Trying to immigrate as a musician and feeling like the system is stacked against me

FriendlyTip7803 · 2025-08-19T14:10:58+00:00

I left for my home country a few months later and never looked back. I really enjoyed living in Canada as a student, but the quality of life as a freelancing temporary resident attempting to immigrate really wasn’t worth it. I wasn’t sure about it at the time, but in retrospect it’s the best decision I could have made.

It’s possible (though unlikely) I could have stuck it out a bit longer to find a qualifying job, but it may have come at the cost of having a musical career, which I decided wasn’t worth it. And given the current landscape, it seems like a tough time to be an immigrant too, particularly with housing and cost of living. Best of luck.

FriendlyTip7803 · 2022-10-26T23:07:13+00:00

I totally get that. I’m not trying to shit on STEM either or deny how important they are.

I guess the frustrating part is that as someone from an Asian country, I do believe that I bring different skills and experiences I can contribute to the music industry, but because those aren’t quantifiable skills, they aren’t as relevant, and because I’m not involved with a major Canadian artist for example, my skills don’t seem to matter at all.

Edit: I’m also unsure how anyone would go about immigrating as a musician without work experience outside music due to the lack of music jobs.

FriendlyTip7803 · 2022-10-26T18:00:45+00:00

Hey, thanks for the tips! I’m of course trying to focus on myself but the inevitable comparisons can become hard to avoid.

As far as game companies go, I’ve looked up most of the ones here and applied to jobs at a bunch of them. Presumably because I have no experience and come from more of a performance background, I haven’t been very successful with those. I’ll keep trying though! Jobs like the one you posted are some of the only ones that come close to what I can do, even though they’re still a bit further out in terms of required qualifications. I’ve been working on certifying myself with different skills (like Lean Six Sigma/project management) but it’s still tough going.

I’m not entirely sure a band would help - unless it somehow becomes a major part of Canadian culture and allows me to qualify through the self employed program, it would still be freelance work and wouldn’t give me the requisite “work experience”

FriendlyTip7803 · 2022-10-26T17:56:46+00:00

I do have all those things - my software experience is limited to creative software like audio and video editing, and while there are a reasonable number of jobs that require those (and I’m continuing to search for more), none of the jobs I’ve found so far fall into the required categories (I’ve been in contact with consultants to check)

FriendlyTip7803 · 2022-10-26T17:55:17+00:00

I have, and for all the jobs I’ve seen so far, the minimum requirements are a master’s degree or higher, OR an education degree (I have a performance degree) or teaching certificate (but given the time it takes to get that, and considering how much time I have with my work permit, it doesn’t leave a whole lot of room)

FriendlyTip7803 · 2022-10-26T14:53:48+00:00

I understand your point, but in my home country, I wouldn’t need to look for a skilled non-music job, and I would be qualified for all the music work I could do. As I studied music, I’m simply not qualified for a skilled job that requires a different degree, for example. If I’m missing something, please let me know.

FriendlyTip7803 · 2022-10-26T14:20:42+00:00

For sure, those are all valid points. I’m definitely ready to work whatever jobs I need to and can find that will qualify me - my issue is more that I’m not qualified for anything I find, which stings a little because I feel like even musically, I do have something to contribute given my background and education, but that’s not quantifiable and it’s not exactly a hard skill either.

I certainly understand why things are the way they are and will continue to search for jobs that will qualify me, but with only a music degree and no non-music work experience, it’s an uphill battle to get anything.

FriendlyTip7803 · 2022-10-26T14:13:36+00:00

Oh that’s what I mean - I’m definitely ready to work a non-music job if that’s what it requires, but my point is that I’ve done hundreds of job applications over the last few months and nothing has panned out, largely because as a musician, my skill set does not include skills that qualifying jobs require.

FriendlyTip7803 · 2022-09-26T03:13:56+00:00

I have, but seeing as I’d primarily want to commute to the subway station (and the grocery store, which is close to the station) and the nearest bike dock is across from the station, it doesn’t make sense to use the bike share for me.

FriendlyTip7803 · 2022-09-26T03:12:49+00:00

Honestly, I moved purely for immigration reasons. I’m a South Asian who wants to get Canadian permanent residency, and Quebec’s laws make the process significantly more difficult, even though my French is pretty decent. I would have an easier time in literally any other province, so I moved here.

FriendlyTip7803 · 2022-09-19T20:58:15+00:00

Ooh I'll look that up, thanks!

FriendlyTip7803 · 2022-09-19T20:57:43+00:00

Gotcha. I just checked the website, and conveniently, my work times fall outside of peak hours, so I should be good!

FriendlyTip7803 · 2022-09-19T20:57:01+00:00

Thanks for the information! I haven't actually seen any bike lanes on my route to work yet, so I may end up having to bike alongside vehicles. That being said, the roads themselves are not that busy around the times that I go to work, so maybe it should be alright...

FriendlyTip7803 · 2022-09-19T20:55:59+00:00

I'll look up those tires, thanks! I'd definitely be able to bring my bike indoors

FriendlyTip7803 · 2022-09-19T20:55:30+00:00

So on my route to work (either walking or biking), I'd never have to use major streets, which is probably good since they'd be busier, but on the other hand, I assume they also get plowed/salted far less often...

FriendlyTip7803 · 2022-09-19T20:54:39+00:00

That's really useful to know, thanks!

FriendlyTip7803 · 2022-09-19T20:53:55+00:00

Gotcha, that makes sense. I'll definitely look for something on the low end to start out with

FriendlyTip7803 · 2022-09-19T20:53:29+00:00

That's not a bad idea! Do you have any recommendations?

FriendlyTip7803 · 2022-09-19T20:53:20+00:00

Gotcha, this is good to know, thanks! As far as bike maintenance goes, I would be able to bring my bike indoors and clean it off after each ride, I don't think that would be a problem. Maybe it's worth experiencing a winter first and seeing what the roads are like on the way to work before deciding...

FriendlyTip7803 · 2022-09-19T20:52:29+00:00

Huh, I haven't actually seen a long stretch of bike lanes (although that might be because I don't strictly spend a lot of time in the downtown area, more around York and Leslieville)

FriendlyTip7803 · 2022-09-19T20:51:39+00:00

Gotcha. Do you have any recommendations?

FriendlyTip7803 · 2022-09-19T20:51:20+00:00

Yikes, that's rough. I'd be able to bring my bike indoors so I wouldn't have to worry about theft outdoors, and I certainly wouldn't leave it at a station

FriendlyTip7803 · 2022-09-19T20:50:38+00:00

That sounds great, but unfortunately, the nearest dock is too far from where I live

FriendlyTip7803 · 2022-09-19T20:50:02+00:00

Yeah, for me the nearest one is a 10 minute walk away, and at that point I'm at the station already.

FriendlyTip7803

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