Thread by @sophiaahmed

As a new immigrant I still view Canada with an outside in lens. I guess it takes time to fully internalise a culture, but Canada remains a mystery to me.

Could be attributed to the "timing" of our move or the unique circumstances that set in as a result of it.

#Immigration

Do all immigrants feel a disconnect to Canada? The infrastructure in the bigger cities is comparable to London, the busy-ness of it all, never ending chores, weekend getaways & retirement plans.

However, this is something desi people never experience.

We don't really plan, we don't have weekend getaways, our domestic life isn't so hectic. Our busy lives are a mix of work, life in imbalance, brought about by a crazy dependency on family relationships & toxic people around us.

When you immigrate you leave most of it behind.

But what you get in return is a mismatch. I regularly meet recent immigrants at my neighbourhood park. You see the mismatch on their faces, in the turn of their head, even in their clothes.

How much they try to fit in, the class-ism of the old vs. new immigrants, the race issue

Everyone wants to avoid but you know it's not possible.

You see children with weird accents, trying to please, over eager, playing ball harder to prove a point.

You see people lamenting the lack of work available because of the unforgiving Canadian Experience requirement

To have worked in senior roles in Pakistan & the GCC, I now know people here, working hourly jobs.

The grind fades many within the first few years. Even the young.

The price of immigration is hard, especially for families with no support. You see it in children, sitting

Alone under a tree, escaping a crowded basement they now call home. You see it in their eyes, desperate for an icecream from the truck, but they know they cannot ask their parents.

You see them looking at the other kids, seemingly prosperous with their fancy bicycles & electric

Scooters. But knowing how far the social barriers are now for them.

When you immigrate, you do do in hope for a better future, instead many end up losing so much of their dignity.

In a new job, there's an orientation program, but nothing prepares you for the life you're to live

Does that mean there should be state sponsored integration programs.

No. That's again problematic & could lead to overt alienation.

But there's definitely room for working with immigrants, a certain empathy that's clearly lacking.

I see immigrants

Supporting each other more. But the gap & grind many face is distressing.

So much empathy, can change. Especially when you meet candidates for a job, when you reject someone you can say why theyre not a good fit.

As neighbours we can do more by reaching out, genuinely give

Advise, share experiences, offer to help, give someone a ride to the Go stop.

The biggest fear, a young doctor said to me a few days ago was not having money to reach Iqbal's, where she worked in the food prep section.

My heart just broke. A young doctor from India who's degree

Is considered enough for immigration, the medical dept will never accept. She must pass new tests, support herself in this time & study.

How is this an equitable arrangement?

With our privilege, we can still look at these problems & consider them. I often wonder, how Canadians even look at immigrants woes, the cold, & depression, the lack of money, as a human issue affecting thousands across diff cities.

What is strange is the utter lack of information on to dos.

How ex finance leads will become real estate brokers, or engineers do the hourly wage at amazon.

A good friend recounts how a HR lead refused her application because she wore a hijab.

These lived experiences need

More thought by all Canadians. What kind of social structure is being built that initially refuses to assimilate.

Why are 2nd generation the ones thriving?

When we move to London or Europe on work visas the same distinctions do not apply?

You may still need valid certificates

But the fact that youre treated on merit & able to start where you belong creates entirely different success trajectories.

How many here feel that the Canadian Experience requirement is an unfair measure aimed to deny jobs to immigrants.

That a year in a basic job is no building ground. How many see this as opaque & unnecessary?

Will hiring managers ever remove this bias?
How many have difficulties getting interviews without a referral by another immigrant?

Are jobs even offered without a reference?

To escape your country, it's unfairness, how many feel the initial few years is similar to the life you wanted to escape?

How is merit upheld? How is fairness & justice ensured?

How is race never considered in selecting candidates for interviews?

I'm questioning lived experiences as that is the only real measure gauging the ease in immigrating.

What key changes need to be made?

2 critical minuses is the school system. It's not necessarily the best. The elementary & middle schools do not have extra curricular or sports.

Teachers can be racist. Math in Ontario is atleast a year behind Alberta which is a year behind the GCSE's.

And then there's health. Anyone want to question the SOP culture Canadian gps have to follow, making patients go round in circles for anything graver than a broken bone.