When Allie and her husband arrived in Canada in November 2024, they were eager to start a new chapter—but like many newcomers, they quickly realized that settling in and finding meaningful work would take more support than expected. After an exhausting 18-month journey from Ukraine, through Turkey, Thailand, and Paraguay while their visas were processed, they were finally in a safer place. Supported by Wesley’s Client Support Services (CSS), they were able to complete their necessary legal paperwork, like tax returns and social insurance, to build their new life.
Facing many new challenges, they quickly realized that their professional credentials—a dentistry degree for Allie and senior IT management and experience as a university professor for her husband—didn’t translate easily into the Canadian job market. Searching online for help, Allie discovered Wesley and was impressed that the organization offered her an appointment with Employment Services almost immediately.
During weekly visits with her employment counsellor, Arnel, Allie learned that her best entry point was an administrative role in a dental office—something that would value her clinical knowledge without requiring Canadian licensing right away. Together they refined her résumé, practiced interview answers, and found job postings that matched her skills. In February 2025, she started as a dental administrator at a clinic in Hamilton.
Passing the probationary period at this new job was a proud moment for her as her skills were highlighted and appreciated. At this point, she also felt comfortable being open with managers about her pregnancy and upcoming maternity leave, and they were very understanding and let her know her job would be there for her when she returned. “They will really wait for me,” she says with a grin, surprised and thankful for the care from her employer.
Wesley’s support extended beyond job coaching. Allie received PRESTO bus cards to reach interviews, reimbursement for business-casual clothing when her pregnancy outgrew her wardrobe, and steady encouragement whenever the job hunt felt discouraging. “Those extras matter,” she says, “because bus fare really costs a lot and I was not expecting to need new clothing,” an extra challenge when you’re living on savings.
Her husband is now following a similar path through Wesley Employment Services—completing CPR, first-aid, and provincial security-guard training while Allie helps him tailor a “Canadian-friendly” résumé using what she has learned.
Allie has worked with other settlement agencies, but she keeps coming back to Wesley because of the personal touch: “They don’t just explain things I already know and disappear. They check how it’s going without me having to chase them.” That experience motivates her to give back; using a Ukrainian community group chat, she shares Wesley job workshops, dental-care discounts, and tips on navigating the health-care system with newcomers who arrive after her.
From a first winter coat to a first Canadian paycheque, Wesley Employment Services has woven practical help and genuine encouragement into every step of Allie’s settlement story. Her next goals—permanent residency, perhaps dentistry licensing, or even diving into the world of IT—feel achievable because, as she puts it, “hard work pays off” when someone helps guide you to a starting point. Now, with a brand new baby boy, she looks forward to accessing other Wesley services like the EarlyON center in her neighbourhood. Thanks to her employment, she’s able to feel confident in being able to provide a safe, healthy life for her son.
Allie’s journey is a reminder that donations and community partnerships fuel more than programs; they fuel the confidence newcomers need to turn daunting first steps into thriving new careers that benefit the whole community.
