The energy at UBC Robson Square was unmistakable on November 1, as hundreds of immigrant professionals gathered for MOSAIC’s Immigrant Professionals Conference 2025 (IPC), a milestone year marked by the theme “Embracing Change & Building Resilience.”
In a world navigating labour market volatility, AI-driven transformation, and economic uncertainty both at home and abroad, change is no longer optional. It’s constant. Yet, as MOSAIC CEO Olga Stachova reminded the audience in her opening remarks, change can also be empowering: “It’s the shift in mindset, the self-confidence to know we can follow our dreams and have so much to offer, that truly changes everything,” Olga said.
She described IPC as a space “created by immigrants, for immigrants,” where professionals see their own resilience mirrored in others’ stories, and where confidence becomes the foundation for possibility.
Turning Change into Momentum
That belief in positive change carried through the morning as Sunita Dhir, MLA for Surrey–Panorama and Parliamentary Secretary for International Credentials, and Ava Zhang, Senior Relationship Manager at RBC, showed how policy and partnership can turn mindset into momentum.
Sunita spoke about the International Credentials Recognition Act, ensuring faster, fairer, and more transparent licensing for internationally trained professionals. She emphasized that resilience is no longer an individual effort but a collective one, made possible when regulation bodies, employers, and communities work together to remove barriers.
Ava echoed that vision, highlighting RBC’s continued sponsorship of IPC and its $50,000 contribution to MOSAIC’s Internationally Educated Nurses Program as evidence of the bank’s commitment to inclusion not as a statement, but as sustained action.
Together, their words painted a picture of collaboration: when systems open doors and individuals walk through them, change becomes shared progress.
A Story That Mirrored the Audience
When Ajay Patel, President & CEO of Vancouver Community College, began his keynote, the room leaned in. He spoke not in abstractions, but through lived experience: growing up in East Vancouver after immigrating from Fiji, navigating identity, and discovering leadership through sport and education.
“Each of us as immigrants to Canada walked a path of challenge and hope,” Ajay said. “Every journey is uniquely powerful, and we learn from each other. You didn’t come here to survive change. You came here to create it.”
His story resonated deeply: the guilt of leaving family behind, the uncertainty of belonging, and the quiet persistence that turns adversity into strength. Applause rippled through the room, not only for his success, but for the shared courage and optimism in every story present that day.
“Your difference is not a deficit. It’s an edge,” he added. “It’s what moves Canada forward.”
Learning in Motion
Resilience wasn’t only discussed. It was practiced throughout the day. In the exhibitor hall and breakout rooms, participants connected over shared challenges, swapped career strategies, and re-energized their sense of purpose.
Workshops on confidence, stress, and personality during change reminded attendees that growth begins from within, while the plenary “Pack Your Professional Backpack” translated those lessons into tangible tools for the journey ahead.
What Employers Said — and What It Meant
The conversation culminated in the employer panel, moderated by David Lee, MOSAIC’s Director of Employment, Language & Social Enterprise.
Panelists Connie Chong (Langara College), Khalid Samim (RBC), Zena Merali (BCIT), and Karen Wall (Providence Health Care) shared what resilience looks like inside organizations and what helps newcomer professionals thrive. They spoke about curiosity, communication, and lifelong learning as essential skills for adapting in fast-changing workplaces.
“I like to think of resilience as collective, not individual,” said Zena. “It’s about leaning on your peers, mentors, and communities—the people who cheer you on. When we build that support network, we don’t just adapt; we grow stronger together.”
Fifteen Years of Impact
It’s incredible to see so many people from different backgrounds come together with one goal, to grow, to learn, and to support one another,” shared Angella, one of this year’s delegates.
Since its launch in 2010, MOSAIC’s Immigrant Professionals Conference has welcomed more than 6,000 participants, connecting professionals with employers, mentors, and opportunities across industries.
“Part of what we really hope for in putting on events like IPC is to build a sense of connection that we are no longer facing change as individuals. We’re doing it with others—and for others—when we have the chance to do so.”
MOSAIC extends heartfelt thanks to all speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, volunteers, and the hundreds of professionals who filled the venue with energy, ideas, and purpose. Together, they proved once again that connection is the heart of resilience—and that change begins when we build it together.
To learn more about MOSAIC’s initiatives supporting immigrant professionals, visit our Employment Services.
