I reached out to young immigrant professionals and asked them if they would be willing to answer some questions about obtaining Canadian Citizenship. My first responder was Cameron Elder, an English immigrant.
What was your first impression of Canada, Cameron?
“My first impression of Canada was a positive one. We found that everyone we interacted with was incredibly friendly and was always happy to answer any questions we had about understanding Canadian money and directions to help get around the city.”
Did you come to Canada as a landed immigrant or for another reason? If it was for another reason what was it and why did you decide to stay?
“The reason we came to Canada was that my stepdad got a promotion from his job and was relocated to Canada for work. We were originally here for a 4-year contract, but we fell in love with the country and within the first 2 years of living here we decided that we were going to stay.
How long did it take to get your permanent residency?
“I don’t remember the exact time it took for the process to take place, I think it was about 1-2 years.”
What was the first thing you did after you got your PR?
“We were beyond excited when we got our PR, to celebrate mum and dad took us all out for dinner.”
How long did it take to get your Canadian Citizenship?
“Again, I don’t know exact times, but I believe it took about 2-3 years to get processed, get the paperwork in, write the test, and attend the ceremony.”
What was the first thing you did after you got your citizenship?
“At this point in time, I lived in a different province from my family so my girlfriend and I just went out for coffee.”
What was the process like? Did it take long?
“The process was incredibly stressful, as of right now I am the only one in my family who is a Canadian citizen. My family is currently fighting immigration over this, they are doing everything they can, but immigration is putting up more and more roadblocks. It’s almost like the province of Ontario doesn’t want you to become a citizen since they are making it very difficult to do so.”
Was it hard to find a job here?
“In my experience finding a job here wasn’t too difficult, it seemed to be very similar to other countries. They wanted to hire people with experience and if you had no experience then you would get overlooked. It took me almost 1 year to find a job, but I don’t think that was because I was an immigrant.”
What are some of the jobs you’ve had while living in Canada?
“I have worked at, Target, Canadian Tire, Boston Pizza (as a server), and 94.7 Star FM (as a Radio Announcer).”
What is one of the biggest struggles you face as an immigrant, Cameron?
“My family and I didn’t face too many struggles, we came from England which isn’t too different than Canada. There were a couple of slang terms and different words to get used to but that didn’t take too long to learn.”
What were you hoping to pass onto your kids (if you have any or plan to have any in the future)?
“How to make a proper cup of tea, it’s an art form and a good skill to have.”
What was one of the biggest things you had to give up when you left your country of origin?
“My friends and extended family, it was hard to say goodbye and at first, I was against the idea of leaving England because of it. But thanks to social media we could stay connected, and we made new friends in Canada anyway.”
What do miss most about your country of origin?
“Chocolate! I’m a simple man and you can’t beat English chocolate…and I guess my cousins and friends…them too I guess.”
Do you go back to visit your country of origin?
“We go back to visit every now and again. It’s so expensive to fly back so we only go back for big occasions, for example, the last time we were back to England was in 2014 for my stepbrother’s wedding… Nothing that big has really come up since.”
What is one advice you would give to someone trying to obtain their permanent residency or citizenship in Canada?
“You’re going to be waiting a while, but it is all worth it in the end. Being a part of this country is amazing, and you should consider yourself lucky when you complete it, others around the world would do a lot to live in a place like this.”
Are you happy?
“Yes! I am very happy, I have a great house, a great job, and I’m really starting to create a life for myself here and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Expiry Date 