Yelena Petrukhina: From Kazakhstan to Winnipeg

Yelena Petrukhina registered for the SOPA program in February 2018. Back in Kazakhstan she worked as an Internship Coordinator at a local university. She arrived in Winnipeg, MB in May 2018 and 3 months later she landed her dream job! Yulia Savchuk, Yelena’s JSS Facilitator: “Yelena was one of those dedicated SOPA participants that took…

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Information Makes All the Difference

An excited Philip Akpoesiri Mike-Ifeta moved to Edmonton, Canada, with his family on December 21st, 2017. In Nigeria, he had worked in the banking and financial services industry and had developed extensive experience in retail, small business, insurance, pension, asset management and customer service. His decision to move to Canada was stirred by a desire…

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Volunteering: Why and How

One of the most significant pieces of advice people job searching get, especially if they don’t have a lot of experience in their field or are new to the area, is to volunteer. What is volunteering and why do people recommend it? Volunteering is working unpaid, usually with charities or non-profits, in a variety of…

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Experience of a Lifetime

Carla Mariano, an IT professional from Brazil, was over the moon with excitement when she received the email informing her that her application to immigrate to Canada had been approved. However, leaving the relative comforts of the familiar for a destination fraught with many uncertainties was a truly daunting experience.

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Green Economy Bridging Program Partnership

Bridging programs are a vital post-arrival service for newcomers in Canada who are looking for a job in their field or one commensurate with their education and experience. These programs complement the services that SOPA offers at the pre-arrival stage.

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Newcomer’s Story: Hao Wang

My name is Hao Wang. I have been an IT project manager and consultant for seven years and hold two masters degrees in Finance and Economics. Before landing in Winnipeg in March 2017, I was a client of SOPA (Settlement Online Pre-Arrival). After 6 months of arriving in Winnipeg, I successfully landed a job in…

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An Adventure Across The World

An adventure on the other side of the world – this is what Winnie Law and her family are calling their move to Canada. They moved from Auckland, New Zealand to Calgary, Alberta this summer. Winnie is a supply chain management professional. She found out about the SOPA program while looking online for a job…

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Tips For Workplace Cultural Adaptation

Over two decades ago, I boarded a plane for a teaching job in Japan. I had very little workplace cultural information about my new host country, but I did find one small book and read it from cover to cover. I memorized facts about this new culture and held onto them like the life rings…

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Moving Forward with Positive Steps

Like many immigrants, Hamid Rahmanifard, a Petroleum Engineering professional with over 6 years of experience, chose Canada, particularly Alberta, as the best place for professional growth and integration. Before relocation, Hamid participated in all five SOPA courses. Due to his eagerness to arrive prepared, Hamid finished his courses ahead of schedule, completing all assignments with…

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