[StarrySky]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

In the end, we made a few phone calls to India and their medicines were Fed Ex-ed to New Zealand. We spent $125 and it took 6 days to arrive. Problem solved.

Is this legal? Here in Finland, private individuals importing medicines from outside the EU is illegal. An Indian national recently got into trouble for this.

[arunrajk81]

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

No way in hell should the illegal migrants from India qualify for asylum in the states. Far from being lumped with central American or African countries, India is way way ahead and if anything, serve as a model for some of these nations.

I heard that there are ways to do it even in current situation and people are trying which I don’t want to explain here. How many are succeeding is a different question.

[John316_WRC]

Short background: I'm a Civil engineer who worked for 10 years in the UAE and 4+ years in India now.
UAE Pros: Tax free income, managed to save some and invest. Good place for business owners. Safety and security is better than India for a layman. Rules are in place and followed rightly so.
Negatives:
-There is always an underlying racial profiling, admit it or not.
-Pay discrepancy when it comes to people with Indian passports vs western passports are simply too large to ignore.
-As a salaried employee, there is always going to be the job security question.
-Everything has become very expensive, salaries have definitely not kept up.
-There is an unspoken recession in Dubai every 3 years or so where high paying people lose their jobs. (My company hired 3 people in my place in 2019).
-In addition many friends from Kerala are willing to work for less than half of my pay even though they have 20+ years experience just to continue in the GCC, so in turn they end up spoiling the pay market there.

Would I go back to the GCC? Short answer No. In the long run it is probably better to migrate towards a western country.

Now for the question, is Canada a good place for a Civil engineer? I know I'll probably have to start from scratch, but are the prospects for construction really as good as some of my friends/relatives are making it out to be? I do realise that everything has become very expensive and taxes are high (35-40%) but in the long run, is it a good place to build a future keeping in mind I'm not from IT or healthcare industry. My wife has some corporate experience and is open to emigration.
All answers are welcome.
Cheers!

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by John316_WRC

Short background: I'm a Civil engineer who worked for 10 years in the UAE<--------->Now for the question, is Canada a good place for a Civil engineer? I know I'll probably have to start from scratch, but are the prospects for construction really as good as some of my friends/relatives are making it out to be? I do realise that everything has become very expensive and taxes are high (35-40%) but in the long run, is it a good place to build a future keeping in mind I'm not from IT or healthcare industry. My wife has some corporate experience and is open to emigration.
All answers are welcome.

First I am delighted that you are a civil engineer practising civil engineering as a profession. and not writing software code.

How about staying on in India and building a career here. India has one of the largest numbers of large complex projects on the anvil or under implementation - hydro dams, tunnels, highways, rail infrastructure, power plants etc and over the next 15 years we will {regardless of Govt at the Centre} invest a lot in rejuvenation of cities as voting power shifts to urban areas. All of these will I assume enrich career opportunities for a civil engineer.

Also, your career will span the next 25 to 35 years. Macro growth of an eco-system places a vital role in how far our career progresses. I was fortunate that India's 1991 liberalization moment took place while I was still young enough. If that moment had come 15 years later my career and networth creation would have been only a fraction. I believe career opportunities in India will flourish over the remainder of your working life span. You may wish to factor that into your decision making process.

Final point - our wages are a function of the overall per capita of the country and its trajectory into the future up or down or static. The possibility that real wages in India especially for the top half of the population {where you belong} will double in the next 15 years is very likely. The chances that wages in Canada will in real terms grow even 20% in the next 15 years is possible but open for debate.

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=fb5f6...40JTI1Lg&ntb=1 You may want to read this article on how slowly real income in increasing in Canada - 0.4% per annum

Also, in India socially you are a top dog. In Canada or USA, you won't be.

All good luck with your decision making.

[dailydriver]

Disclaimer: No personal, professional, cultural or linguistic prejudice intended; just sharing a piece of interesting information.

Times of India has this piece of information about Keralites being present in 182 out of 195 UN approved nations.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

Disclaimer: No personal, professional, cultural or linguistic prejudice intended; just sharing a piece of interesting information.

Times of India has this piece of information about Keralites being present in 182 out of 195 UN approved nations.

Keralites and Sardars are two of the most dynamic and adventurous communities in India - always on the go. They are a core part of our soft power. The Indian diaspora from Pichai/Nadella at one end and the carpenter from Gorakhpur working in Abu Dhabi at the other end have changed India's soft influence across the G20 world. Over the next 30 years India's diaspora will acquire a political influence within India too. My son in law to be is a Keralite and posted {with the United Nations} in Ukraine!!! Presumably he is one of those 1227 souls.

[Latheesh]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

Disclaimer: No personal, professional, cultural or linguistic prejudice intended; just sharing a piece of interesting information.

You forgot...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGrQ05nRm14

We are 4 brothers and were working in 4 different countries once.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by Latheesh

You forgot...
https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=EGrQ05nRm14

Fantastic

I have been hearing the joke since childhood that Neil Armstrong when he set foot on the moon, he saw a malayali tea shop already set up there. Thanks for sharing this

Edit OT conversation. Apologies.

