Expat jobs in Canada

appreciated your post kelly. very thought provoking. i'm cdn by birth and wonder why our country isn't more proactive about recruiting more foreign talent considering our low birth rate and population...i love canada however every government operates within a fiscal policy and what you've outlined sure has me intrigued. i always wondered how we support our expenditures given our social programs if our population is aging and we aren't aggressively seeking high quotas of new immigrants but what you've described makes a lot of sense.

Suzie; considering the low birth rate and aging population, Canada is constantly seeking to import blue collar workers but most foreign workers do not speak English (or French) and are weary about migrating in their very own country let alone immigrating half the way around the world to Canada. (Plus they hardly have any life savings to bring in with them.) 
Therefore the blue collar immigrants that Canada need can not be brought in from abroad. Instead Canada targets white collar individuals who want to immigrate in order to explore their potential in life outside their own country. These people are often highly motivated individuals who can speak English and/or French and almost all of them hold a university degree or high school education. Soon after these highly motivated individuals arrive to Canada they go through the process of transforming them to blue collar workers that Canada is in desperate need for.

The factors in that well designed transformation process include unions that reject foreign qualifications - everything under the sun has a union in Canada, they all request Canadian qualification, nothing but Canadian qualification.
Another factor is that inhumane and ugly phrase "You can not be hired because you do not have 3 years Canadian experience." A phrase that makes a human want to be a working donkey just to find a job but still, NO job and NO earnings before the immigrant spends life savings and becomes penniless then works as a helper, laborer,  taxi driver, etc in order to barely make enough money to survive.

I am Sajith kumar from India. I am trying to procure my PR through FSW programme. Your article helped me to clear many of my doubts.Thank you.

Hi Sajith,

The Federal Skilled Worker Program is one of many programs to get skilled people like you into the country. Beware of the Trade Unions because they are your main barrier to getting employment.
You can not be an electrician in Canada unless you are Canadian certified. Electricians get work through their union on list basis. An electrician gets to the end of the list as soon as he/she is out of work. It takes about 5 months for his/her name to move from the end of the list to the top of the list where employment is granted once you are at the top of the list. This process created a culture of Unemployment Benefit abusers who work enough time until they are qualified to collect unemployment then drop off work and go to the end of their union's list and collect unemployment insurance until they are at the top of the list. During this unemployment period most of them work full time in the private sector without declaring their income as they are supposed to be "unemployed." Most of these union job abuses are related to construction and factory shut offs.
I know of several  immigrants who went through the process of getting Canadian certification but their union keep them off the list because they do not have "seniority."  You can think of it as Horse Barrier Jumping. The first hurdle is not very hard but time consuming (Canadian certification) the second hurdle is annoying (getting into a union) the third is getting on the list then The Job itself: If you can survive more than 4 weeks working with senior union members then please let me know.

Hello there...
im a latinamerican citizen (hondurian) and im looking other options to live...
i wanto to know what do i need to do or what do i have to know for go and living in Canada...
can you help me!!

Hi Dmorgan,
The best source of information regarding immigration to Canada are government sites. There are no specific sites to look for but there is a way to find them by using Google: In Google  type your query then end that query by 'gc.ca'  For example if you type 'honduras immigration .gc.ca'  you will get almost all official pages regarding Honduras and Canadian immigration.
If you find out that immigrating to Canada is going to be a very long process then you can speed it up by applying as a business person:
http://investincanada.gc.ca/eng/establi … ation.aspx

Do you know anything about OLPC projects in Honduras? If so please inbox me.

Hello WoC,

I like your post because that shows me something that I have not know it before. Very thought provoking as Suzie's mention.

I'm considering to change my career to a healthcare field (pharmacy), this would be a lot of work for me, esp starting all over as well as credentials.

Hi WoC,
Your post catch my attention and i wanted to get some advice from person that aim to “breaks the silence and tells it as it is” as you said earlier.
Before getting into details Great Thanks For Your Post.

For me the best choice to land to your beautiful country I think is the family class Sponsorship.

Things that i've learned:

Sponsor's 2 main steps:
1. Submit a sponsorship application to the Government of Canada
2. Submit an undertaking application to the Government of Québec

For me I should :
1. Apply for a Selection Certificate - Family Class (Then send the form to you and you should append it to your  undertaking application referred earlier.)

If everything goes smooth I should then proceed with Application for permanent residence.

These are my question:
(1) I've seens that if my sponsor(Aunt) want to sponsor me(Nephew orphan father) am I eligible ?
(2) Approx processing time
(3) Is International workfare programme am alternative in the mean time ?
(4) Ay informations about migration circular programme ?

