Published On Thu Mar 08 2012 Toronto Star

Dreams sometimes get a sharp reality check, and that’s especially true for skilled immigrants hoping to start a new life in Canada. Just ask Ruby Bhasin.

She arrived in Canada with her husband and young son in 2010 seeking a more stable future than the life left behind in Dubai, where she was an assistant bank manager.

But 10 years’ experience and a master’s degree in commerce did not open any doors with Canadian employers, who routinely demanded “Canadian experience.”

“I didn’t know the job market would be so tough in Canada,” says Bhasin, 38, of Toronto. “I started hunting for a job right away and sent out resumés, but got no calls back. After one year, I was very discouraged.”

Unwittingly, Bhasin found herself as part of an emerging statistic: New immigrants are, indeed, bearing the brunt of the recession. The jobless rate for newcomers runs at 8.4 per cent compared to 6 per cent for their Canadian-born counterparts, according to the Toronto Immigrant Employment Data Initiative (TIEDI).

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