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Immigrant Stories

Meet the Rana Family

By Petrina D’Souza, 13 Mar, 2019

    Sanjay Rana works at TD as a Small Business Accountant

    Harmeet Kaur works at TD as a Credit Assistant (Real Estate Secured Lending)

    Ambar is 13 years old  

    Anahita is seven years old

     

     

     

    Sanjay Rana decided to immigrate to Canada seeking a better quality of life and future for his family and especially his children. Although the process and procedures to settle down in the country were slow and lengthy, Sanjay finally moved with his wife Harmeet and two kids in 2014. The family stayed at a friend’s home on arrival and eventually shifted to their own place.

    Harmeet states that the move to the country had its own sets of happy and sad moments. The initial challenges were adapting to the culture, weather and surroundings of the new country, which took a lot of time for the family. “It took us almost two years,” says Harmeet. However, both Sanjay and Harmeet did not have a very difficult time finding suitable jobs in the country.

    Before their move to Canada, Sanjay was working with ICICI Prudential Life Insurance in Chandigarh as an Assistant Vice President, while Harmeet was an independent entrepreneur successfully owning and running her own boutique. After a few months in Canada, the couple found decent jobs that made their transition to the country smooth and less challenging. “We were lucky enough to get jobs with not much of difficulty,” shares Harmeet who now works at TD Canada Trust as a Credit Assistant (Real Estate Secured Lending). Sanjay Rana works at TD as a Small Business Accountant.

    Sanjay and Harmeet believe that though their journey in Canada initially was “quite stressful,” the country has now become their home. “We find Canada very safe and secure, especially for our kids,” says Harmeet. The family likes the equality and respect of different cultures present in Canada and have no particular dislikes concerning their current country of residence.

    Biggest obstacle faced so far in Canada:

    The biggest obstacle is that you have to start everything from scratch, for any career. Even if you are qualified, you have to study as per Canadian education.

    Resolutions made for yourself or family:

    To get most out of the opportunities this country provides. We would like our kids to be in the right direction in life.

    Advice for immigrants:

    Be patient and give yourself time to get adjusted to Canada, as it’s a big change to start a new life in a new country with your family. Memories of your homeland: We miss our families and friends, as we are born and brought up in India. We spent 40 years of our lives there. No doubt, Canada is a great country, but our roots are still In India.

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