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Hey New Locals,
YES! You read that right!.
This week, a new report from the Institute for Canadian Citizenship and the Conference Board of Canada put numbers behind that tension. One in five immigrants leaves Canada within 25 years. And as an added shocker, it’s the people Canada says it wants the most, the highly educated and highly skilled, who are leaving faster than others.
It turns out the Canadian dream is a lot more complicated than you think, but knowing the why and the how can make a world of difference.
Why are the most skilled people more likely to leave Canada?
Here is the core data
1 in 5 immigrants leave Canada within 25 years
People with doctorates are almost 2x more likely to leave than those with a bachelors
High-skilled workers leave at about 2x the rate of low-skilled workers in their first 5 years
Roles Canada keeps saying it needs most, like business and finance managers, ICT pros, engineers, and architecture managers, have weak retention
Income growth is a key factor. Among doctorate holders, people whose income barely moves are almost 3x more likely to go than those whose income grows over time.
Atlantic Canada has the toughest numbers. Retention is lowest there. Many people leave from the same province they first landed in. They never try another region.
So what do you do with this?
Ask yourself three quick things:
Has your income here grown in a way that matches your skills
Does your current province still make sense for your career?
Are you clear on whether Canada is your long-term base or your current step?
If you want to dig into the full report, here is the original story.
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🏢 COME-2-CANADA
Study permits are harder now. Here’s what that means
Refusal rates for study permits jumped this year. A lot of people are getting no for reasons that could have been fixed.
Big common issues
Weak explanation of why this program makes sense for your background
Poor proof that you will respect the conditions of the permit
Bank statements that don't fully add up
Unexplained gaps in work or study history
Inconsistent details across forms
—
How your foreign work experience really counts for PR
If you or someone you know is eyeing Express Entry, this info may prove very useful..
Under the CRS system, foreign work experience is one of the only ways to max out “skills transferability” points. Documented properly, it can add up to 50 points. That can be the difference between getting an ITA and waiting another year.
Key points
Foreign and Canadian experience are counted differently.
The combo of both can push a profile into competitive range.
Job titles, NOC codes, and the number of worked hours all matter.
👉There is a good explainer on what counts and how to document it here.
You can also test how competitive a profile looks here
CAREERS
Do you really need a CV for PR applications
Short answer: You often do not need a full CV to submit a PR application. Longer answer: It can still help.
IRCC does not always ask for a resume. What matters more are clear work history fields in the portal, reference letters, and proof of duties.
A well-written CV can still help you keep your story straight, avoid date errors and support job searches in parallel.
When your Canadian 9-to-5 and your business online presence start to fight
If you run something small on the side, or you advise a family business back home, you probably know this feeling.
Work ends at 5 or 6. Your brain is tired. You still need to show up on LinkedIn or Instagram for the business. So you open the apps, stare at the blank screen, and close them again.
The reality for many Africans in Canada is this. You work full-time here. Your market is partly here, partly in Nigeria or elsewhere. Your customers are scattered across time zones. Your energy is not.
This is where a service like CareerBuddy’s outsourcing offer can actually make life simpler— by connecting you with African writers and social media folks who understand both contexts.
You talk through your goals once. They help you build a steady LinkedIn presence as a professional, plus content for your business accounts if you need that too.
Instead of trying to design carousels at midnight, you can
Use weekends for real rest or planning
Use your best hours for deep work or family.
Still stay visible online in a consistent way
If that sounds useful, you can read more and see if it fits your stage here
Check Out CareerBuddy’s Outsourcing Service
LIFESTYLE
For those with business ties back home
You might now be fully based in Canada. Your money, on the other hand, may not be.
Many in this community still have at least one of these
A small registered business in Nigeria
Family businesses where you send money or make decisions
Plans to invest or expand into the Nigerian market later
Nigeria has tax reforms scheduled for 2026 that will affect how those structures operate. Even if you are not running the books yourself, it helps to understand what is changing.
CareerBuddy is hosting a focused tax webinar on December 5. It covers things like
What compliance will look like under the new rules?
What counts as a valid deduction?
The kind of penalties people usually run into (and how to avoid them)
You can join from Canada. Time is 5 to 7 pm WAT, so morning or midday here, depending on your province. The fee is ₦45,000, instead of ₦75,000.
We’ve also got one for 9-5ers, freelancers and people with side hustles going for ₦10,000 instead of ₦20,000, so be sure to cop a seat ASAP
✉️ BEFORE YOU GO
So, what now? Whether you’re aiming to build a lasting life in Canada or weighing new directions, remember this: it’s your move, and the power’s in your hands. Don’t let the stats scare you; use them to strategize smarter.
See you next issue,
Dami from New Local.
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