Success Stories

Farah Samani

Farah was looking for a way to live up to her potential when she and her husband Mohammad decided to apply for Landed Immigrant Status to Canada. They had heard from friends it would be a good place to live. The three years it took to process their application went smoothly and quickly. When they arrived in Vancouver the fact that they were on their own with their eight year old son became very real. Just before they left Iran a colleague of Mohammad’s gave him her brother’s phone number. They stayed with him for four days then found a place of their own. During the next five months they searched for work but found none. One of their new friends suggested Calgary so they took what was left of their savings and headed to Alberta. They both found positions in the same company and used the next six years to increase their skills. They both attended SAIT where Mohammad, an electronic engineer, took computer programming and Farah got her bachelors degree in control systems. When the company they were working for closed they applied to other cities. They were both offered positions in Red Deer so they sold their home and made the move. It has worked out well for them. “Red Deer is a town very much like the one we left in Iran,” explains Farah. “Even though we get homesick now and then for old friends and family, we feel very much at home here. It is a good place to live.”

Lin Yang

Canada was the country of choice for Lin Yang when she and her husband Roger Wu and baby daughter Michelle decided to emigrate from Southern China. They made their landing in Vancouver in 2000. Her trade in China was accounting, her husband’s was in computer controls. They spent five years going to school and working in B.C. to upgrade their skills and improve their English. Lin points out, “Communication skills need practice both in speaking and listening.” Conversations with friends in Vancouver prompted them to think about Alberta. Roger sent one résumé to a computer company in Red Deer. He was offered the position so they moved. Lin also sent a résumé and was offered an accounting position. They bought a house and made Red Deer home. Lin appreciates Red Deer for a number of reasons. “It is so clean and just the right size,” she observes. “Also it is a very nice community with lots to offer. Michelle can take part in activities like piano lessons and swimming. They are close, not far to drive.” Even the cultural differences are manageable with access to many ethnic resources throughout the city. “Even though I miss my family in China, Red Deer is our home and Michelle will have an opportunity to find her own path.”

Watch our Moving to Red Deer video!