Settling in Canada

Typically, internationally trained professionals go through an adjustment period—also known as a settlement curve—when they arrive in Canada. The curve is sometimes characterized by three Fs—fun, fright, and fit.

Maryna Bityutsky CPA, CGA, CFO of the Centre for Newcomers in Calgary, acknowledges that although everyone’s experience is different, the early stages of the settlement process can be fun. “When my family first emigrated from Ukraine to Calgary, we were very excited to live in such a developed country with so many opportunities. Everything was so new and fresh, and we called our family back home almost every day to share our experiences.”

As this initial excitement levels off, internationally trained professionals may experience fear, especially when challenges kick in. In Maryna’s case, English was a major obstacle at first. She had studied English in Ukraine and thought she was proficient, but after arriving in Calgary, she realized her Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level was only a four. (To put this in context, the CPA Western School of Business recommends that prospective CPA candidates have a minimum CLB level of eight before taking CPA preparatory courses or entering the CPA Professional Education Program.)

The language barrier frightened Maryna a bit, but also lit a fire in her. She had been a chief accountant in Ukraine and her goal was to become a CPA in Alberta. “To successfully settle in Canada, it is important to have short and long-term goals,” says Maryna. “Know where you want to take your career, create a strategy to get there, and gradually work towards your goal. Canada provides a wide range of opportunities for internationally trained professionals.

If you identify what you want and what makes you happy, the settlement process will be so much quicker.” In 2012—at age 50—Maryna obtained her CPA designation. “I passed all my exams on the first attempt,” says Maryna. “The more I succeeded in the program, the more I felt like I fit in the community and workforce. Getting my designation was the best professional decision I’ve ever made.

“The designation opens so many doors— you become more marketable; your salary goes up; you are able to choose what you want to do. I chose to work at the Centre for Newcomers because being an immigrant, I understand the needs of internationally trained professionals, and I want to help make their settlement easier.”