How Can Malaysians Work Legally in Canada?

How Can Malaysians Work Legally In Canada?

Assalamualaikum and hi guys!

This would be the first somewhat informative post on this blog. Usually, I don't write about this kind of stuff cause I prefer having face-to-face interaction whenever I talk about something that is somewhat and potentially beneficial but I have been receiving a lot of similar comments and questions regarding this topic. So, I thought it would be easier and time-saving to address this thing in a single post.

But first, let me remind you of a few things!

First of all, this post is NOT for someone who is looking to find a white-collar job in Canada or for people who are looking to emigrate to Canada.

Secondly, I have NO personal experience with a few points that I'm going to mention later. I learned about all of that from my reading and my interaction with people who come to Canada and work in Canada using that way. So, the points that I'm going to make may not be detailed and accurate enough.

Me at Lake Louise Ski Resort, recently. 

Short background about me

I'm currently holding a 3 years post graduation work permit, which allows me to work any jobs with any employers in Canada (with few exceptions) until May 2019. So far, I only have experience in hotel industry in Canada so I can only comment about this industry. I'm currently trying to find a better job, preferably white collar job in tourism industry which will help me to achieve my goal but let just leave it right there, shall we?

All this while, I could not respond properly to the comments and questions like, "Bestnya Farah kerja kat Canada. Macam mana nak kerja dekat Canada?" or "Agak-agak saya ni boleh ke kerja dekat Canada?" or something along those lines cause I have no idea how. As I mentioned above, I hold a post-graduation work permit as I graduated from one of the universities here. I totally have no idea how people like most of my readers can come to Canada and work here legally.

But, that has changed since I met a few Malaysians over the past few months. I learned something interesting from them. They are all here under the Working Holiday Program. Yup, you read it right! There is a Working Holiday Program to Canada for Malaysians! *what a good news* *throwing confetti to the air*

Update in January 2019: Unfortunately, this program is NO longer available starting from 2019 until further notice due to changes in rules and regulations on the Canadian government side.

Working Holiday Canada for Malaysians

Niagara Falls

There is only one agency that manages this Working Holiday Canada program for Malaysians. It is the Speedwing. So, by hook or by crook, you have to apply the program through Speedwing. You can find more information on their website but I'll put a few points that I think are extremely important. All the information mentioned below can be found on the Speedwing's website.

Program Duration
There is no minimum duration of stay for Working Holiday Canada, but the maximum duration is 12 months. Each participant can only participate in the program once.

Eligibility requirements

• Be at least 18 and not more than 35 years of age
• Be a Singapore or Malaysia citizen. No exceptions are allowed.
• Undergo an interview before being accepted into the program
• Not have dependants to join you on the program in Canada
• Have minimum funds of CAD 2,500 (approximately S$3,000 / MYR 7,500)
• Show proof of return air ticket or onward ticket leaving Canada at the end of the program.

Unfortunately, I have no idea about the next step or the entire process or the complete services that they provide. You may enquire about the program to Speedwing yourself if you are interested.

Lac Beauvert

*Oh, how I have missed you*

Now, let's start addressing a few concerns that you may have after reading the requirements. Well, at least I know I have these concerns right after reading the requirements for every Working Holiday Program that I am interested in.

Money / Funds
It is very much advisable for you to have enough money or funds. Most of the time, people start saving up a few years before they actually go for a Working Holiday Program. Some are lucky because they can borrow or use their parents' money. All I can say is try your best to have enough funds but please DON'T make a personal loan, okay? Pretty please.

One of the Malaysians that I met said he actually spent about MYR 15,000 to pay for the agency's fee, flight tickets, and his first month's expenses in Canada. I'm not sure how much he pays for the agency's fee but you can get a round-trip flight ticket for as low as MYR 4,500 or even cheaper if you're lucky and you need to at least have CAD 1,300 for the first month, I think? Basically, you can cut the cost if you know how to.

Job
Most people who are here under the Working Holiday Program mostly work in these industries; tourism, hospitality, retail, and food & beverage. They are not the most glamorous jobs around but they usually will pay your bill and other expenses and if you're lucky you will have some extra. After all, the mindset that you should have while you're on this program is "to explore and enjoy your time in that said country while working."

Town of Banff

I recommend to all of you to start looking for a job in tourist towns. Tourist towns mean there are a lot of things for you to look forward to - amazing views, locals' discounts, and numerous interesting activities. Often, it will be easier to get a job in tourist towns due to high demand, provided you come at the right time and the best thing is employers usually provide subsidized staff accommodations.

As seen from Old Fort Point, Jasper

I also highly recommend that you look for a job at a luxury hotel. The pay is usually good (relatively) and you'll get insane discounts and benefits! These are things that I really miss now that I'm working at my current hotels. Most of the time, the locations of these hotels are magnificent too. Remember Jasper and Lake Louise? Yesssss, places like that would be your backyard!

Pay
Most of the time, people who are here under the Working Holiday Program will be paid a tiny bit higher than the minimum wage due to the nature of their jobs. However, it is noteworthy to mention that the pay and how far it can go differ according to province and cost of living. For example, I can save at least CAD 500/month (I know it's little, please don't judge T__T) here in Banff but I'll barely make a living and I can't even save if I'm in Vancouver or Toronto with the same pay.

My happy face when I earned a lot and lost almost 15kg at the same time!

*obviously I do not look like this anymore*

Having said that, the pay that you will get will cover all of your initial costs if you come to the right place at the right time. In fact, you will get a whole lot more if you're working for the most part of your program. I'll let you in for a little secret. I never told anyone about this except my family. My net pay for my first summer job was a lil bit more than CAD 10,000 while my friend's was CAD 14,000. For both of us who worked in housekeeping, they were insanely a lot!

I may invite one of my friends as a guest writer to talk more and in-depth about this topic if I see a great interest in this topic. Until then, you need to do your own research and start asking around because unfortunately, this is the furthest that I can go. Hope this post will help you kick-start the process and make you start dreaming about (actually) coming to Canada :)