When Ellie immigrated to Canada in June 2022, she came with a clear plan.

鈥淔rom the start, I wanted to get my foot in the door by getting an education that鈥檚 recognized here in BC,鈥� says Ellie, whose long-term goal is to become a Certified Professional Accountant in the public sector.

Before moving to Vancouver with her husband, Ellie worked as an account manager at a bank in Hong Kong. She assumed that most employers wouldn鈥檛 recognize her international experience, so when she got to Canada she enrolled in a diploma program in accounting at the University of British Columbia.

While completing her studies, Ellie reached out to (ISSofBC) to see if they could help her start getting local work experience.

鈥淔or newcomers it鈥檚 really hard to find your first job, especially if you don鈥檛 have local experience, don鈥檛 know about Canadian workplace culture and don鈥檛 have a local network offering professional advice or job opportunities,鈥� she says.

ISSofBC immediately connected her with the program to help her reach her long-term and short-term career goals.

鈥淔irst they got to know my background and my needs, then referred me to different specialists to work on my resume, learn about Canadian workplace culture and start applying for jobs,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 got my current job as an accounting assistant because of ISSof叠颁.鈥�

Employer Relations Specialist

One of the people helping Ellie was Martin Lee, an Employer Relations Specialist with ISSofBC. Martin develops lasting relationships with local employers so he can match qualified clients with meaningful work.

鈥淓llie has a very strong resume, and she was very motivated to find a job. But because she鈥檚 a full-time student she didn鈥檛 have a lot of time to conduct a job search. So I started connecting her with employers currently hiring that might be a good fit.鈥�

The Career Paths for Skilled Immigrants program offers support for a full year, so Ellie can continue to receive mentorship from Martin for questions about the job itself, Canadian cultural practices in the office or her first performance review.

For other newcomers just starting their career search in Canada, Ellie has some words of encouragement:

鈥淵ou have to have faith! I wasn鈥檛 very confident that I could land a job without finishing my education, but some employers do recognize international experience. Keep searching, keep marketing yourself, don鈥檛 give up and don鈥檛 get discouraged!鈥�

To learn more about the Career Paths for Skilled Immigrants program, register for a free, online , held every Tuesday from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Learn more at or visit the 性视界传媒 Welcome Centre, Have a question? Call 604-375-2105 or email careerpaths@issbc.org