N.B. immigration and job consultant proves naysayers wrong

NBB

By Brigitte Marsden

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Based in Florenceville-Bristol, Annette Landman is one of just 1,000 certified immigration consultants in Canada, and was the first to be certified in New Brunswick.

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"I came here eight years ago as an entrepreneur," explained Landman. "I spent some time doing research before starting up my own business in 2003."

Landman recalls being told at one point: "You're a woman and a foreigner - you have no chance!"

The determined Dutch woman adds with a smile: "That was my motivation!"

Her company, Eastern Canada Immigration & Job Consultants Inc., (ECIJC) now employs four staff members and has a number of agents worldwide.

As well as receiving inquiries from overseas – currently around 30 to 50 a day – they are also contacted by New Brunswick employers seeking workers. The company is actively recruiting business investors to the country, and if there is a shortage in a particular skills area of the labour market, they can bring someone in to fill that gap.

From 2003 to 2007, Landman's team brought approximately 225 work-permit holders to the Maritimes provinces alone.

But ECIJC's work is not limited to just one part of Canada.

"We work with all Canadian provinces," explains Landman. "For example, we have many clients in Alberta at the moment: they arrive there, and then need help to go through the immigration process. We work with an online program and have clients' files online. All they need is a phone line and Internet connection."

In the Maritimes, settlement services are also available to clients. Landman experienced at first hand arriving in a new country and realizes how stressful it can be.

"When I arrived here, there were so many things I did not know," she notes. "For example, dealing with Revenue Canada, how to get Medicare or a Social Insurance number. There is nobody here to guide you. We can save our clients a lot of hardship – and money – by taking them to places and explaining things to them."

For more information, visit : http://www.canadaimmigrationjobs.com

En français : Annette Landman a lancé Eastern Canada Immigration & Job Consultants Inc. suite à son arrivée de la Hollande il y a plus de cinq ans. Aujourd'hui, l'entreprise, dont le siège social se situe à Florenceville-Bristol, et son personnel aident à jumeler des immigrants qualifiés avec les employeurs du Nouveau-Brunswick.