First Generation

For skilled immigrants in the Express Entry pool without French, a job offer or a Canadian degree, the path to permanent residence can feel uncertain. With recent changes to Express Entry and Ontario's immigration programs, what should candidates do next?   In the third episode of the collaboration between The Newcomers and Canadian Immigrant , Canadian Immigrant Editor Baisakhi Roy and The Newcom...

Canada has long been one of the world's most sought-after destinations for immigrants. But the landscape is changing. Immigration targets are coming down, temporary-resident caps are in place, Express Entry is evolving and international student policies have been tightened. So, if you're considering making the move to Canada today, should you still come? In this episode of The Canada Conversation...

Canadian Immigrant is collaborating with  The Newcomers t o launch  The Canada Conversation , a new series as part of Canadian Immigrant's  First Generation  podcast. Joining the conversation is Dozie Anyaegbunam, managing editor of  The Newcomers , a media publication exploring the Canadian immigrant experience. A creative director and amateur filmmaker based in Calgary, Dozie brings a storytelle...

In this episode, we'll explore the common financial challenges faced by newcomers to Canada and offer effective strategies to navigate them. Discover opportunities for financial growth, budget management tips and essential tools for your financial journey. Join us as we welcome Idriss Bouhmouch from National Bank of Canada, who will share valuable insights on preparing for both short-term and long...

Summer is the perfect season to enjoy the sunshine, prioritize your well-being, and make lasting memories in Canada. It's an excellent time to plan your getaways and enjoy abundant outdoor activities. This episode is for you if you are looking to explore Canada. Join Canadian Immigrant editor Ramya Ramanathan as she speaks with Maya Lange from Destination British Columbia and Tanya Berkers from On...

It's that time of the year again! As we enter 2024, we have opened the call for nominations for the 16th annual Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards. As we embark on our journey, we've invited three of our top 25 award winners from 2023, Hénoc Muamba, Sobhana Jaya-Madhavan and Winston Sayson, with different backgrounds and experiences, to share their inspirational journeys and most importantly their w...

One of the biggest challenges many newcomers to Canada face is finding a job that utilizes their professional skills and work experience. How can they best equip themselves to break into the Canadian job market? What are some programs that can facilitate their path to career growth and success?  

Interested in visiting over 1,400 of Canada's most exciting cultural and outdoor experiences from coast to coast for free?  Want to get travel discounts on VIA Rail and Air Canada tickets? In this conversation with Tarun Tripathi, learn how new citizens and permanent residents can access all this and more with the free downloadable app Canoo, a project of the Institute of Canadian Citizenship. 

In the process of making Canada home? Seeking a little inspiration for your journey? As we embark on the 15th year of the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards, four of our past award winners share their lived experiences and perspectives and, most importantly, their inspirational advice for 2023! This episode is sure to resonate with newcomers and immigrants alike. 

The financial system in Canada is obviously very different from your home countries. What are concrete steps you can take to understand this new financial landscape?  Where do you set up your first bank account? Is it easy to get your first credit card? Where do you start building your credit history and how do keep track of your credit score? That seems crucial, right? How can you make the money...

Episode 8 of First Generation, the Canadian Immigrant podcast series features Tareq Hadhad's journey from arriving in Canada along with thousands of other refugees to becoming a successful entrepreneur and leader.  In this inspiring conversation, Tareq speaks about going from asking: "What's Halifax?" to making the small town of Antigonish in Nova Scotia home and launching Peace by Chocolate there...

Episode 7 of First Generation, the Canadian Immigrant podcast series features Paola Gomez – community organizer, human rights activist and writer.   In this raw but uplifting conversation, Paola shares her journey from Colombia to the US and then to Canada as a refugee. She talks about various aspects of making Canada home – finding the tools to support herself and her child, harnessing her passio...

Episode 6 of First Generation, the Canadian Immigrant podcast series, features Ginella Massa - journalist, news anchor and Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award winner. What did it take for Ginella to get past the initial barriers and find her place? How does she deal with her multiple identities? What's in the newsrooms today? Ginella Massa shares her experiences, learnings and some excellent advice fo...

Episode 5 of First Generation , the Canadian Immigrant podcast series, features Ahmed Hussen, Somali refugee, lawyer and Member of Parliament.  Minister Hussen shares his inspirational journey - from a teenager trying to figure out how laundry machines work to advocating for community services for residents of Toronto's Regent Park to entering public service to help make a difference in the lives...

Episode 4 of the Canadian Immigrant podcast First Generation features LGBTQ+ activist, documentary filmmaker and social worker of South Asian heritage Alex Sangha.   In this episode, we unpack Alex's journey from changing his Punjabi birth name to fit into Canada to facing the challenges in finding his identity as a gay South Asian man to setting up Sher Vancouver to help others like himself. Alex...

Episode 3 of "First Generation," the Canadian Immigrant Podcast, features mental health expert, family man, British-born Kwame Mackenzie of Caribbean heritage who shares his journey to Canada. Why Canada? What did it take for him and his family to make Canada home? Why is making professional inroads not easy here? Kwame shares his personal journey in this very open conversation, offers advice for...

Episode 2 of First Generation, the Canadian Immigrant Podcast, features Iranian-Canadian Gina Cody, successful business leader, engineer, philanthropist and a first-generation immigrant. In this episode, we unpack Gina's journey from Iran to becoming the first woman in Concordia University's history to earn a PhD in building engineering to having the School's Faculty of Engineering and Computer Sc...

Did you know that almost 98 per cent of all businesses in Canada are small businesses? Meet Vikram Vij, successful entrepreneur, restaurateur, chef, sommelier, and a first-generation immigrant! In this episode, we unpack Vikram's journey, how he got from India to Canada, his beginnings as a restaurateur, and his experiences and learnings along the way. Host Farah Mohamed and Canadian Immigrant edi...

Coming Soon: First Generation, a podcast from Canadian Immigrant magazine. Inspiration, information, helpful tools, tips and resources – find all this and more in our new eight-episode Canadian Immigrant podcast series First Generation. You'll hear from a wide range of immigrants – successful entrepreneurs, refugees, young Canadians, artists, Canadian Immigrant Top 25 winners and everyone in betwe...