An Easy Choice

When Edmond began a serious search for a new country, the young Albanian kept reminding himself it would not be easy to start a new life, search for a new job and adapt to a new culture. While he kept preparing himself for the changes, he realized the easy part was making the choice about where to go.

“Canada has an attractive system for skilled immigrants,” says the civil engineer. “I had spent time in other countries in Europe, and while all of them are beautiful, I was looking for a place that had more acceptance. Canada was the easy choice.”

With his civil engineering degree from Albania and computer studies courses from Oxford, his wife and his 11-month old son, Edmond and his family arrived in Canada in 2003. It took time for Edmond to find a job in his field, but he was prepared for the wait.

“We were young and energetic and we knew it would take time,” he says. “I could have had my pick of positions in Europe, but the security and acceptance Canada offers were very important to us. We were willing to work hard and find our opportunities.”

Edmond is now working in his field with the Toronto Transit Commission while his wife, also a civil engineer, is gaining co-op experience to help increase her chances of a civil engineering position as well. Meantime the couple has welcomed a daughter into their family, born in Canada.

With two grandchildren in Canada, Edmond’s parents wanted to spend time with the family. After trying several routes, the couple was able to get a visa to visit for an extended period of time.

“We wanted them to move here and be with us,” says Edmond. “But they have their life and their friends in Albania, and we understood that. The key, though, was for them to be able to spend long periods of time with us.” As a result, the couple was then able to obtain a five-year visitor’s visa, and is now spending lots of time with the grandchildren while helping the young couple get started on their new life. The family will soon all be Canadian citizens, and feel positive about the move here.

“It was hard work and we had to persevere,” says Edmond, “but it was all worth it.”

The couple has made friends inside the Albanian community in Toronto and with many others as well. Says Edmond: “Everybody at a certain point in Canada was an immigrant. That’s one of the great things about this country — acceptance of new people.”