E70: Matthew McDonald thinks more Canadians need to talk to newcomers

Hello, I'd really like to grow this email list. If you enjoy this newsletter, it would mean the world to Jola and I if you encouraged one friend/fellow immigrant/colleague to subscribe…Very likely, the the only thing you will get in return is warm fuzzy feelings, and if I can attribute it to you, I’d personally send you a thank you email.

Join us as we explore the bitter-sweet world of the immigrant.

In this episode, I’m speaking with Matthew McDonald - RCIC consultant, immigrant, and an all-round great human.

The immigrant conversation is a human conversation, then an economic one.

But when you read some of the phrasing people use when describing immigrants, you would be forgiven if you imagined UCI numbers walking around Canada instead of humans.

Matthew McDonald, RCIC, is one of the few who buck the trend and bring the human into the immigration process. He describes his job as 80% emotional support, 20% legal advice.

Matthew moved to Argentina from Canada two years ago with his husband. And the process of settling into a new country has been a great lesson on what his clients experience when they move to Canada.

In this conversation, we explored his experience settling into his new home. We also chatted about:

* Why it’s hard to make friends as an immigrant

* How we can have a better Canadian immigrant conversation

* Adding humans to the Canadian immigration process

* The relationship between social integration and professional integration.

Biggest takeaway: We need big ideas about how we make immigrants feel part of the Canadian society. And Matthew has got some.

Official Links

👋🏽 Follow Matthew on LinkedIn

☕ Schedule a virtual coffee with Matthew

ICYMI

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewcomerspod.com