[zehhatter]

Originally Posted by centaur

Not necessary. They do certify a one year degree as Masters

My answer was based on the experiences of my friends and family who had applied via WES, WES didn't certify one year long master's degrees and distant education degrees as a master's degree while IQAS considered it as an equivalent to master's. Hence, I asked him to contact all the authorities so he can get clarity regarding it.

I also agree with your answer regarding the employment scene in Canada which is actually pretty bad and coupled with the unforgiving winters, Australia seems like a better option but it also has its other pros and cons. Immigrating isn't really a good idea for a lot of people hoping for a better future, work opportunities here are improving and you can have a really good standard of living here on a smaller budget. There is also a probability of not finding a job in the banking sector as they have a different set of rules and guidelines and they usually don't hire immigrants as they lack the " Canadian Experience" while many people misjudge it to be racism, its actually a polite way of saying that you don't possess the experience and knowledge presently to handle Canadian projects. So you might need to look into other sectors or work your way from the starting line.

[centaur]

Originally Posted by zehhatter

My answer was based on the experiences of my friends and family who had applied via WES, WES didn't certify one year long master's degrees and distant education degrees as a master's degree while IQAS considered it as an equivalent to master's. Hence, I asked him to contact all the authorities so he can get clarity regarding it.

I guess for Canadian immigration, only WES would work unless they have changed in the last 2 years or so. As for 1 year masters being certified as maters, I am sure it has some criteria associated and isnt a straight yes or no if you ask me. I suppose it depends on the type of program, the University, the credits associated and the likes. I have a 1 year Masters and it was certified as equivalent to Masters in Canada.

Originally Posted by zehhatter

I also agree with your answer regarding the employment scene in Canada which is actually pretty bad and coupled with the unforgiving winters, Australia seems like a better option but it also has its other pros and cons. Immigrating isn't really a good idea for a lot of people hoping for a better future, work opportunities here are improving and you can have a really good standard of living here on a smaller budget. There is also a probability of not finding a job in the banking sector as they have a different set of rules and guidelines and they usually don't hire immigrants as they lack the " Canadian Experience" while many people misjudge it to be racism, its actually a polite way of saying that you don't possess the experience and knowledge presently to handle Canadian projects. So you might need to look into other sectors or work your way from the starting line.

Yes, the Canadian experience clause is a major hurdle at times while getting a job there and is not specific to Banking alone. I had a friend there who was looking for jobs and had a lot of US experience, but where ever he applied, they specifically asked for Canadian experience and did not consider the US experience to be equivalent.

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by centaur

Yes, the Canadian experience clause is a major hurdle at times while getting a job there and is not specific to Banking alone. I had a friend there who was looking for jobs and had a lot of US experience, but where ever he applied, they specifically asked for Canadian experience and did not consider the US experience to be equivalent.

Australia is no different, unless ofcourse. you have niche skills, and your skills are in short supply. Most people trying the Australian market are also stone-walled with the demand for 'local experience', as it's referred to here. If at some point you have worked for an Australian client, this needs to be highlighted which will better your chances.

[sairamboko]

Thank you all for your valuable inputs! I am now confused and considering my personal situation I am evaluating my immigration options again.

[centaur]

Originally Posted by sairamboko

I am now confused and considering my personal situation I am evaluating my immigration options again.

Don't be confused. I would suggest doing some good research on the Canadian and Australian market for the jobs and the salaries. Post this, just do some market research on the average rents in the cities you are looking at, the net income after taxes, school fees (if any), your loans in India which you may need to pay from there etc. and see if you are saving more than in India after all the expenses. This of course will not be accurate but should be good enough to give you an idea and you can plan accordingly.

[ritz3645]

No immigration turns to a bad case, if you are ready to work smart & hard.

I have a question regarding immigration of MD / Doctors from India to North America. Appreciate any and every information.

[LTAutoMad]

Originally Posted by Mafia

I have so many questions.
Starting off with:

• What is the job market like in Architecture?
• What is considered a typical middle class salary in Australia?
• How is education for children (middle school)?
• Health care?

Like any internet forum, unfortunately, we also seem to have people who, with perfectly good intentions, dish out totally clueless & false advice. Believe at your own risk!

Take all internet advice with a huge serving of salt! Including mine!

As someone who migrated 25 years ago to Australia as an independent migrant, I cannot simply be a passive observer to the misinformation being given to you.

$100-$150k is NOT a median salary by any measure in Australia - it is high to very high salary by Australian standards.
As per the government body Australian Bureau of Statistics, for May 2019, the Full-time adult average weekly total earnings = $1,695 = $88,140 p.a.
Anything over $100k is a good salary - a figure the majority of Australians (including many professionals) won’t cross in their lifetimes.

