coldwatersurf

I came from Canada and was making $50K per year as an administrator.
I was "hoping" to get an office job and I expected a huge cut back w/ the income I was used to. But, I think no matter where you immigrate from, you will have to start from the bottom.
My first job in the US was a housekeeper at minimum wage. It was a huge blow to my ego. But, I was so desperate to work, at that point, I didn't care. Hang in there. Learn from all the jobs. for example, I looked at the job as "collecting references" so I can find a better job.

OK after waiting almost 2 hours on the phone with the exchange, I am eligible for health care, but just have to pay more b/c our household income is high. Which means, we are not eligible for a tax credit or medicaid. which is fine b/c i expected it.

i must agree with Zeebee on this one. and i do see everyone's point of view. However, these hurdles are there for a reason. could be b/c of the terrorists attacks or being cautious that the intending immigrant is not a public charge. and the list goes on.
As for not being grateful that the immigration process is difficult..... its VERY FRUSTRATING... however, again, there are reasons why it is this way. I'm grateful that they are taking these steps to protect their country. I personally wont immigrate to a location where the country has lenient rules.
And yes its unfortunate innocent people get caught in all this mess.
Again this is just my opinion. no attack here on anyone's situation

Boy am i glad i read this. its good to know im not alone. I thought I was going crazy. its been so hard for me adjusting to life in US. I felt like running back to canada a million times. I think the mind blowing adjustment was trying to find a job that was as decent as the last one. it was such a total blow to my ego... having a job that paid 50K/year to now a minimum wage dead end job. it wasnt an easy decision moving to US to leave my job that I loved. I finally gave in to going back to school and changing my career path after being here for over a year. its still hard for me to get used to the US economy. There were times I felt like running away & missed what I had. i was so stressed and it added strain to my communication with my hubby. it doesnt help I live in a very very small town with very little career opportunities. and every job that's looking to hire has to be in the medical field which I purposely tried to avoid in college lol. Now i have to go back and accept that its in demand so that is what i am going back to school for.
I def learned the true definition of "patience". I felt really good being financially independent in Canada. I now live in a small town and life is very slow, its almost piercingly painful for a city folk like me. LOL. Starting over is difficult & i would never do this again. lol. but im glad i went through it. i know i was driving my husband crazy. But dont give up when your spouse is feeling this way!!!!
i just wanted to share what my husband told me when I was feeling low about adjusting to life in US & trying to obtain the same things that I had in canada. he said "why are you in such a rush to achieve so many things? we have long years ahead of us that we are going to be spending together" and it changed my whole perspective... remember how the whole immigration process feels??? im sure it was stressful for a lot of you. all you can think about is joining your spouse. Now that I am with my hubby, i totally forgot how it felt and i should be grateful that we survived that process and enjoy our time together.

Boy am i glad i read this. its good to know im not alone. I thought I was going crazy. its been so hard for me adjusting to life in US. I felt like running back to canada a million times. I think the mind blowing adjustment was trying to find a job that was as decent as the last one. it was such a total blow to my ego... having a job that paid 50K/year to now a minimum wage dead end job. it wasnt an easy decision moving to US to leave my job that I loved. I finally gave in to going back to school and changing my career path after being here for over a year. its still hard for me to get used to the US economy. There were times I felt like running away & missed what I had. i was so stressed and it added strain to my communication with my hubby. it doesnt help I live in a very very small town with very little career opportunities. and every job that's looking to hire has to be in the medical field which I purposely tried to avoid in college lol. Now i have to go back and accept that its in demand so that is what i am going back to school for.
I def learned the true definition of "patience". I felt really good being financially independent in Canada. I now live in a small town and life is very slow, its almost piercingly painful for a city folk like me. LOL. Starting over is difficult & i would never do this again. lol. but im glad i went through it. i know i was driving my husband crazy. But dont give up when your spouse is feeling this way!!!!
i just wanted to share what my husband told me when I was feeling low about adjusting to life in US & trying to obtain the same things that I had in canada. he said "why are you in such a rush to achieve so many things? we have long years ahead of us that we are going to be spending together" and it changed my whole perspective... remember how the whole immigration process feels??? im sure it was stressful for a lot of you. all you can think about is joining your spouse. Now that I am with my hubby, i totally forgot how it felt and i should be grateful that we survived that process and enjoy our time together.

http://www.educationinternational.org/procedure.htm I used this company to get my CDN high school transcripts evaluated! They were great. I had the required document back before they had even cashed the cheque!!!
I had to take all the pre-reqs before I got accepted into the nursing program! Was a pain in the butt,but I did it! My school offered many of the classes online, which was nice. Was even able to take many of the sciences online, then met now and then for lab on campus.
As wel check with the local hospitals, sometimes they offer to pay for your schooling, and in return you have to work for them for so long---and if ya back out after they paid for ur schooling, then you owe them $$$$$,lol
There is also the diploma route to go in getting your RN's, but they are fewer and fewer of them! Liek any other job, the more "schooling" the better. Many start with the ADN, then go onto their BSN, 1 advantage of that route, is that most employers will assist in paying for your schooling.
And check with your school, they can usually direct you to scholarships, I know mine listed them on their website. I lucked out on getting one scholarship--was sponsored by the Rotary club---About 10 people were on the panel that interviewed me, and most of them were USA Armed forces veterans, so they liked my Cdn military experience. If I can go back to school, anyone can,lol
With regards to the classes taken in BC-----I contacted my old High school, and they mailed me my transcripts, which I then mailed to the above mentioned company! They sent a letter directly to the school,and a copy to me, stating it was equivalent to USA grade 12