UAE | Visa
A sense of well-being with a tinge of anxiety
Hope and anticipation are my predominant emotions - with a little niggle of trepidation - as I close my 17-year UAE chapter spent on the hot but hospitable sands of Arabia and prepare to open a fresh one in the cold snowy climes of Canada.
- By H. Krishna, Special to Gulf News
- Published: 00:00 June 23, 2006
Dubai: Hope and anticipation are my predominant emotions - with a little niggle of trepidation - as I close my 17-year UAE chapter spent on the hot but hospitable sands of Arabia and prepare to open a fresh one in the cold snowy climes of Canada.
It is a little niggle only to begin with. As the date for boarding the flight to Toronto's Pearson International Airport nears, it grows steadily into a brooding, menacing presence that casts an ill-defined but ominous shadow on the future.
And I ask myself: "If Canada is the chosen land for today's aspiring immigrant, why do so many people who have recently acquired Canadian citizenship seek to return to the UAE and the Gulf?"
I am determined to be positive about the move. It was something that took years to plan and implement, and right through the wait it had always seemed to be a goal worth attaining. But today I am suddenly not so sure, and am plagued by doubts about whether I am doing the right thing.
"Doing it for the children's sake," I tell well-wishers, a trifle defensively, as I seek to hide behind the old aphorism.
And it is true - my wife and I are united in our firm belief that we are doing it for the kids. But there's no getting away from the fact that we are also doing it for ourselves, and that we initially believed we could make it, which is why we had embarked upon this course in the first place.
Is our optimism misplaced?
Confusing signals are the order of the day. Some friends who have gone this route earlier say quietly, "It may be difficult at first but you will find it is eventually well worth it - and don't listen to the professional moaners."
Several others complain their Canadian dream turned into a nightmare. All say that at the very least you need luck - oodles of it.
My wife agrees we are committed to pursuing the course of the Maple Leaf. But I pray for luck, and I continue to hope. That is all I can do, for now.
Pros and cons of fresh opportunities in the snowy climes of Canada
Took years of planning and preparation, should see it through. It's a goal worth attaining
Moving for the sake of the children's future
Fear of the unknown
Closing a chapter on current life unsure of the future Worrying statistics on number of people returning to the Gulf
The dream can turn into a nightmare, with no jobs. Everything is reliant on luck
Discrimination
'Lost generation' of immigrants
Toronto Canadians take immense pride in their dedication to multiculturalism and in providing opportunities for all.
However, many immigrants experience another side of life in Canada. Systemic employment discrimination has meant a generation of immigrants is already lost.
"With its small population of 32 million people, a large country like Canada cannot afford to lose or undervalue its immigrants," says Morteza Jafarpour, Executive Director of the Hamilton-based Settlement and Integration Services Organisation (SISO).
While numerous factors contribute to the dissatisfaction felt by many immigrants, Jafarpour says the major problem is "discrimination in accessing jobs".
It is precisely these reasons which led to the birth of SISO in 1993. It identified workplace discrimination at a systemic level.
"For example, a qualified doctor can move to Canada, and then be blocked by provincial licensing agencies to practice his profession," says Jafarpour.
According to recent government statistics, there are 2,000 doctors in the province of Ontario who are underemployed, while Ontario suffers one of the worst shortages of physicians in recent history.
H. Krishna is a Dubai-based professional who plans to migrate to Canada later this summer
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