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

Disclaimer: No personal, professional, cultural or linguistic prejudice intended; just sharing a piece of interesting information.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Keralites and Sardars are two of the most dynamic and adventurous communities in India - always on the go. They are a core part of our soft power. The Indian diaspora from Pichai/Nadella at one end and the carpenter from Gorakhpur working in Abu Dhabi at the other end have changed India's soft influence across the G20 world. Over the next 30 years India's diaspora will acquire a political influence within India too. My son in law to be is a Keralite and posted {with the United Nations} in Ukraine!!! Presumably he is one of those 1227 souls.

As daildriver rightly said the number of Keralites may be of people registered with NORKA

Otherwise the following figures are more realistic



An Ex-Gelfer

[dailydriver]

Stateless at Sixty

In a case that highlights how systemic dysfunction can put paid to immigrants' aspirations, a 62 year old doctor in the US is finding himself at odds with his adopted motherland.

A 62-year-old doctor found out he was stateless after he applied for a renewal of his US passport. Siavash Sobhani was born in the US, went to school, and has practiced medicine in the country for more than 30 years. So, it came as a shock to him when an official informed him that Sobhani was granted US citizenship by mistake when he was an infant

“This was a shock to me,” Sobhani, who turned 62 this month, told the Washington Post. “I’m a doctor. I’ve been here all my life. I’ve paid my taxes. I’ve voted for presidents. I’ve served my community in Northern Virginia. During Covid, I was at work, putting myself at risk, putting my family at risk. So when you’re told after 61 years, ‘Oh there was a mistake, you’re no longer a US citizen,’ it’s really, really shocking.”

According to a letter from a State Department official, Sobhani should not have been granted citizenship at the time of his birth because his father was a diplomat with the Embassy of Iran. Those born in the United States to parents who have diplomatic immunity do not acquire US citizenship at birth, the letter pointed out.

Interestingly, however, this wasn't the first time that Sobhani applied for a passport renewal. He told the Washington Post that he had his passport renewed his passport several times previously without facing any difficulty.

He also pointed out that the fact that he was indeed a US citizen was confirmed over and over again throughout his life, every time his passport was renewed.

Link

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by John316_WRC

Now for the question, is Canada a good place for a Civil engineer? I know I'll probably have to start from scratch, but are the prospects for construction really as good as some of my friends/relatives are making it out to be? I do realise that everything has become very expensive and taxes are high (35-40%) but in the long run, is it a good place to build a future keeping in mind I'm not from IT or healthcare industry. My wife has some corporate experience and is open to emigration.
All answers are welcome.
Cheers!

You would need to start from Year 0. I have a cousin who left a well paying job in Kuwait. He is an HVAC specialist. He moved to Canada for both his daughters education. They had to requalify and rebuild their career and report to people with less experience. They had burnt their savings to subsidise their reboot

I get the feeling, had they moved to India, invested the savings from the Gulf, they could have educated their daughters all the same in Canada. All though they live in Canada, they eat, breathe, socialize within their Mallu circle. No integration whatsoever.

I really fail to see what they gained.

[The Rationalist]

I won’t suggest anyone to emigrate for social reasons unless you are a progressive open minded person. Most of my cousins are in North America and few in Middle East. Most Keralaites form their own circle and create a mini Kerala wherever they go! What’s the whole point of emigrating then?

Coming to economic aspect, it would be a foolish move at this point in time. In next 25 years India is poised for unprecedented growth and this is the place for your kids! You may feel it’s ironic when I say my kids are studying PYP/IGCSE syllabus. I’m sending them just to get out of the rot learning our system imparts. The economy is going to be 7 fold in another 2-3 decades, imagine the kind of prosperity that lies ahead. 3 years back I was worried that this century will belong to China, not anymore. A flawed democracy is 100 times better than an autocratic country (mind you I’m a socialist leaning person). If becoming rich is your goal, India is the place! You may laugh at me now, but in another 20 years you will see a new uber rich emerging out of our small towns, that will make make your jaws drop!!!

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by The Rationalist

Coming to economic aspect, it would be a foolish move at this point in time. In next 25 years India is poised for unprecedented growth and this is the place for your kids! If becoming rich is your goal, India is the place! You may laugh at me now, but in another 20 years you will see a new uber rich emerging out of our small towns, that will make make your jaws drop!!!

Well said. I am thrilled to find one member writing what I have tried to repeat several times on this thread. :-)

[MaanSingh]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Well said. I am thrilled to find one member writing what I have tried to repeat several times on this thread. :-)

I worked in London for few years and was just about to buy a small apartment there and get "settled". Took some risk and came back to India instead. Living in my home town now and invested all my savings in Stocks (thanks to Valuepikr and Twitter). Multiplied my invested capital from X to 3X in seven years and looking forward to the excting future. Should become financially independent in next 5 years hopefully !

[ajmat]

I am a foreign citizen and I could move abroad. I would gain in terms of travel and better infrastructure. I prefer to stay here. Thigs are far from perfect but the opportunities - career and investment are much better.

Socially, you cant beat this place.