Thanks WoC
Kind regards
Keven

WoC wrote:

Suzie; considering the low birth rate and aging population, Canada is constantly seeking to import blue collar workers but most foreign workers do not speak English (or French) and are weary about migrating in their very own country let alone immigrating half the way around the world to Canada. (Plus they hardly have any life savings to bring in with them.) 
Therefore the blue collar immigrants that Canada need can not be brought in from abroad. Instead Canada targets white collar individuals who want to immigrate in order to explore their potential in life outside their own country. These people are often highly motivated individuals who can speak English and/or French and almost all of them hold a university degree or high school education. Soon after these highly motivated individuals arrive to Canada they go through the process of transforming them to blue collar workers that Canada is in desperate need for.

The factors in that well designed transformation process include unions that reject foreign qualifications - everything under the sun has a union in Canada, they all request Canadian qualification, nothing but Canadian qualification.
Another factor is that inhumane and ugly phrase "You can not be hired because you do not have 3 years Canadian experience." A phrase that makes a human want to be a working donkey just to find a job but still, NO job and NO earnings before the immigrant spends life savings and becomes penniless then works as a helper, laborer,  taxi driver, etc in order to barely make enough money to survive.

Excellent & informative post, WoC. This is the sort of input that expats need, not fantasy tourism propaganda.

I've been doing some research on Canada & basically I've come to the same conclusion you so effectively summarized above. I've posted this article: http://reviewcanada.ca/essays/2011/02/0 … -syndrome/ on ExpatForum's Canada section, but no one seems to care.

Yes, you're right & I've said it before: Canada's clever method is to import & exploit immigrants & their money to prop up their economy. Hell, they're even making money off of immigrants & their job trouble by operating useless accreditation & job training facilities. By the time these immigrants realize what's happening, it's too late, & they figure their kids might have a better chance than them, so they stay.

To be fair, there are success stories, but they're not the majority. I have heard Canadians comment that there are so many East Indians & Chinese in Vancouver etc & that they're not integrating into Canadian culture, so there are people who make it. I know of Irish expats who found work in the trades, but not in big cities like Vancouver & Toronto. But the majority, even native English speakers, seem not to have a chance. I'd have thought the govt would WANT native English speakers & give them preference too.

OT but I'm also wondering about the vast number of Indians...I read an article about how hundreds of millions of Indians (majority of their nearly 1B population) live in poverty, & the Indian govt recently was found to be hiding food from the poorest. India's a very classist nation. If the vast majority of their pop'n is starving and poor, & they're in a hurry to acquire nukes & go into space, plus all their educated are eager to hightail it to greener pastures...what's going to happen to those underprivileged ppl?    http://www.activistpost.com/2012/08/cor … l-145.html

I wonder how long this type of scheme could last before the Canadian govt runs into trouble...

naturefairy wrote:

WoC wrote:

Suzie; considering the low birth rate and aging population, Canada is constantly seeking to import blue collar workers but most foreign workers do not speak English (or French) and are weary about migrating in their very own country let alone immigrating half the way around the world to Canada. (Plus they hardly have any life savings to bring in with them.) 
Therefore the blue collar immigrants that Canada need can not be brought in from abroad. Instead Canada targets white collar individuals who want to immigrate in order to explore their potential in life outside their own country. These people are often highly motivated individuals who can speak English and/or French and almost all of them hold a university degree or high school education. Soon after these highly motivated individuals arrive to Canada they go through the process of transforming them to blue collar workers that Canada is in desperate need for.

The factors in that well designed transformation process include unions that reject foreign qualifications - everything under the sun has a union in Canada, they all request Canadian qualification, nothing but Canadian qualification.
Another factor is that inhumane and ugly phrase "You can not be hired because you do not have 3 years Canadian experience." A phrase that makes a human want to be a working donkey just to find a job but still, NO job and NO earnings before the immigrant spends life savings and becomes penniless then works as a helper, laborer,  taxi driver, etc in order to barely make enough money to survive.

Excellent & informative post, WoC. This is the sort of input that expats need, not fantasy tourism propaganda.

I've been doing some research on Canada & basically I've come to the same conclusion you so effectively summarized above. I've posted this article: http://reviewcanada.ca/essays/2011/02/0 … -syndrome/ on ExpatForum's Canada section, but no one seems to care.

