I Will Immigrate No Matter What! My Resolve Over 4 Years

Q. Did you originally work in the food industry?

I had worked at my parents’ cheesecake shop since high school. I wanted to come to Canada right after graduating from university, but the timing didn’t work out, so I worked at the family shop for a year and then came on a working holiday.
The shop I work at now is where I worked during that working holiday. I wanted to stay in Canada, so I asked about a work permit, and they agreed to support me just before my working holiday ended.

Q. It was a long road from getting your work permit to immigrating.

The hardest time may have been the year or so I spent in Japan waiting to see whether my work permit would actually be issued. I couldn’t make any plans at all, and the points cut-off set by the immigration authorities was very high, so it seemed only people in occupations like lawyers and doctors were getting invitations. Even so, I kept studying English to raise my points and held on to a faint hope.

Communicating with the shop owner while I was in Japan was also hard, since they were busy and difficult to reach. Ms. Sakurai at Visa JP went out of her way to visit the shop and talk with them, which really helped.

Q. How was working at “Faubourg,” which supported your work permit?

Even after getting my work permit, there were lots of hard times working at this busy shop. As a Food Service Supervisor, I had big responsibilities in a role like an assistant to the manager, but the other part-time staff were pretty relaxed about things, you know, different from the way Japanese people work.

If there were no customers, they’d just stand around, and there were many things they wouldn’t do unless you told them. It depends on the person, but some people would make a really unpleasant face when you said something. I had to manage people like that, and we had lots of arguments. But if they didn’t do their jobs, the work just wouldn’t get done.

On top of that, I had to save money and study English, and since my shift started at 6 a.m. every day, I kept up a routine of getting up at 2 a.m., studying English, and then going to work.

The shop owner knew I was aiming to immigrate and that I really needed a work permit for that, so I think it worked out for both of us. Once you get a work permit you can’t quit, and getting a visa really isn’t easy.

Q. It must have been really tough. How do you think you got through it?

When I came to Canada in 2014, within the first week I thought, “I’m definitely going to immigrate here!” It’s such a great place. I thought the people living here were wonderful. For the 4 years since then, that feeling has never wavered once. I was determined to immigrate, and that’s why I was okay.

Being able to get support in Japanese at Visa JP Canada also kept me reassured the whole time. Actually, I had first consulted another agent, but the way they handled things was completely different. Ms. Sakurai did so much for me. She was incredibly thorough. I did exactly what I was told, and that’s how I got here.

Q. What would you like to do from now on?

Up to now in Canada, I’ve done nothing but work toward immigrating, so now that I’m free, I’m not sure what to do. But I think I’d like to go to school. Like a nail school, something I’d like to try even if it’s not related to work. Vancouver has all kinds of schools.
I also want to travel and play sports. I’ve really held back on so much.

Q. A new start, fuelled by all your hard work so far!

Yes, I think immigrating is another starting point. I want to meet lots of people, hear their stories, and get lots of inspiration. In Vancouver, there’s no such thing as a “normal” person. Everyone is different in their own way, and I think that about Canada is super wonderful!

I went to an all-girls high school, and you know how you worry about what people think of your clothes and everything, and try to fit in with those around you. I had some insecurities too, but when I came to Vancouver I felt an amazing sense of freedom. I think it’s an easy place to live. That’s what I really love about it.