Finishing school and applying for my Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) was one of the most anxious periods of my life. What if I can’t find a job? Which industry gives me the best shot at PR? These questions kept me up at night.
But 2021 brought something I’d been waiting for much longer than a work permit: my wife and child finally arrived from Hong Kong. We hadn’t been together properly since I left in 2019. Seeing my child — who had been a newborn when I left — walk through the airport was something I won’t forget.
A Silver Lining: COVID Extended My Work Permit
COVID disrupted everything — but not entirely for the worse. The Canadian government, recognizing the job market difficulties facing international graduates, temporarily extended PGWP eligibility. I ended up receiving a 3-year work permit from a 1-year program. That breathing room changed everything.
I didn’t wait for the perfect opportunity. I started taking any work that would build a Canadian employment record — including interpretation work. Building local experience was the priority, not prestige.
Into Canadian Construction — Summer 2021
In the summer of 2021, I finally found a role where my background actually mattered. I was hired as a Project Coordinator at a local construction company, working on commercial interior projects. My plant construction experience from an engineering firm in Korea gave me real confidence walking into that role.
I came in with a learner’s mindset — not assuming my Korean experience translated directly, but using it as a foundation. The work was steady. Paycheques came on time. Post-COVID projects were restarting and the company seemed to be growing.
When the Workload Started Drying Up
About a year and a half in, I started noticing the signs. The company was small, and new contracts were becoming harder to come by. The construction market was slowing. I could feel it — the same instinct that had pushed me to leave Hong Kong, now telling me to think ahead again.
It was time to make another move. That decision — and where it led — is what Part 3 is about.
👈 Part 1: From Australia and Hong Kong to Winnipeg
👉 Part 3: Moving to BC and the Never-Ending Dilemma of Canadian Immigration