Yes, you're right & I've said it before: Canada's clever method is to import & exploit immigrants & their money to prop up their economy. Hell, they're even making money off of immigrants & their job trouble by operating useless accreditation & job training facilities. By the time these immigrants realize what's happening, it's too late, & they figure their kids might have a better chance than them, so they stay.

To be fair, there are success stories, but they're not the majority. I have heard Canadians comment that there are so many East Indians & Chinese in Vancouver etc & that they're not integrating into Canadian culture, so there are people who make it. I know of Irish expats who found work in the trades, but not in big cities like Vancouver & Toronto. But the majority, even native English speakers, seem not to have a chance. I'd have thought the govt would WANT native English speakers & give them preference too.

OT but I'm also wondering about the vast number of Indians...I read an article about how hundreds of millions of Indians (majority of their nearly 1B population) live in poverty, & the Indian govt recently was found to be hiding food from the poorest. India's a very classist nation. If the vast majority of their pop'n is starving and poor, & they're in a hurry to acquire nukes & go into space, plus all their educated are eager to hightail it to greener pastures...what's going to happen to those underprivileged ppl?    http://www.activistpost.com/2012/08/cor … l-145.html

I wonder how long this type of scheme could last before the Canadian govt runs into trouble...

Hello naturefairy,

I like your post under "Reviewcanada". Immigrants may know or do not know about those. I have met/heard a lot of stories from immigrants who have had hard times to find their previous jobs before they moved to Canada.

From my point of view, it is not only the government/companies to fix those problems but immigrants should also look at themselves where they can improve and get better jobs after they settle in. I agree with you that some companies are not familiar with foreigners because they may not have company policies to diversify culture awareness in the workplace. Some companies may have this, but their action and people's interaction are not really meant to the company policy. I think they should look into this by the government's support. This is not only happening in those big cities but also across the country. This also effects on immigrants as well as a loss of the country.

From my own experience, I lived in Australia before. The government has higher requirements of bringing immigrants to Australia. Many foreign students/skilled workers have hard times to push themselves to be permanent residents there. If you have decent jobs such as engineers, accounting, pharmacists, trades then your chance would be prioritized than those foreign students who want to be in Australia.

When I got here, I had a hard time to find a decent job what I was experienced before. I sent 40 resumes within 2 months but I was called for 6 interviews & 5 employers accepted me (2 cashiers, 2 waitress & office job in a broadcasting company) . Though I quit my job for quite a while before I came here,I did not expect to be called after those 2 months. I almost decided to take a cashier job at Home Depot due to culture diversity (but there are not many foreigners in NL). Luckily, the last job that called me for the first interview was well-known broadcasting company for an office position. I did not have work experience in that field, but my previous job skill might be similar to their position. I went for an interview for the first round & I passed for the second interview (panel interview). Luckily, I got this job! That means I could land a job within  3 months. This company has a policy of culture diversity and the employer makes everyone feel like home or family. It is a big organization, but I was blessed to be part of this company. Diversity & equality are important for the workforce if Canada tries to support immigrants in all provinces. With the services provided for immigrants, it's nothing much to help me, but I think I did a lot of homework and how to get a good job.

As I know most immigrants are already in those big cities, so they should try to learn and get themselves brushed up with their skills. If their skills are not standardize, they should try to take short courses or Diploma. Though they may not be where they were before, but starting from the decent job from Diploma level and push themselves upto the degree level, that would definitely help them as well. Their diligence & positive attitudes will make them to success.

If you look and see Australia, they were the only country that they did not fall into an economy crisis in the last few years. They have had pretty good strategies to bring immigrants to Australia which those immigrants bring money for them. As a result, Their economy & many parts have been growing every year).That is what I believe apart from the government's support.

Thus, I think to benefit both the government and immigrants,it should work both sides. Finally, they will get their goals/results they are looking for.

i get some mails that you are selected as fish packer in so and so company and you pay so much amount to get processd ur visa. are they real or fake. pls tell me. also guide me how to enter canada and work ther and settle there. awaiting ur reply.

Hi Balaji,
To work in Canada you need a work permit from Canadian immigration through the consulate in your country. Without this permit you will not be able to enter Canada and work. Do not pay any money to obtain a job, most these are scams. Go through the embassy of Canada, Visa section and get pertinent information.
Good luck.
Dr. Mansour Tamadon-Nejad

Hi WoC,

Using your own figures of 300,000 immigrants arriving each year. If they all worked and found jobs paying lets say $25,000 CAD per year, which is not unreasonable. Many jobs pay even more. Those immigrants would generate Income Tax revenues somewhere in the neighborhood of $150 million in income taxes alone, not to mention the various other taxes all Canadians pay. That figure would also increase exponentially every year.