Yes, IT salaries for hot skills are higher & there are any number of Indians earning 120k, 150k or more, but that is not a typical figure. Even in IT, you need to have really niche hot skills or be in management to be earning $150k.

Healthcare is NOT free in Australia - You pay 2% of your Income as Medicare levy. So, for an income of $100k, that is $2,000 gone.
Then, there is the Medicare Levy Surcharge on top of it. The base income threshold (under which you are not liable to pay the MLS) is $90,000 for singles and $180,000 for families. This also shows what the government considers as a “high” income for singles & families.
For a family of four, private health insurance will work out to $4,000-$6,000 p.a. depending on your inclusions. Dental is NOT covered anywhere.

It is very hard to predict the job market for a “soft, subjective” skilled profession like Architecture, unlike, say someone with specific experience in a specific field of IT. Most Australian architectural practices are boutique firms which may not be able to take in extra people.
Thoroughly search the website of Australian Institute of Architects and other industry bodies.

When you went to the Gulf, you would have repeatedly faced the question “How much GCC experience do you have?”. It is the same here - you would be asked for Australian experience.

Do NOT migrate to Australia if you are a very career-minded person. Unfortunately, you do not have time on your hands.

Blunt truth - Australia is very ageist (like the Indian IT industry) - over 45 is well over the hill and after 50, good luck finding a job once you lose yours. That’s the harsh reality all Australians face (ok, if you are a hands-on IT guy, you will continue to be employed).

Getting the PR & getting a suitable job are completely different things. You will never know unless you try. It also depends on your personal circumstances. Many qualified Indians in the Guf, Singapore etc. take up the PR to just set up their families here, wisely realising that they cannot get equivalent jobs / income in Australia.

I have seen a number of high-flying Indians (for e.g. Director, VP etc level in IT) who migrate and struggle to find any job to eke out a living. Australia does NOT need fresh migrant managers (especially the Excel manager type!) - there are any number of Australians (of all colours & backgrounds) with 10-15-20 years’ experience who will fight for the few senior jobs.

Yes, once you have a few years of Australian experience, you can compete for the senior positions, but by then you would be 50+.

Taxes are high, while quality of life is one of the best in the world, living costs are also one of the highest in the world. You need two good incomes to be comfortable (of course, no different to any other place). If your wife is a graduate nurse, apply immediately! On the other hand, if she is a Doctor, there is a high probability of her not re-qualifying! etc etc.

If you are prepared to happily start again from the bottom as an entry level Architect, then go for it. You may very well leapfrog up the career once you have some local experience or you may not!

Just be very realistic on why you are migrating to Australia.

Originally Posted by centaur

With my limited knowledge on Australia, I guess the immigration for Australia is more difficult than Canada. To sum it up, check for job opportunities vis-a-vis the pay in Canada and Australia and go for the market which has higher opportunities in your field.

Appreciate you clearly stating "with my limited knowledge on Australia" instead of shooting wildly from the mouth!

Yes, things are exactly the same here - there are large number of qualified, experienced people searching for a job. Nobody can predict who will get a job fastest - there are any number of smart, driven, articulate highly skilled people who can't get a break for years while some others get a great break straightaway. I have had a number of applications from IIT graduates & IIM graduates for things totally unsuited for their skillsets.

It is a huge struggle - unfortunately, only the success stories come out or people just hide their struggles. You only see the beautiful big mansion - you don't see the years when 12 young Indians squeezed into a 3 bedroom flat in a junkie-infested suburb!

Originally Posted by ritz3645

No immigration turns to a bad case, if you are ready to work smart & hard.

I am a very positive guy and would have loved to agree with you on this, but the reality of life is a long way from that statement.

Immigration outcomes also follows the Normal distribution or bell curve.
While many do well & a few spectacularly well, many also do badly (& a few spectacularly badly - like a medical Doctor ending up cleaning toilets (true)).
Majority do so so.

Of course, for those at the bottom (no qualification or experience or money) with nothing to lose, then the only way is up! But we have seen many such people lose their lives in their quest to reach the west.

Originally Posted by sairamboko

Few of my friends are suggesting me to try for Australia instead of Canada. Seeking the views of this forum on Canada vs Australia.

Please check to ensure that your specialist skills are needed in Australia. Google relentlessly!
Many of the jobs in seek.com.au etc are fake ones put out by recruiters to harvest resumes.

The Indian IT majors have established a big presence in Australia and.... as you know, their whole business model is based on offshoring.
You don't want to migrate & then find that all retail banking production support is handled out of India or Philippines!

