Jamil, Neesa and Farista Mohammad
Engineer from Bangladesh builds new life for his family in Alberta
Jamil Mohammad of Dhaka, Bangladesh has seen the Great Wall of China, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the London Bridge, the Himalayas in Nepal, Taj Mahal in India, Niagara Falls in Canada, Pataya Beach in Thailand and many beautiful destinations – but his favourite has been Alberta’s Rocky Mountains. And now he lives just a few hours away from them.
An engineer, Jamil immigrated to Canada from Bangladesh in 2005 with his wife, Zeb-Un Nessa, and daughter, Farista Sairuv. They landed in Ontario, then moved to Edmonton, Alberta the following year, after learning about the opportunities for work.
“Alberta is a great province,” he said. “It has a lot of job opportunities and the social conditions are much better than in Bangladesh. There are also more facilities for education, and the Alberta government is helping integrate newcomers in the society with professional work opportunities and better work environments.”
Jamil and his family are doing well in Alberta but the journey has not always been an easy one. “Initially I could not find the government programs to help integrate internationally-trained engineers in Alberta, ” explained Jamil. “Fortunately, some friends informed us about the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers (EMCN), which has been a tremendous help. Through this government-funded program, I was able to complete the Engineers and Technologists Integration Program. It’s an excellent course because it helped me to integrate into Canadian social and work culture.”
Jamil wishes he knew about the EMCN when he first arrived in Edmonton. “It took me more than six months to find EMCN and it’s only a 15-minute walk from my home,” he said. “I hope that by sharing my experience, it will help newcomers who may be facing similar challenges.”
Another big adjustment Jamil’s family has faced has been dealing with homesickness. “For me it was not that difficult to adjust to living in Canada,” said Jamil, “but my wife and daughter have found it challenging. We have a very big family in Bangladesh and we miss them very much. We were also socially, financially and politically well-established there, so our changed situation, especially starting from zero, was difficult for us in the beginning. Despite that, we feel lucky that we moved here and we are becoming more comfortable now.”
Jamil is a member of the Association of Science and Engineering Technologists and is currently in the process of registering with the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists, and Geophysicists of Alberta. He works at Magna IV Engineering in Edmonton with plans to move up as a professional engineer with the company.
Jamil encourages other newcomers to consider moving to Alberta for the many benefits the province offers. “I’ve already helped many of my family members and friends move to Alberta from other provinces. I tell them about the job opportunities, the social and work environment, the training facilities, and the education and integration programs offered by the Alberta government,” he said. “It’s also a peaceful place to live, and, of course, I mention the beautiful Rocky Mountains.”
Date Updated: Mar 31, 2008
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