I hardly think there is a conspiracy on the part of the Canadian government to force immigrants to spend their life savings. We threw our doors open to immigrants from all over the world in order to increase our population and thereby increase tax revenues which help keep Canada what most people refer to as a "first world country". I see absolutely nothing wrong or devious about that whatsoever. Especially when you take into consideration all of the many benefits that those coming to our shores enjoy that may not be available to them in their homelands.

What that is called is sound fiscal planning, not conspiracy against any immigrant groups. The beauty of conspiracy theories is that on their face they seem to be logical or they wouldn't spread or hang on. That doesn't make them true. I suppose if we accept your simple logic as fact rather than a flight of fancy the next step is that you will tell us all that it is therefore Canada that is responsible for the European Debt Crisis and not the Europeans themselves, right?

Sorry, I'm not saying you're dead wrong, nor am I saying you're spouting rubbish. What I am saying is that most often one can make numbers say just about anything they want to say by putting a certain spin on things.

What Canada is doing about attracting immigrants and thus increasing population and tax revenues has been going on since the 60s it's nothing new. We also campaign proactively all over the world to attract major commercial investors to set up companies in Canada and even offer them significant corporate tax deferals in order to convince them to do so.

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

ruosnam
    New member
    From: Thornhill
    Registered: 2012-11-18
    Posts: 2
       

Re: Expat jobs in Canada

Hi Balaji,
To work in Canada you need a work permit from Canadian immigration through the consulate in your country. Without this permit you will not be able to enter Canada and work. Do not pay any money to obtain a job, most these are scams. Go through the embassy of Canada, Visa section and get pertinent information.
Good luck.
Dr. Mansour Tamadon-Nejad

i thank u very much for your valuable advice, do i have to pay anything to get a work permit from the consulate, pls reply me.
   i need to know about canada more. my dream is to settle in canada.

how ever i want to settle in canada, either by starting a small business or by getting a job. please somebody suggest me. iam a mechanical engineer cum lecturer and iam also interested in agriculture.
Er.Balaji

I am Ugandan by birth and I am impressed with the article thereby listed. I am really interested in working and living in canada.

I just recently registered in this Blog Site. I found the topic very interesting. A lot of Filipino worker here in Riyadh would love to work and live in CANADA. Despite of the very difficult processing and finding employer in CANADA, many of us still hope for a better and greener pasture and that is CANADA.

Hi rhallasgo, welcome to the forum. Yes I think it would be better for Filipino workers in Canada, as Saudi is not a nice place to live and I've been hearing alarming stories of the horrible abuse many endure at the hands of Muslims there, especially females who are raped and overworked.

I hope you can link up with someone willing to offer you a decent job, as it is very difficult to get into Canada. I've no idea how so many unqualified people end up here.

Try Chile or maybe Singapore. PM me with details of your qualifications if you like and I might be able to suggest something.

hi naturefairy, thank you so much for your concern. i am really having hard time finding a new job to a free country like CANADA or other. i would love to move out from this country once my contract will end this coming October or November. I am a college grad of BS Commerce major in Management. if you could help me find a good employer to a different country, it would be very appreciated.

WoC wrote:

Canada's  main and most important source of Hard Currency is the money that immigrants bring in with them. The majority of immigrants bring their life savings with them when they immigrate. Over 300,000 immigrants arrive each year with an average of $50,000 per individual (the minimum for Business Immigrants is much higher, $800,000 http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department … -07-11.asp)

I dont think this is true at all.  Do you have proof? Immigrants dont bring money into Canada. It's actually reverse.  why do people migrate to other countries?  Because they are jobless in their home country or they want a better life in another country.  They dont bring money into another country. They migrate to work or join their relatives (family class) in another country. When they arrive, they look around and go to tourist spots ie if they have time and extra money.  But most new immigrants immediately start to look for work and send money to their home country!

Hi WoC


Check at cic.gc.ca for family sponsorship

sir,

this Gopinath i looking abroad job.my ug is bsc and pg is mba if offer is there pls let me know my mail id is [email protected].

regards,
Gopinath

Hi Gopinath,

Please feel free to post an advert in the Jobs in Toronto section this can be helpful.

Thank you,

David.

Hello WoC,

I read your article on Taxi Driver Syndrome (i.e. Brain Waste) which may well be true. What do you suggest that Canada do in order to "simply accommodate" those immigrants coming from developing nations who have educational systems that are inferior to the Canadian systems?