On the other hand, if you are determined to give a better life for your son (I don't know your circumstances) & am mentally prepared for a huge struggle (what if you don't get an IT job & you have to survive on some minimum wage job?), go for it. There are hundreds of thousands of Indians who have made a successful life in Australia, but just be aware of the huge numbers who are struggling to make a living and wondering why the hell did they ever leave India?

Be realistic & practical - no stupid Bollywood rose-tinted glasses! My favourite example is that stupid movie Salam Namaste, which was shot here in Melbourne - due to dire circumstances, the hero & heroine are forced to rent an apartment together - well, they rent a huge, ocean-facing apartment & she drives a Nissan Patrol! If only they had changed the location to Mumbai & made the poor couple rent an ocean-facing apartment in Juhu....

[centaur]

Originally Posted by LTAutoMad

Appreciate you clearly stating "with my limited knowledge on Australia" instead of shooting wildly from the mouth!

With due respect, it would have helped if you could have asked for a clarification instead of jumping the gun. May be it was not clear but my statement around immigration to Australia was around the process and getting a PR than the job hunt. I have not mentioned anything about the job scenario in Australia if you would have read my post carefully. What you stated on the job scene in Australia is similar to what I mentioned for Canada. So not sure what the fuss is about but anyway hope this clears the air.

[LTAutoMad]

Originally Posted by centaur

With due respect, it would have helped if you could have asked for a clarification instead of jumping the gun. May be it was not clear but my statement around immigration to Australia was around the process and getting a PR than the job hunt. I have not mentioned anything about the job scenario in Australia if you would have read my post carefully. What you stated on the job scene in Australia is similar to what I mentioned for Canada. So not sure what the fuss is about but anyway hope this clears the air.

You completely got me wrong, buddy! I was really appreciating you for a good, informative post, which is how posts should be instead of someone writing a vague response by just Googling something.

In spite of writing an informative post, you had the grace to say you were not familiar with Australia. I appreciated it as I would have said the same thing about Canada - though these two countries are very similar (except the weather!), any comment I make would be with my very limited knowledge of Canada.

Yours was a good response. Period.

There are many of us who are on the ground in Australia, Canada etc who can give a warts & all response.

Similarly, there could be many people in India who could have in-depth awareness of the reality of migration due to their friends or family having gone through the struggles.

You, me or anyone else has every right to write whatever they want, but my point was someone was asking a serious question about a whole family's future & naive answers were being bandied about.

Compared to people who migrated "blind" before the days of the internet, every bit of info is nowadays available & its a case of buyer beware.

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by LTAutoMad

[/list]$100-$150k is NOT a median salary by any measure in Australia - it is high to very high salary by Australian standards.
As per the government body Australian Bureau of Statistics, for May 2019, the Full-time adult average weekly total earnings = $1,695 = $88,140 p.a.
Anything over $100k is a good salary - a figure the majority of Australians (including many professionals) won’t cross in their lifetimes.

Completely agree.

Originally Posted by LTAutoMad

Healthcare is NOT free in Australia - You pay 2% of your Income as Medicare levy. So, for an income of $100k, that is $2,000 gone.
Then, there is the Medicare Levy Surcharge on top of it. The base income threshold (under which you are not liable to pay the MLS) is $90,000 for singles and $180,000 for families. This also shows what the government considers as a “high” income for singles & families.
For a family of four, private health insurance will work out to $4,000-$6,000 p.a. depending on your inclusions. Dental is NOT covered anywhere.

Completely agree. Also, private health insurance premiums rise EVERY year, to the point where young people now are willing to risk not having private health insurance. This once again creates a deficit for insurance companies who still need to pay for people who claim. This then leads them to have to milk the cow all the more, and the circle continues.

Originally Posted by LTAutoMad

I have seen a number of high-flying Indians (for e.g. Director, VP etc level in IT) who migrate and struggle to find any job to eke out a living. Australia does NOT need fresh migrant managers (especially the Excel manager type!) - there are any number of Australians (of all colours & backgrounds) with 10-15-20 years’ experience who will fight for the few senior jobs.

My honest opinion is that in management, the competition is quite high in the local talent pool owing to the better communication skills that people possess, not to forget greater exposure to local working ways.

Originally Posted by LTAutoMad

It is a huge struggle - unfortunately, only the success stories come out or people just hide their struggles. You only see the beautiful big mansion - you don't see the years when 12 young Indians squeezed into a 3 bedroom flat in a junkie-infested suburb!

Agree. I went through the same struggles when I first came over. Took about a year before I got into a role related to my skillsets and experience. However, a never-say-die attitude and a carefully curated backup plan to head back if things didn't work out kept me going. Finally cracked the puzzle after relentless trying and now here I am.

