Malaya's Case

Applied to Recognition Counts: September 2012

Education: Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering

Experience/profession in his/her country: 5 years Civil Engineer

Qualification Recognition Summary: Enrolled at the University of Manitoba's IEEQ (Internationally Educated Engineer Qualification) program.

Background Sketch:

Malaya and her husband came to Canada in 2010. She had been working as an engineering technician while she investigated the IEEQ program but was laid off when the company relocated to Brandon recently. Her husband is working as a bookkeeper earning $11.00 an hour. Malaya was accepted into the IEEQ program in September 2012.

Professional Goals:

Short Term: Complete the IEEQ program and register as an engineer-in-training (EIT). Her initial salary will be $45,000.
Long Term: Registration as a Professional Engineer with APEGM (Association Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of the Province of Manitoba) and obtain full time employment as a civil engineer. Starting salary will be $75,000.

Financial Sketch:

Malaya and her husband own their home with a mortgage of about $250,000. They have a credit card with a balance of $4,000 and owe $16,500 on a line of credit. Total debts are $270,500 and monthly payments are approximately $1,755. Malaya will receive a living allowance (arranged by the Employment Manitoba Centre) of $3,500 while she takes the IEEQ program and has been approved for a student loan in the amount of $2,287.

Recognition Counts Application:

Malaya applied for a $10,000 loan to be disbursed as follows:

1st disbursement (November 2012):

2nd disbursement (January 2013):

3rd disbursement (March 2013):

Career Action Plan Information:

Timeline
First disbursement: November 2012
End of the Career Action Plan: August 2014
Total amount of months: 21

Plan: Malaya knows she has the ability to complete the IEEQ program and is confident she will find work as an engineer-in-training. She has received very good feedback from the IEEQ coordinator and has already started to network for work with engineering firms in Winnipeg. She has had engineering experience in her home country and had an assignment outside of her country so she feels she will adapt well to the working environment in Canada.

Backup Plan: Malaya already has certificates in several computer applications needed for the engineering profession. She can use those technical skills to get a job as an engineering technician if she is unable to obtain her Professional Engineer certification. Her counsellor at Employment Manitoba has informed her that engineering technicians are in high demand in Manitoba right now.

Case Outcome:

Malaya was approved for the $10,000 loan with an interest rate of prime plus 2% (5%, since prime was 3% at the time). Staff members at SEED looked at her experience, technical training and the research and planning she had done. They are confident Malaya will complete her career plan and feel that her plan B provides a good alternative if anything happens that stops her from obtaining her first goal.

Payments:

First disbursement (November 2012) = $3,000
Interest payments from December 2012: approximately $12.50 per month

Second disbursement (January 2013) = $3,500 (principal owed is $6500)
Interest payments from February 2013: approximately $27.08 per month

Third disbursement (March 2013) =$3,500 (principal owed is $10,000)
Interest payments from April 2013: approximately $41.67 per month

Payments on principal will start May 2015, thirty months after the initial advance (21 months for the engineering profession plus a 6 month grace period). Malaya will have 33 months (5 years = 60 months less the 21 months allowed at interest only payments) to repay the principal and interest owed on the loan.

Payments will be approximately $324 (principal plus interest) per month. The loan can be prepaid at any time with no penalty if Malaya has extra room in her budget.