Jameela Dhatri: a Fictional Profile of an Indian Immigrant

Immigrants from all over the world come to live and work in Alberta, Canada. Many are professionals who have trained in their home country and practiced their skills for years before coming to Canada. Not surprisingly, most of the immigrant population who relocate wish to continue their careers by re-entering the workforce in their professions. These immigrants bring much knowledge, experience and expertise with them; they are significant contributors to Alberta’s professional success and overall diversity. Immigration is a necessary and essential process that aids in the continual advancement of our workforce. This paper will concentrate on the procedures necessary for an individual arriving in Alberta from another country to re-enter the teaching profession after having obtained the necessary credentials to teach in their home country.

As a means to outline the necessary steps a foreigner must take once successfully immigrating to Alberta in order to re-enter the teaching profession, a fictional profile has been created:

My name is Jameela Dhatri. I am 35 years old and I am a teacher in Edmonton, Alberta. My husband and I have two children, a young son and daughter. We have recently emigrated from India, where I attended the University of Delhi and obtained my Bachelor of Education. I have always wanted to be a teacher and I love teaching; I feel it is my calling. I taught elementary school for eleven years before my husband was offered a transfer for a research position in Alberta. When I learned that we were moving to Edmonton, I decided I would do whatever it took to continue my career in Alberta. I would like to recount for you my journey toward becoming a teacher in Edmonton, Alberta.

As a first step, I looked on The Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC) website, www.cicic.ca, to look up the procedure of assessing my current credentials for employment in Canada. The CICIC referred me Alberta Education, the...