Desi News Corp - Index

Desi News Corp - Desi News - May 2009 - Index

COMMUNITY CONNECTION
ew immigrants coming
to Canada tend to be
Nwell-heeled
educated, qualified,
and savvy.
Take Sushma Sushma and Baskar
Baskar
Rao. Rao. The software engineer
and her chartered accountant
husband landed in Canada
on January 16 this year, and
the very next day, they had
their SIN cards and credit
cards. Having activated their
banking while still in Bangalore,
India, they were also
able to channelize their funds
TM
StartRight opens doors to a new life
the same day.
“The credit goes to my
brother,” says Baskar, 34. “He told
me to check out the StartRight TM
Program for New Canadians
that Scotiabank TM offers through
its branches and in partnership
with HDFC Bank in India.”
Baskar was one of the first
applicants to take advantage
of Scotiabank’s StartRight TM
Program.
Get your credit history
meter ticking from
day one with StartRight TM
“We had an account with
Scotiabank, Canada, within a
week of filling out the application
in India, and within two or
three weeks, we had remitted
funds to Canada,” he says.
Rania Rania Llewellyn, Llewellyn, Vice-
President, Multicultural Banking
at Scotiabank, says Canada
accepts approximately
28 Desi News May 2009
250,000 new immigrants a
year.
“While a very significant
proportion of these are from South
Asia, China and the Philippines,
Scotiabank’s StartRight TM Program
addresses the needs of
all new immigrants, wherever
they are from.”
A pressing need is getting
a credit card. Having worked
in the US with KPMG for a
year, Baskar says he knew it
was important to get his credit
history meter ticking as soon
as possible.
“With the StartRight
Invest in gold with
Scotiabank
TM Program,
I was able do so on day
one!”
Sushma is also thinking
about getting the small safety
deposit box offered free for a
year as a part of the StartRight TM
Program.
“Our focus group discussions
show new immigrants
place a high value on safety
deposit boxes and getting a
credit card,” says Pankaj
Pankaj
Mehra, Mehra, Director, India and
South Asian Markets.
What’s more, many immigrants
with their inherent faith
in precious metals would be
happy to learn that Scotiabank
is the only Canadian bank that
sells gold over the counter.
“Through our subsidiary –
SUSHMA AND BASKAR RAO
NEW IMMIGRANTS, SCOTIABANK CUSTOMERS
ScotiaMocatta, one of the
largest distributors of precious
metals in the world – we cater
to the very substantial gold
and jewellery markets in India,”
says Mehra.
“In the Canadian context,
what this means is that Scotiabank
clients can invest in gold
by getting coins and gold bars
and invest in other precious
metals at our branches acrosss
Canada.”
Baskar landed a job as an
internal auditor, , a month into
the job hunt.
“I’d been prepared to take
whatever came my way as it
is not good to sit idle, so it
feels great to land a job in my
field.”
With the financial pressure
off, Sushma is better able to
concentrate on her own job
hunt. She has met consult-
ants, applied for positions,
and is starting to get calls for
interviews.”
“I am hopeful I will have a
job soon,” she says.
When their immigration
Do it right
with StartRight!
• Free Scotiabank day-to-day
banking account for one year
• Build credit history through No-
Fee Scotia Moneyback VISA
• Free safety deposit box
• Helpful tips and advice for
newcomers including applying
for government issued identification
• Ideas and resources to help
with job searches
• Welcome to Canada mortgage
• More info at www.StartRight.
Scotiabank.com and 1-866-
800-5159