International Student’s Dilemma 🇨🇦
Should you immigrate to Canada?
The prospect of studying and living in a foreign country is a tantalizing idea, but what most people don't consider is the aftermath. It doesn't matter how alluring the idea of living in a foreign country can be on the surface but the realities are always different.
When I was in my home country the thought of living in a foreign country always piqued my interest. In my late teens, I started to flirt with this idea as I no longer wanted to live in a country where I grew up watching constant strife and apathy around me. But moving to a foreign country in today’s volatile economic situation is not something anyone would want to be in. The rising cost of living is making the situation for international students even more precarious than ever. An international student in Canada is exploited by both educational institutions and employers. As one is in a very peculiar situation where you’re a temporary resident who is constantly pushed against the wall and has to hustle every day to survive. Despite the lectures for your classes being delivered online the college and university will raise tuition fees to pass on the burden of inflation to students who are already scrounging to save enough money to pay off the looming student debts. Before one realizes they are already sinking fast in the financial quicksand. The three-headed demon of rising rents, student debts, and inflation is chasing them like an apparition haunting their memories.
When we are in our home country we don't realize how much our parents sacrifice for us to get educated. They shield us from the harsh realities of the world for the longest time. Those realities are unveiled when you are on your own without your family’s constant support. This makes me remember how my family’s love for me has always been unrelenting, while my love for them has always been unreflective. My love for them has been unreflecting in that when I was living with them, I never appreciated what they did for me and always showed a lack of concern or an insouciance in reciprocating it with the same fervor.
Why are People Immigrating to Canada:
Canada is one of the most immigrant-friendly countries enticing immigrants from developing nations all over the world. The fundamental reason why people from developing nations are immigrating to Canada in droves is due to the country’s lax immigration policy. They immigrate to have a better quality of life and more opportunities. Unlike other English-speaking nations, one can get permanent residency status in Canada with just one year of working experience. People from China and India form the largest immigrant communities moving into the country, as these are the two countries with the highest populations in the world. The chase after permanent residency in Canada is a swamp in which many students are stuck. The employers and public educational institutions are aware of students' precarious situation which gives some employers a reason to underpay the workers and educational institutions to overcharge them. Being an immigrant in Canada is like standing at the edge of a precipice with an abyss on both sides. While trying to muster enough courage to step off the edge, you get showered by arrows coming from people standing on higher cliffs with nothing to fend those off with except perseverance and confidence.
Impact of Rising Inflation:
We all know throughout the world inflation is on a constant rise. To counter this the central banks of the nations are raising the federal interest rates to make lending more expensive which throttles the economy. In Canada, there is a situation of stagflation where the economy is struggling with high inflation and unemployment. Although things are starting to improve now as the effects of the COVID—19 pandemic are waning away, employment remains relatively low with the war in Europe having rippling effects on the global economy causing inflation to rise at an unprecedented rate.
Racism in Canada:
Unlike in some other countries, racism in Canada is not direct. Instead, it is passive as you will see the vestiges of passive racism prevalent in Canada, especially during the hiring process in smaller cities. Some ethnicities will always be discriminated against over others. You’ll come to know about the Canadian privilege the moment you start your first job in the country. The realization that there are certain things only Canadians are permitted to do. You will always be the one who will get admonished over trivial things and at times you may find yourself being a scapegoat.
Canada has an aging population and labor shortage. Canada needs immigrants to fill that gap in the labor market. Some people here might be averse to having immigrants in the country. But only if they had a better understanding of how an economy works they would have a different opinion. When I first came to the country I was a bit of an oddity, as whenever I used to give job interviews. The interviewer couldn't believe it had been just a few weeks since I had been in Canada. My experience in Canada has been mostly positive, as before moving to the country I already possessed native-level proficiency in the English language and had a smattering knowledge of the French language which gave me an edge over the other candidates.
International Communities in Canada:
Canada is a country where a profusion of cultures intermingles with each other peacefully. Canadian culture is the culmination of these cultures which makes it unique. I guess when you have lived in the country for some time you realize that regardless of what ethnicity you belong to or what language you may speak. The quotidian struggles of life remain the same for everyone irrespective of ethnicity. Always remember we all may look a little different in this world and speak different languages but everyone has the same wants and aspirations.