Should we just trash our own high educational standards and throw the doors wide open to people bringing diplomas from institutions anywhere in the world that have little value other than the parchment paper they're written on?

I for one think that Canada's reputation worldwide for excellence in education is something worth protecting at all costs. Lowering our standards for any profession to accommodate those who do not have equivalent academic qualifications is patently wrong and destructive to the very profession.

Maybe you find Medical Doctors driving cab, yes; however if they haven't the level of education, experience and qualifications that we require here in Canada then I for one want them with their hands on a steering wheel, not holding a scalpel.

Canada's educational standards are not up for sale to the "lowest" bidder. I'm now living in a developing nation and I simply couldn't imagine someone with any kind of degree from here, being qualified to exercise the same profession in Canada. It's simply unacceptable to throw the doors wide open when there is so much to lose.

You seem to have adopted the position that ALL diplomas and ALL universtities are created equal... that is simply preposterous, they are not.

William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

This may be the case. But what advice can you give a British Postgraduate?

I went to UCL (currently ranked 4th in the World, far above all Canadian institutions). I have a masters in science and a bachelors - Natural Sciences. I also studied for one year at U of T.

I can't find work (I have lots of work experience too). I have a British name because I'm from London. I am also a native British speaker.

I don't think Canada is lowering the 'standard of education' for me. Having experienced Canadian education I would say I lowered mine for you. I got a 4.0 GPA at U of T, no effort required.

I've not got one interview - to jobs I'm far overqualified for. I can't even get work as a supermarket checkout girl.

I wouldn't even be here if I didn't love my Canadian husband so much. I am trying to contribute to a society for who I believe I have much to offer.

Its got nothing to do with lowering the standards. I feel a large amount of Canadians suffer from 'small world syndrome'. All this crap about Canada being multicultural. British people try and find the best person for the job, not the most British.

I don't normally post on here, but feel obliged to point a few things out to W J Woodward on various comments made on these forums: 

Firstly, in relation to all your comments on this forum regarding the great Canadian education system and the worthlessness of people's qualifications from other countries, it is this egotistical mindset that may be a large reason why vastly overqualified immigrants can not land similar jobs in places like Toronto.

Canadian education may or may not be world leading, but it does not de-value the worth of someones' degree from another country. If someone is qualified and capable of doing a job, where the 'parchment paper' as you kindly put it comes from should, in a civilised country, be completely irrelevant. If a job asks for a degree, and x years of experience, a candidate from France, Iran, UK, Senegal etc meeting that criteria should be allowed the opportunity to at least interview for that job, regardless of where their degree comes from. Yes, there is a lot of competition for these roles, but exclusion based on having a degree from outside of the Canadian education system is discriminatory and vastly unfair. 

Secondly, I would happily have the qualified doctor driving a minicab holding a scalpel rather than a steering wheel. All that is required is a few interviews and an assessment of capabilities, combined with references...not too difficult at all!

Lastly, you mention frequently how there are many jobs outside of Montreal, Toronto & Vancouver, and that those of us struggling for work in Toronto should have done our research first before coming to this competitive landscape, perhaps being better off in somewhere like Alberta. For people like BritAl and myself, choosing Toronto / Ontario was because our partners have foundations here, which we now want to be part of. Research does not really have that big a part to play in this. Relocating elsewhere because Toronto is competitive and unwilling to accept degrees from outside of Canada isn't an option. All we ask for is an invitation to the party, getting interviews, based on our capabilities, qualifications and experiences. 

I appreciate that you are aiming to provide newcomers with advice, but sending the message to people that their qualifications are worthless in the eyes of the Canadian employer, and that there is little point of applying for jobs in the competitive big cities, is not the message of hope we are seeking.

WoC wrote:

I have been reading posts regarding expats who are finding it hard to find a job in Canada.
It is about time someone breaks the silence and tells it as it is.

The European Union is Canada's second most important trading partner. EU exports of goods to Canada in 2010 is  €26.6bn and EU imports of goods from Canada in 2010 is €20.1bn ( http://ec.europa.eu/trade/creating-oppo … ies/canada )
Canada exports $34.50bn CAD annually to the EU  with net profit of approx. 10% or $3.450bn.
One of the most important elements of foreign trade is Hard Currency. Bringing in money from foreign countries  is vital to the local economy and the local currency.

