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Hi!
And welcome to today’s From the Editor.
In today’s newsletter: Matthew McDonald shares a long read on Canada’s new bargain with temporary residents; learn French and you can stay.
Also: Our part 2 of our Canadian small talk guide is live.
By: Dozie Anyaegbunam
See past issues here.
The Air Canada CEO didn’t need to know French, but newcomers are busy learning the language
As a Canadian immigration consultant, Matthew McDonald of Matthew McDonald Immigration Services speaks to a healthy range of newcomers from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas who are seeking to become permanent residents of Canada.
For the past three years, these chats more frequently involve check-ins on their French-language skills. Because for a lot of newcomers to Canada looking to make this beautiful country home, learning French is part of their Canadian immigration strategy.
“These conversations are practical and strategic: we connect test scores to immigration statuses, rather than pronouns to verb conjugations,” Matthew says.
The thing is a majority of the 2.7 million temporary residents who are having to deal with the added burden of learning a new language moved to Canada with the expectation that the central criteria for obtaining permanent residence was a combination of Canadian education, skilled Canadian work experience, and strong English-language skills.
But if they are able to get CLB7 in all four areas: speaking, listening, reading, and writing, they are guaranteed invitation for permanent residence in Canada.
Read more of Matthew’s cold take including why he thinks Canada is lucky to have these folks ⬇️
Explore Peru with purpose
See Peru through the eyes of the women who call it home on Intrepid’s brand-new Women’s Expedition.
With an expert local leader out front and a small group of like-minded women by your side, this trip connects you with the local communities you visit ,giving you a unique insight into Peru’s culture and traditions.
With an expert local leader out front and a small group of like-minded travellers by your side, this trip gives you a unique insight into Peru’s culture and traditions.
Part of Intrepid’s Women’s expedition range, this eight-day adventure has been thoughtfully designed to support local women in tourism while delivering immersive experiences specifically for women travellers.
You’ll traverse the lesser-known Chinchero to Urquillos trail in the Peruvian Andes alongside an all-female crew, spend time in an Andean village learning about daily life, take part in a traditional textile workshop led by local women and experience a spiritual cleansing ritual guided by a female shaman.
What are safe topics and conversational landmines during small talk?
Part 1 was about starting a conversation. Part 2 is about what you talk about once the conversation is rolling. Because it’s so easy to get into trouble because you said something that was perfectly fine back home.
Newcomers to Canada sometimes underestimate how costly the gap between what you think is appropriate and what Canadians consider appropriate can be to your career.
We've organized this section into four zones, borrowing from the traffic light system because we think it maps naturally onto how conversations work here.
Explore the full guide here ⬇️
Good finds
Ask the RCICs: Canadian Immigration Webinar Summit. Asides from the fact that two of my favourite RCICs are speaking, the topics they’ve got lined up from beginning to end are great for anyone caught up in the Canadian immigration limbo. LMIA exempt work permits, Express Entry, AI and reconsideration following demonstrable breach of procedural fairness, and more. You gotta sign up if this sorta stuff concerns you; April 18th, 10am - 3:15pm PT, online. Plus it’s a Saturday. What’s your excuse?
The billion-dollar refugee healthcare debate. This is a balanced take on the healthcare debate that’s been raging over newcomers getting what Canadians can’t.
The Newcomers resources & guides
Canadian Small Talk Part 1: On Starting Conversations and Making Graceful Exits. Most newcomers aren't struggling because they lack the vocabulary to express themselves. They’re usually struggle because the rules about what to say, when to say it, and how to end a conversation are invisible.
Want to work with us? Check out The Newcomers Media Kit.
Want more immigrant interviews? Listen to The Newcomers Podcast.
Looking to find out what Canadian immigration program you’re eligible for? Check out our Who’s Eligible For series.
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