iopyud

Hello all,

Basically, I'm thinking of getting an MBA and a post-graduation work permit afterwards because you-guessed it : I'm aiming for an eventual permanent residency.

I have 5 years actual work experience and my highest qualification is a degree in Bachelor of Arts.

I'm from South East Asia (Philippines to be more specific).

I'm currently in the middle of extensive research and would very much appreciate ANY information (even if not inquired).

Now, my questions are as follows:

1.) I am under the impression (based on info obtained from the net) that it's easier to get a study permit in New Zealand than in Canada and post-grad work permit as well... is this true?

I've heard (from a Indian-majority forum, helpful guys) Canada is very strict and often issues "study mismatch" if your desired program is not connected to your previous qualification.

2.) How is the JOB MARKET? This has me worried, NZ seems to be more welcoming but I'm under the impression that it's a little more difficult to find a job there(NZ) than in Canada due to NZ being smaller and 'farther' away from the international market.

This is vital as I don't want to run out of funds (after graduation) merely looking for a job and eventually being forced to return home. This is the absolute worse that can happen to me.

3.) Not as important but how similar/different are the outdoors and views of each country? I've always admired Canada's south-western region's beauty (through pictures =,c ), and was wondering if NZ has similar sites? I'm talking about pine trees, clear waters, snow-capped mountains, etc.

4.) How are the people? Racism aside, majority of the western people I've met here at home are very nice and friendly, but I've never been to their country so I have no idea.

I'd like to hear from the people in the Canada forums as well, would it be alright to post a similar topic?

I may have follow-up questions but thank you for your time.

Dashie

We live in Canada but would love to head to NZ at some point, so I can try and answer some of your questions.

1) It sounds like you've done your own research on this one. It would largely depend on what you want to study/where, and whether that institution would accept you. As for post-grad, the immigration specific websites can give you more information than I can, as well as the technical procedures involved for both.

Both Canada and NZ may require you to have your qualifications evaluated for immigration purposes, depending on where you are from, what you have studies, and what you want to do. I have found from looking at individual universities and their entry requirements for international students that they can vary. I know that the NZ system is close tot he UK system than Canada, but I have no idea how that tallies with yours, sorry.

2) Job market? Depends on what you do, and where you go. In Canada, Canadian education/experience are preferred, which may be taken care of if you study here. It's also a vast country with different sectors being stronger in different cities, and varying unemployment levels nationwide. Far too open ended to answer, sorry.

As For NZ, I think it depends what you want to do and where you want to go...

3) Google, you can use it to search for pictures, tourist sites, they go for lots of pictures. New Zealand is one of the most beautiful countries I have ever seen, and has the bonus to me that it is small, and therefore reasonably easy to travel around. Canada also has beauty, but is so big that I doubt we will ever get to see that much of it. I'm not sure where you mean by Canada's South West? There's Southwestern Ontario, or there's Western Canada.

4) What do you mean by 'racism aside'? That comment has confused me a little.

iopyud

The procedures are fine, I guess. What worries me most is the actual chance of being granted a student visa and a post-grad work permit as I've heard that the chances are higher in NZ than in Canada.

For the job market, I'll basically get a Master's in Business Admin, I don't know my focus yet but information obtained depending on the job market might affect it.
My problem is I don't have any specialized skill, to be able to market myself, I'll need an MBA.
I've seen some posts about people waiting for weeks to get a job...

Ah, by Southwestern Canada, I meant British Columbia, the pictures are just breath taking.

As an introvert, I like spending time by myself, it would be excellent to go to sites like these on the weekend... to review or something.

The 'racism aside' meant that I'm not worried about a few people who might be racist as most westerners I've met are very nice, but I AM worried about cultural barriers.

I'm curious though if I will be treated any differently due to my nationality and if it will affect employer preference.

Here, let me get a picture of what I'm talking about (This is in British Columbia):

Dashie

Days, weeks, months, even hours in some cases, nobody can say how long it will take to get a job. I've heard of all 4 of those in both countries, there are no guarantees I'm afraid.

As to which area to focus yourself on, I would look at the skills shortage lists for both countries and see if there's anything there that appeals to you. Both countries have skilled worker programmes that can point you in the right direction that way. There may even be some that apply to both which might give you more long term flexibility. As for getting a study permit, I believe that's dependent on getting a place to study, which will depend on the requirements of each institution, and again, that's too open ended to answer without you narrowing it down and looking at what each requires. I don't know if either country has a quota or student visas, the relevant immigration site should tell you that for each country. I would strongly advise though that you think about what you would enjoy doing. It'd be a pretty miserable life to invest this much of yourself to be miserable every day at work just to get a visa, if you see what I mean.

As far as I'm aware, employers are more interested in what you can do and what you have done rather than where you come from. There are cultural centres for most nationalities (except British ironically) in my area of Canada to help people settle into life here an connect with expats from their own countries. Maybe you could also google that for cities you're interested in. The bigger Canadian Cities are very multicultural, as are the universities. As far as I'm aware, Auckland and Wellington would be similar too, although someone who lives there would have a better idea. They'll be waking up in a few hours

Again, you can find lots of photos on google and tourist sites for both countries. Milford Sound comes to mind though. From what we can work out, the landscape is possibly more varied in NZ with the added bonus that you can actually get to it all in less than a week.

iopyud

MIlford is beautiful.

Well, it's still good to know that the job market is at the very least "open" unlike in Japan for example, the job market AND immigration are "generally" unfavorable.

Assanah

New Zealand is beautiful but also very small. How many times in your life to you want to go to Milford Sound? Are you earning enough money to pay for oversees trips from NZ? Have a look at how much a plane ticket from NZ is. A plane ticket to Europe is easily $4,000 for a couple. Ticket to Indonesia is about $3,500 for a couple. Well, what I am trying to say is are you ready to be stuck on a little island for the rest of your life or do you have enough money/will you earn enough to travel, visit parents etc.

Can't say anything about Canada though. Never been there.

Catchafire

Well as someone that regularly travels to Asia, you are giving incorrect information.

Jetstar to Singapore is $299 one way, from there you have a lot of budget airline options to the rest of Asia, Cebu Pacific, Bangkok Air, Air Asia etc.

I know a lot of expat Filpino's who regularly travel back.

Dashie

You'd pay that just to get to the other end of Canada...

RedDragon2008

and $1599 return leg

lardyl

and if time=money then Jetstar=expensive

Woodlea

Where do you get the idea that New Zealand is very small? It's bigger than the UK and 75% the size of Germany. There's a lot more to NZ than Milford Sound - you need to get out of Auckland then you might see there's a lot more to NZ than you realise

iopyud

I would say that I will "still take it".

Compared to Canada, NZ is small but it's still very beautiful if you ask me... not to mention closer to home.

The only real problem for me is the immigration. I don't know which country will allow me to have a PR.

My primary choice is Canada, it will give me an MBA and they have a PNP I can use...

My second choice would be NZ as I can only afford a Post Grad Diploma and I will be using a Work to Residence program to get a PR.
Everything seems to be in order as the PGD I want falls under the Long Term Skill Shortage list, but IF they change it after I graduate, I'm royally screwed.

I'm not saying Canada is better than NZ, it's just that if I can get a student visa and get accepted in that MBA school (in Canada), the opportunity is simply better for my case.

Heck, if I got lucky and DID end up in Canada, I'll most likely visit NZ and vice versa.