In 1994, international students in Canada faced stricter limitations on working off-campus compared to today. Work permits were required for most off-campus employment. Students typically needed to apply separately for a work permit if they wanted to work off-campus, and approval wasn’t guaranteed. Most international students were expected to focus solely on their studies, and working outside the university was seen as an exception, not the norm. However, I received a work permit to work for a company outside my university prior to graduation in the summer of 1994. The circumstances leading to it was a miracle.

Here’s my story with God.

May 1994. It was towards the end of my 4th year in university. I applied for an 18-month internship position at a telecommunications company. I was thrilled that my application was accepted shortly thereafter. It was good news as it would help to pay for my expenses for the next 18 months and help offset my family finances to pay for my tuition fees.

Prior to that internship application, I worked as a part time computer lab technician in the university. When I heard the good news that I had gotten the internship position, I promptly quit my part time computer technician job.

I had planned to go back home to visit my family during that summer holiday. Right before I left for home, I was informed by the Internship Centre that my application was rejected due to visa technicalities. I was devastated. Not only did I quit my part time job, but I also had the sinking feeling that the odds were severely against me to search for another job when I returned from holidays.

I went home to visit my family with a deep dark cloud over me. My mind was troubled during my month-long stay. I kept thinking to myself, “Where in the world could I find another job?” International students like me were limited to jobs in their field of studies, and only on campus. I was an engineering student. I couldn’t work as a cleaner or at McDonalds even if I wanted to.

Nonetheless, I wasted no time to search for work when I went back to the university in June, 1994. I persistently applied and tried to look for work, but there were no open doors. I wasn’t a ‘slacker’, as Aussies would put it.

I vividly woke up in the morning on a Tuesday morning two weeks after I returned to university. I quietly told God that, “I had tried everything I could to find a job, but to no avail. I was completely stumped and reached the end of my efforts. There were no job opportunities”.

However, God had plans up His sleeve for me. When I finished that thought on that very Tuesday morning, I received 3 job offers (not one, but three!) on the same day.

1. The faculty which originally hired me as a part-time computer lab technician called me. They told me they could reinstate me the original hours that I worked. Furthermore, they could top the part-time hours to make it a total of 40 hours a week! That would be full-time hours!
2. A supervisor that knew me spoke to me shortly thereafter that he could top up any missing hours I couldn’t get in the part-time computer lab technician role.
3. Best of all, I had a job offer by an external company in which I call IPD. I was extremely shocked when I received a call from IPD that Tuesday. The man on the phone said, “I know you, but you don’t know me. Can you come to our office for an interview?” Here I was, an international student being asked to go for an interview with a company that I had no idea how they got my name, and that company was outside of the university! It was an impossible job offer situation. The curiosity got to me, and I went for the job interview. I later found out that the owner of IPD was a friend of an Engineering professor at my university. This professor saw my job application online (which I had forgotten about) and passed my name to the IPD owner. 

Photo by Maria Elena Zuñiga on Unsplash

The miraculous hand of God steered me. I went for the IPD interview at their offices. I was greeted by the President and Vice-President on the company. After going through the formalities, I sat through the interview and understood they were looking for a software developer to develop a Point-of-Sale software for their company. After the interview, they offered me the job. I was flattered but I politely told them and discouraged them NOT to hire me for the following reasons:

1. I explained the government didn’t give work visas to foreign students until after they graduate. I still had 6 months of studies to go

2. I had volunteered to go on a one month long missions trip in August. I told them that if they hired me, they would have to let me off in August as I had a prescheduled ‘volunteer’ commitment. Why would IPD want to bother to take the time to hire me for 2 months of work in June & July?

3. I was living in a city that spoke English and French. I can’t speak French except for some basic ‘survival’ words like numbers and greetings. How was I going to communicate with their field staff in French? Don’t worry, they reassured me. I would just be needed to stay in the office to write the software! I didn’t have to deal with the field staff.

I thought to myself, “These guys are out of their minds to want to hire me. Furthermore, how was I going to get paid?” (Getting paid was another story itself. I’ll leave that story for another blog).

Shortly after I started my final school semester in September, I received a letter from the Immigration office. I opened the letter with trembling hands and with bated breath. Lo and behold, the Immigration office returned my application fee. And amazingly, I opened up a letter with a work permit for IPD stating, “Course required for course graduation”. I sat down and took it all in.

Much later, I showed my friends the work permit. They were super shocked because they knew it was ‘impossible’ to get a job before one graduated. They haven’t known anyone getting a work permit except for me. I continued to work for IPD for the following year after I graduated.

In the summer of 1994, I learnt that God truly looks after us when it comes to looking for a job. God is a God of possibility and a God of miracles when your life is in His hands. If you are facing an impossible job situation, trust in Jesus for the outcome.

Photo credits: McGill University/Université McGill