We are Path To Canada. We help immigrants find and access work opportunities in Canada. 

Today, we speak to Maitreyee. She is an industrial designer whose immigrant journey has spanned three countries.. 

What will this journey look like for you? 

You can reach out to Path to Canada for a free consultation at https://pathtocanada.com/check-eligibility-to-move-to-canada/ 

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Maitreyee was at a familiar crossroads in her life.  
With her undergraduate education in Industrial Design completed, the “what next?” loomed large.   

A headlong plunge into higher education, in her existing environment, did not make sense to her. Experiences through her internship seemed to suggest that roles focussed much more on engineering than design in India, which added a push factor.  

A triumph came in the form of a job offer in the UK which started Maitreyee on the first step of her immigrant journey. The UK, it turned out, had an art-based design culture. Her work in the UK quickly blossomed into a desire to study in the US, to experience a more industry-based design culture.  

Maitreyee’s time in the US highlights a motif which, in some ways, is woven into the lives of all immigrants – the immigrant knowledge gap.  

Because she had sparse access to connections in the US, her understanding of the system was built primarily on online research.  

Most immigrants build their understanding of the US and immigration in this way. But it leads to a fragmented awareness with dark spots of unknown unknowns.   

Between trying to get a scholarship and figuring out everything that an international student needs to, only the H-1B visa floated into her awareness. To further complicate matters, industrial design was frequently not considered a STEM program, which would give her a very short runway on to H-1B.  

Maitreyee laments the fact that she was not aware of options like O-1, which could have helped her chart her course in the US very differently.  

Once she started her education and applying for jobs, Maitreyee hit upon another element of the immigrant knowledge gap – a lack of appreciation of cultural differences.  

Her forthright approach had led to success in her prior job hunting in India. And so, Maitreyee applied that approach as-is to the US. It was received very differently. First, came outright rejections. Then, she was told that her cold outreach on LinkedIn was not appreciated.  

This is an issue many of us will undoubtedly relate to.  

We all learn at some point that to make withdrawals from the Bank of Relationships, you first need to make deposits! Maitreyee learned that she first needed to reach out to people, show genuine interest in their work, the role and the company. She understood that cold outreach with a clear ask in the first instance could be considered transactional. 

Fine tuning her approach to job hunting, Maitreyee landed an internship at FirstBuild (GE Appliances). But after her first stint, it became apparent that the company would not sponsor her H-1B visa.  

This is a familiar dead end, isn’t it?
For so many of us, it all goes great till the question of sponsorship comes up.
And then, the party suddenly comes to a screaming halt.  

Maitreyee had come to a decision point –  

Her education was in industrial design, a non-tech field where sponsorship was hard to come by. But, by way of internships, she now had experience in and enjoyed UI/UX design which had better prospects for her, as an immigrant. 

Adding to this turbulence, was Covid. While the pandemic all but shuttered industrial design roles, UI/UX roles fared better.  

If the first half of Maitreyee’s story highlights the immigrant knowledge gap, a second equally strong thread emerges and grows stronger in the second half – her adaptability, resilience and self-advocacy!  

Soon enough, she landed a UI/UX full-time role.  

This was a culmination of learning and applying not just academic concepts, but cultural ones.
It demonstrated an ability to understand and navigate a system that is often particularly challenging to non-STEM immigrants.  

The job problem was solved, for now.
But the immigration problem was very much not.  

And it was an urgent one.  

Maitreyee had a single shot at a work visa in the US, because of her non-STEM degree.  

Fortunately, through personal connections, she knew of Path To Canada as an option which she proactively brought up to her employer as an option.  

The next part is one that will strike a familiar chord with many readers.
It took a significant amount of convincing to get her employer to move Maitreyee to Canada, once her H-1B did not come through.  

Despite having done the background work.
Despite having been proactive.
Despite having advocated for herself.  

Finally, it happened.  

Maitreyee’s move involved the uncertainties and hiccups imposed by Covid.
One of those hiccups was a delayed Social Insurance Number (Canada’s equivalent of an SSN). She reports that Syndesus staff were responsive to her needs at a time of transition, when she needed support and guidance.  

Having moved to Canada in 2021, today Maitreyee is a Permanent Resident. 

To be sure, PR has not solved all her problems – she did get caught up in the tech layoffs. 

When the layoff happened, Path To Canada was there for her, navigating employment insurance, providing necessary documentation. Maitreyee specifically appreciates the responsiveness she has experienced at a time of stress for her.  

Despite the layoff due to factors beyond both her and Syndesus’ control, Maitreyee reports satisfaction in the work she did over the past few years and the personal connections she has made in Toronto have helped insulate her from the loneliness so many new immigrants experience with new moves!  

The diversity of Toronto’s population has also helped her feel accepted and furthered a sense of belonging.  

The next step for her is to find a position that has a good balance of responsibilities, compensation and that allow her to push herself professionally.  

Maitreyee’s story is a compelling one, because it demonstrates just how much good decision-making is rooted in awareness. At every stage of her journey, she sought out options and information. And she was not afraid of bold choices.   

When she was unsure of what to do after her bachelor’s degree, she chose to work abroad.  

When she assessed that the design culture of the UK wasn’t quite what she was looking for, she looked into what options were out there to realign.  

When industrial design did not offer a path to internships readily, she pivoted to UI/UX.
And finally, she found a new home in Canada.