Moving to a new country or a new place, regardless of how far the travel, is always a challenge. For newcomers, there are tremendous challenges to overcome. “It is always a concern when coming from another country, especially if 45 per cent don’t speak English or French,” says Fariborz Birjandian, Executive Director of the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS) and concurrent chairperson of the Alberta Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies (AAISA)

Finding an apartment, registering kids in school can create overwhelming stress. The other challenge is the realization there are larger inter-generational issues such as finding meaningful employment, developing a social network and integrating into their city of choice.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) answers questions posed by immigrants, and provide links to immigrant-serving agencies in other provinces. Alberta has 20 such agencies under the umbrella of the AAISA. “Alberta gets about 20,000 people every year, that’s about 60,000 people who have lived in the province less than three years,” says Birjandian. Immigrant serving agencies take on specific tasks such as ESL classes, cultural understanding, employment and skills training, health, family services and housing information.

The housing issue speaks of the importance immigrants place on owning a home. “I think it can make or break a successful immigration,” says Birjandian, citing a study finding that immigrants tend to buy a house as soon as they come into Canada.

Crown corporations such as the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) provide mortgage loan insurance, housing and rental assistance, as well as information on homebuying for newcomers. “The Newcomer’s Guide to Home Buying gives insight on things to consider, especially if they are new to Canada and don’t really know the system,” says TJ Lee, a regional director of CMHC.

The guide, which has been translated into different languages, provides a step-by-step guide into purchasing a home, legal and structural considerations, and information on financing and mortgage insurance. “Traditionally, you’d go to a financial institution to obtain a mortgage. But if you’re putting down less than 20 per cent, then you have to obtain mortgage insurance,” says Lee, adding that in cases like this, the lending institution will present the potential purchaser, who happens to be a new immigrant, to the CMHC. In turn, the CMHC will request the lender to provide them credit histories from the home country.

Often and depending on job prospects, immigrants don’t always buy a house, but instead tend to rent first. “The rental payment history can also be regarded as credit history. We obtain a landlord reference to determine they have no arrears and have a good payment track,” says Lee.

Immigrants who apply to come to Canada do so for various reasons. Attila Nagy, from the former Yugoslavia (now Serbia and Montenegro), was caught in the middle of a civil war. “Like other people, I was looking for a better life,” says Nagy. A computer programmer, Nagy says that he while he had good reading and writing English skills, his speaking and listening skills were poor. The other challenge was finding a job. “When I came four years ago there were not many jobs for programmers.”

In the meantime, Nagy found work at Wal-Mart. From there he worked with a printing company. “I was constantly applying as a programmer, until I managed to land my current job,” he says. Six months into his job, Nagy took the next step: finding himself a home. Concerned that banks would not give him a mortgage, Nagy approached a broker. “He told me I needed a longer job history.” Undaunted, he next approached a bank. “I gave them proof of my job and almost right away they gave me a mortgage.” Nagy now lives in a 1,400 square-foot, three-bedroom townhouse in Applewood.

For Olena and Oleg Zhuchenko, immigration to Canada could not have come fast enough. “We left Ukraine because there was no future there for our son,” says Olena. Though mentally prepared for the move, they experienced culture shock. “It was difficult to explain what you needed and what people wanted from you.” They attended ESL classes and Oleg found work in construction. An accountant by training, Olena went through a four-month Canadian work experience program at the YWCA. They rented an apartment for 11 months before deciding it was time to buy a house.

The Zhuchenkos owned an apartment in Ukraine, but that didn’t help when they went house hunting. Without a credit history, banks would not give them a mortgage. “It was so hard. We asked a realtor to help us. He helped with the paperwork, looked into our rental and electric bill history,” says Olena Zuchenko. Today, the Zhuchenkos live in Citadel.

Some immigrants rely on extended families or friends when moving to a new country. Those with professional backgrounds usually upgrade their skills by going back to school or attending training provided by immigrant serving agencies or ethnic associations. The Canadian government is also keenly aware of the situation. “We realize that Canada has a very open immigration policy. As part of the federal government, CMHC assists in the integration of immigrants,” says Tom Kerwin, CMHC manager for Northern Housing.

Information packages about CMHC’s services are sent out in different languages to Canadian embassies, outreach programs to agencies, as well as to banks with large pools of immigrant clients.

In general, Canada has developed an understanding for those wishing to live here. “They realize that people can contribute so I think that sends out a very clear message. It’s a long process to become a part of this society without losing your identity,” says Birjandian.  CL