Canada's  main and most important source of Hard Currency is the money that immigrants bring in with them. The majority of immigrants bring their life savings with them when they immigrate. Over 300,000 immigrants arrive each year with an average of $50,000 per individual (the minimum for Business Immigrants is much higher, $800,000 http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department … -07-11.asp)

The annual Hard Currency that the 300,000 immigrants bring in is nearly FIVE times the profit that Canada makes from its trade with all the EU countries put together.

If immigrants were allowed to work upon arrival then the $15 billion will not be spent, the $15 billion will either be saved or even sent back home to immigrants' perspective countries.

You can imagine the importance of that money NOT to be sent back home and NOT to be saved. It MUST be SPENT in Canada in order to be part of the fiscal economy.

What makes immigrants spend their savings is not just the  "three year Canadian experience" scheme but also the culture of scam artists who are allowed to flourish in order to speed up the spending of what immigrants bring in, Hard Currency.

Everything is designed to speed up the process of spending the $15 billion during the same fiscal year before another $15 billion arrive the next year.

whatever you posted, looks legit to some extent but I don't think that the federal government is in the process of scamming immigrants, or if not federal just the employers.

Canada isn't just devaluing education from developing nations. In my experience, education from an English University was discredited because it wasn't North American. Any qualifications that aren't Canadian or American are disregarded when you arrive in Canada. I don't believe there is a conspiracy, but this is ridiculous. Employers are complaining about a lack of qualified candidates, but ignore credentials and experience that isn't Canadian. I don't believe they aren't familiar with British Universities, so what am I to think? I think they're being obtuse. The only way I got work in Canada without Canadian education or experience in my field was through a white middle class Canadian husband.

I concluded years ago that "Canadian Experience" is a cover to exclude foreigners. Canadians are too polite to be openly xenophobic but most are as xenophobic as any other country. They just found a thin veil for it. How many times have I listened to white Canadians complaining about immigrants? I've listened to them complain about immigrants cramming multi-generational families into one house. When I first moved here, I lived with my parents, grandmother and siblings in one house with 5 cars on the driveway. That was the only way to afford housing in Toronto.  I've pointed out that I'm an immigrant and lived that way, white Canadians have stumbled all over themselves, flailing. For all Canada's talk of equality, this "Canadian Experience" is a cover for a multitude of sins. Xenophobia, racism, cronyism and refusal to look at education and experience on a case by case basis. Rather than bothering to learn about the quality of the education and level of qualifications of the places people come from, employers take the laziest root and dismiss potential employees and whine about that lack of qualified people to choose from for positions. Some of these countries have higher standards than Canada but Canadian employers are ignoring better qualified people at times.

I think well educated and experienced migrants should bypass Canada. Currently, Canada isn't mature enough to handle the situation.

MovingLady, your post was awesome. I've been admitted for a postgraduate course in Seneca college for winter of 2016. what are the chances of getting employed even after my studies because I'll like to extend my visa after my studies. My program is 3 years. Kindly advice appropriately.
Thanks

Depends on the field. Mainly, it's getting relevant Canadian experience in the field of study. If you can just get your foot in the door and hang in there for a year, even if it's a shitty job. Networking is extremely important. LinkedIn is a great starting point. Also look at expat community for your country of origin. Most jobs are never advertised here. At least not the best opportunities. They go straight to people already in the company or people the employer or HR department already know. The more people you know, the more likely you'll find something. Also, whatever your field is, prove interest in the field. Even if you don't have a job in that field, volunteer in a related capacity to a charity. I've found a good way to donate time to charities is to talk with whoever is in charge. I've worked out a deal where they paid me for my work and then I donated the money I was paid straight back to them so that I would get the tax credit  for my donation because politicians don't give tax credits for time, just money. Plus, that counts as work in the field you're going for that you can put on your resume. The main goal during and after college is getting experience.

I would also recommend not taking it to heart when "entry level" positions require 3 years experience. Apply anyway. Always apply in the early morning so they can see you're up in the morning. The thing with email applications is that they can see what time you sent it.

Your odds really depend on how engaged you are. I've found assertive and polite people find jobs. One job I was initially turned down for but really wanted. I pestered HR until I got a chance to talk to the manager and explained why I thought I was a great match for the job. I never would have done that in the UK. It would have made a bad impression, but here it was just seen as competitive. Definitely take the time to learn the culture. For instance, employers in the UK expect you to arrive on time, but typically let you leave 5-10 minutes early without a second thought. Employers in Canada expect people to show up early and ask for special permission to leave early, even if it's just a few minutes.

Hope that helps.