Originally Posted by LTAutoMad

Please check to ensure that your specialist skills are needed in Australia. Google relentlessly!
Many of the jobs in seek.com.au etc are fake ones put out by recruiters to harvest resumes.

The Indian IT majors have established a big presence in Australia and.... as you know, their whole business model is based on offshoring.
You don't want to migrate & then find that all retail banking production support is handled out of India or Philippines!

This is a fact I realized only after coming here. Don't make the same mistake.

[poloman]

Originally Posted by LTAutoMad

[/list]$100-$150k is NOT a median salary by any measure in Australia - it is high to very high salary by Australian standards.
As per the government body Australian Bureau of Statistics, for May 2019, the Full-time adult average weekly total earnings = $1,695 = $88,140 p.a.
Anything over $100k is a good salary - a figure the majority of Australians (including many professionals) won’t cross in their lifetimes.

Is this for real? $100K AUD translates to 48L INR. I know for sure most of the mid/senior level positions in good companies can draw that kind of salary in India. With high cost of living how is this going to be enough? What is the pull for people to migrate if they are going to get same salary with 2-3 times higher cost of living?

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by poloman

Is this for real? $100K AUD translates to 48L INR.
....
What is the pull for people to migrate if they are going to get same salary with 2-3 times higher cost of living?

Great to see your post. I can say for sure. My don is a doctor, and of his lot those who stayed on are doing far better that those who migrated.

After all 'videsh videsh hi hai'.

[kiku007]

Originally Posted by poloman

Is this for real? $100K AUD translates to 48L INR. I know for sure most of the mid/senior level positions in good companies can draw that kind of salary in India. With high cost of living how is this going to be enough? What is the pull for people to migrate if they are going to get same salary with 2-3 times higher cost of living?

Things like median salary make no sense to me.

To help you understand I'll put it this way.
Let's consider a couple that has:

• 2 children
• Combined family income (CTC) upwards of Rs.40L in India
• At the least one good fully paid-up property in India
• 2 cars in India

Now if this family wants to have a good lifestyle (own a house, 2 cars, pay for iPads for the school, pay for the numerous classes and holidays etc) then the family income should be $250K+. I'll be brutally honest. If people earning 40+L in India are coming to Australia with an expectation that $100-$150K family income is enough, then they'll be in for a rude shock.

[hothatchaway]

Originally Posted by LTAutoMad

Like any internet forum, unfortunately, we also seem to have people who, with perfectly good intentions, dish out totally clueless & false advice. Believe at your own risk!

Be realistic & practical - no stupid Bollywood rose-tinted glasses!

I applaud your candid assessment based on actual experiences. You are spot on. We only look at success stories as failures are orphans. My B-I-L is in Canada and he works in the Oil & Gas sector as an engineer. A 'hot skill' is ever there was any. He keeps asking me to try my luck there. I read through the express entry program and considered the 'management' area I am in which does not have any dearth of Canadian job seekers, forget about emigrating ones. Concluded that unless you have employers lining up to bag you, these facilitated emigration programs are disingenuous. They demand a handsome bank balance from emigrants to support themselves (while contributing to an economy with not enough consumers) while conveniently junking their hard earned qualifications from accredited universities and insisting they 're qualify'. Its a massive gamble if you have a degree from a good university in India and hold down a good job.

Originally Posted by poloman

Is this for real? $100K AUD translates to 48L INR. I know for sure most of the mid/senior level positions in good companies can draw that kind of salary in India. With high cost of living how is this going to be enough? What is the pull for people to migrate if they are going to get same salary with 2-3 times higher cost of living?

You have done a simple exchange rate conversion when you should have looked at purchasing power parity. 48lakhs in India will go much further in India than 100k AUD in Australia IMO. Our depreciated INR is to be blamed here I have limited knowledge about Australia but for North American salaries, I would use a multiplier of not more than 25 (instead of the official exchange rate) to gauge the 'value' of a dollar salary. Many living expenses are far cheaper in India.

[LTAutoMad]

Originally Posted by poloman

Is this for real? $100K AUD translates to 48L INR. I know for sure most of the mid/senior level positions in good companies can draw that kind of salary in India. With high cost of living how is this going to be enough? What is the pull for people to migrate if they are going to get same salary with 2-3 times higher cost of living?

You are correct - it no longer makes any sense to migrate just for better salaries. The gap has narrowed substantially.
25 years ago, the starting salary for a graduate was AU$30-35k p.a., now it is AU$60-70K, so doubled in 25 years! Reason - Very low inflation.

For India, what would be the salary now compared to 25 years ago? 20x? 25x?

In Australia, salary growth is linked to CPI growth - salary increment is typically only 2-3% a year!