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Hi!
And welcome to the 20+ new subscribers who joined The New Local this week.
In this edition:
How food can speed up your sense of belonging.
The little-known Canadian work permit that’s perfect for founders.
Five money headaches newcomers face (and how to survive them).
A front-seat view of underemployment in Canada.
Why you need to study your local job market before sending another CV.
If you enjoy this newsletter, Abraham and I would love it if you encouraged two friends, fellow immigrants, or colleagues to subscribe. In return, you’ll be getting a copy of our Canadian resume and cover letter pack, a warm virtual hug (or handshake, if you prefer) — and, if I can track it, a personal thank-you note.
💼 Jobs worth a look this week
We’ve got the full list in the job board spreadsheet, but here are three standout roles:
Online Chat Assistant — Edmonton, AB
$26–$47.90/hr. Flexible remote-ready skills, great pay band, and steady demand in the customer service sector.
General Labourer - Crating/Packaging — Toronto, ON
$19.50–$20.00/hr. A role in a stable manufacturing environment with predictable shifts and potential overtime.
Remote Dispatcher — Work from Home
$20–$26.44/hr. Fully remote with logistics experience valued — a rare find in Canada’s WFH market.
Want to get the most out of ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is a superpower if you know how to use it correctly.
Discover how HubSpot's guide to AI can elevate both your productivity and creativity to get more things done.
Learn to automate tasks, enhance decision-making, and foster innovation with the power of AI.
🍲 Food as a way to integrate (and not just survive)
Food has always been humanity’s favourite social glue. Whether it’s a potluck, a festival feast, or a neighbour showing up with soup on your first day in a new home, sharing a meal builds bridges faster than anything else.
But for immigrants, food is more than connection — it’s memory, identity, and sometimes an unexpected challenge. A simple recipe from “back home” can turn into a scavenger hunt for ingredients. You substitute. You experiment. Sometimes you discover a new favourite; sometimes you swear never to try that again.
Adapting doesn’t mean abandoning. In fact, mixing old flavours with new ones can become a form of storytelling: showing others where you’ve come from while learning where you are now.
If you want to make food a more intentional part of your integration:
Map your flavours: Find local grocers, markets, or immigrant-owned food spots that stock ingredients from home.
Host or join a food meetup: Potlucks are the fastest way to trade recipes, cultures, and conversations.
Experiment with fusion: Pair one dish from home with a local side or ingredient — it’s a great way to spark curiosity and conversations.
Share your story: Tell people the history or meaning behind a dish when you cook for them — it turns a meal into a memory.
Food sustains us. But when we share it, it quietly helps us belong.
The C11 Significant Benefit Work Permit — a founder’s fast lane to Canada
Most people know about Canada’s big immigration streams: Express Entry, provincial nominations, study-to-work pathways. Few people are aware of the C11 Significant Benefit Work Permit, a route specifically designed for entrepreneurs who will actively run a Canadian business that creates real value.
If you own at least 51% of a company and can prove your venture will create jobs, export, innovate, or uplift communities, the C11 Significant Benefit Work Permit could be your quickest route to building in Canada — no LMIA required.
You’ll need a clear benefit narrative, operational readiness, the funds to execute, and a contingency plan. And while it’s not an instant PR ticket, it can set you up for one later.
💰 5 financial stressors every newcomer meets (and how to beat them)
One of the most understated issues about moving to Canada is how grocery shopping becomes a mental workout. Every price tag has to be converted into Naira before you can decide whether to put it in the cart. One $150 grocery bill may even feel like watching over half a million Naira disappear in a single afternoon.
That kind of mental math is common for newcomers — and it’s just one of the money-related stressors you might face. Here are five more, plus ways to handle them:
Finding work quickly
The first months can feel like running a race with weights tied to your ankles. Networking, upskilling, and even short-term volunteer roles can make you visible faster..
Starting your credit history from scratch
In Canada, no credit history can be as limiting as bad credit. Start with a secured card, use it regularly, and pay on time — even small transactions count.
The housing scramble
The rental market moves fast and can be brutal. Research neighbourhoods, be ready to sign, and consider shared housing if you’re solo.
Navigating taxes and benefits
The CRA doesn’t joke. Get a CRA account, learn the basics, and use free tax clinics to avoid missed credits like the GST/HST rebate or the Canada Child Benefit.
Building an emergency fund
The ‘Black Tax’ is real — supporting family back home can clash with your own savings goals. Start small, automate deposits, and treat your emergency fund as untouchable.
🚗 Driving Canada: Immigration seen from the driver’s seat
In 2024, Qissa and the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 collected stories from Toronto Uber drivers who had been engineers, doctors, and other skilled professionals before moving to Canada.
Every one of them hit the same wall: no opportunities that matched their qualifications, forcing them into gig work to make ends meet. It’s a sharp reminder that getting here is only half the challenge — the real test is finding a place where your skills can thrive.
🧭 Do you really know your local job market?
Sending dozens of resumes without understanding how your industry hires is like throwing darts in the dark.
Every country, and often every sector, has its own “hiring pipeline” — the sequence from job ad to offer. Sometimes the recruiter’s “quick chat” is the first interview. Sometimes applications are screened by software before a human even looks at them.
Before you hit “apply” again:
Research the pipeline — talk to people in your industry, read company reviews, attend networking events.
Identify realistic roles — some titles require years more experience than you think. Look at the career paths of people in your dream role to see where they started.
Watch the trends — which skills, tools, or sub-sectors are heating up? Align your learning to match where the industry is headed.
Understanding the terrain turns job hunting from guesswork into a targeted campaign — and that’s where you win.
🛠 Tools & resources worth bookmarking
AI Landing Page Prompts: Turn copy + paste into a marketing superpower.
Workplace perks in Nigeria you won’t believe: From paid massages to therapy stipends.
Thanks for reading.
Got any questions? Feel free to reply to this mail and I’ll get back to you faster than you can say “Saskatchewan”. (You can try it if you don’t believe me 😉)
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Cheers,
— Dami from New Local