverse and having just had my sister, he did not want to take that chance - his standard of living was well and they were paying off their mortgage. I believe that many immigrants, when starting a family, would be less entrepreneurial and risk taking compared to those who were born here in Canada. They just haven't had the time to save up to buy a home and buy a business. Given that, this might be a reason why current positions of management are mostly held by second, third, or fourth generation Canadians. It would be very interesting to see how the diversity of my generation will influence the job market in the next decade.
