Crystal Prep
Aishwarya Kohli knows well how much effort it can take for someone to learn French without any background in the language. She was born in India and is living in Michigan with her husband and baby on an H1B visa, which most skilled professionals obtain to work in the United States. However, the HIB visa is tied to employment - and a worker risks losing residency if they become unemployed. Seeking more stability, Ms. Kohli looked to move to Canada.
After spending 14 months learning French, she passed the TEF test last September, and her family - now with permanent resident status - is moving to Toronto this fall.
Ms. Kohli believes the French-language route was the only option for her because she had maxed out points on age, knowledge of English and years of work experience - she had three - and still ended up with a score 10 to 20 points lower than what she needed to be invited.
Aishwarya Kohli started to learn French, after she had a baby. She and her family are moving to Toronto this fall from Kentwood, Mich., where she's been living on an H1B visa.
KRISTEN NORMAN/THE GLOBE AND MAIL
She started learning French after having her baby, practicing by speaking with a native speaker she found online, and following a rigorous self-study plan. Each day, she would get up at 3 a.m. and study until 8 a.m., in between feeding her baby - and then study again in the afternoon after her work day as a business manager in the education sector. Ms. Kohli said her family sacrificed visiting friends and other outings for a whole year while she spent as much time as possible studying.
"It takes a lot of tolls on your health, your mental health, your physical health, but you have to be very motivated and consistent because if you really want to do it, that is the only key to spending some time with the language," Ms. Kohli said. "Just stay focused and it's going to happen."
ESTELLA REN
(The Globe and Mail)