José’s Return to Canada: Rebuilding Stability After an Unexpected Setback
After an employer acquisition disrupted his immigration plans, José found a way forward through VanHack’s Canadian Engineering Office. His story is about uncertainty, persistence and the relief of coming home.
For José Cervan, the hardest part was not deciding whether he wanted a life in Canada. It was wondering whether he would be able to keep the life he had already built there.
A move motivated by life beyond work
José brought an established software engineering career to his Canadian journey. In his interview with VanHack, he described more than 14 years of experience, including roles in software businesses, HR companies, and coordination work in Brazil.
But the motivation to move was personal. He wanted a better quality of life for himself and his wife. Canada offered the possibility of building that future while continuing his career in technology.
Getting a job in Canada was an important first step. What José could not have planned for was the change that followed: his employer was acquired by a U.S. company.
When a company change disrupted the plan
José explained that the acquisition coincided with the expiry of his visa and complicated the immigration process he was pursuing. Although employees moved to the acquiring company, the change in the Canadian business created problems for his application.
In his account, a provincial nomination application was refused after the original company ceased to exist in the same form. He faced the prospect of starting the paperwork again, even though he had already established a life in Canada.
That distinction matters. This was not simply a new job search. José was trying to preserve continuity in his work and his home while dealing with a change outside his control.
A way forward through the Canadian Engineering Office
José credited VanHack’s Canadian Engineering Office with making it possible to continue working and return to Canada after the acquisition disrupted his plans.
While the paperwork was being resolved, he went back to Brazil. But he was careful to explain that he had not packed up his Canadian life permanently. He left his belongings in Canada, hoping he would be able to return.
It was a decision that came with uncertainty. If the process did not work out, he and his wife wondered whether they would have to return as visitors, sell everything, and leave again.
When the approval came through, José was able to go back to the home he had kept. The importance of that moment was not just administrative. It meant the future they had been working toward was still possible.
But the feeling coming back with all the paperwork sorted and everything done for us, that was like a very, very happy feeling, to be honest.
The Vancouver life they had been looking for
Asked about life in Canada, José turned to the things that had motivated the move in the first place: quality of life, access to nature, and a city where he and his wife enjoyed living.
Vancouver’s mix of urban life and the outdoors stood out. So did experiencing the seasons, from spring and summer to snow in the mountains during winter.
For José, those everyday experiences were the reward for navigating the disruption. His story did not end with an approval letter. It continued in the routines and surroundings he had wanted to make part of his life.
The quality of life here is amazing.
Persistence, with the next chapter still ahead
At the time of the interview, José was looking ahead to permanent residence and preparing to study French. He described that as his next goal, not something he had already achieved.
His advice to others considering a similar journey was to keep going when plans change. His own experience had included setbacks, a return to Brazil, and uncertainty about the home he had left behind.
What made the outcome meaningful was being able to return and continue building that life. For José, success meant more than moving to Canada. It meant finding a way to stay connected to the future he and his wife had chosen.
Watch the full interview
Explore your own path to Canada
Thinking about a move while continuing your existing career? Learn about VanHack’s Canadian Engineering Office and explore whether the program could fit your situation.
