Great To Desire Immigration To Canada, But Read What Those Already In, Say

It is a great idea to dream immigration to Canada, especially for people from Africa and the rest of the developing world.

However, before embarking on such a long and tasking enterprise, it would be worth it to find out from those who have gone ahead, or have insider knowledge of what has opened up to others who have succeeded in immigrating to Canada.

This story is part of Welcome to Canada, a CBC News series about immigration told through the eyes of the people who have experienced it.

For decades, Canada was a top destination for immigrants, seen as a stable and safe place to live with a clear path to permanent residency. But now, many recent newcomers say it’s an expensive and often futile endeavour. CBC spoke with 50 such newcomers from across Canada, who came using varying immigration streams, about their journeys. Most felt that the cost of the Canadian dream doesn’t reflect its value, and they’re deliberating staying — if they even can.

And with the federal government recently tightening immigration policy in response to backlash, that’s set to only become more competitive.

Before coming to Canada from Iran in 2020, Hamed Heydarzadeh and his wife Mansooreh Fereidooni sold off their car as well as most of their assets, and paid a private tutor for a year to boost their English proficiency.

Heydarzadeh, 40, and Fereidooni, 35, had decided to leave their country because they opposed the regime.

“We were looking for peace in our life. We had many problems there, especially for my wife in Iran around hijab and other super strict rules,” Heydarzadeh told CBC News.

READ ALSO: Canada Permanent Residency: Labour Unions Defend Migrant Workers

“We wanted to move to somewhere that we don’t have … to think about these issues that we have in our life.”

Five years and $50,000 later, they are considering leaving, as getting permanent residency (PR) is an uphill battle. If it doesn’t come through, they’ll have to go home, or start from scratch — again — in another country.

Immigration To Canada: $50K Spent, With No PR

When Heydarzadeh’s wife Fereidooni was admitted to Canada College in Montreal, he came to the country as well, on a work permit. With 10 years of experience in oil and gas back in Iran, he had gotten a job in production at a plastic recycling company. The couple had chosen Quebec for its relatively smooth pathway to PR, he said.

Great To Desire immigration to Canada 1

However, a month before their arrival, rules changed drastically, with Quebec eventually pausing the immigration program for which Heydarzadeh had gotten his job.

He got a new job as a supervisor in chemical manufacturing, and relocated to Vancouver. The couple had to pay rent in two cities.

In early 2023, he submitted his application for permanent residency. The processing time is usually about six months.

READ ALSO:  If I Get Pregnant In Canada Under A Tourist Visa, Does That Allow Me To Stay Permanently?

He got no update until March 2024, when he was asked about his military service in Iran. Heydarzadeh served four months in 2009 with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the hardline branch of the Iranian Armed Forces that the Canadian government listed as a terrorist entity in June. (Iranian men must serve in the military once they turn 18, and typically cannot choose the branch.)

Great To Desire immigration to Canada 2

After providing his supporting documents, he says his application has been with the Canada Border Services Agency since October 2023. He and his wife have both relocated to B.C. in the meantime.

“I’m frustrated because there is no stability in my life. We still don’t have a kid because our status in Canada isn’t determined,” he said.

“We can’t make decisions for the future. It’s really stressful.”

Heydarzadeh is considering moving to Australia, as he feels he is putting his life on hold waiting for his PR to be processed in Canada. (Maggie MacPherson/CBC)

Now, his PR application might be at risk: His employer is closing shop permanently by March, and his application is only valid with a job offer. Meanwhile, his work permit expired over the summer, and he’s waiting on a renewal.

They’ve run into issues returning to Iran, too, as they’ve been vocal about their opposition to the country’s politics. Fereidooni visited home last year for the first time in four years, after her father died. Just two days into her trip, Heydarzadeh said, Iranian intelligence service questioned her for her “activities in Canada” around “not liking Iran’s government.”

In hindsight, Heydarzadeh said he is very thankful that he didn’t sell off his apartment in Iran.

Before coming to Canada, Heydarzadeh had considered Australia as an alternative, and now regrets not taking it. He has begun researching a possible pivot.

“Australia and Canada were the best ones in terms of the clarity and straightforward path to get PR, and I chose Canada,” he said.

READ ALSO: Canada Permanent Residency Programme For Foreign Students Begins

“But after four years, the system is broken now because of immigration policies. [Justin] Trudeau broke the system. All this is for the election.”

The Canadian government announced on Oct. 24, 2024 that it is scaling back on immigration targets for the next three years, immediately cutting 2025’s target by 21 per cent, and more for the years after. The number of temporary residents, including international students and foreign workers, will also be considerably reduced.

The government considers the reduced targets “responsible” and says they will alleviate pressure on housing, infrastructure and social services. It’s also said Canada is still an “open country.”

In a statement, IRCC told CBC its review of the program was meant to balance immigration volumes with economic need and sustainability.

Great To Desire immigration to Canada 3

“It’s important we attract and retain the people we need to grow our economy and support our diversity and, at the same time, support and strengthen our communities.”

Heydarzadeh said a former coworker from Iran had asked him about moving to Canada two years ago. After he shared his thoughts on Canada’s job market, his friend decided to move to Australia instead, and has already gotten his PR, he said.

“It was very easy for him, and now I wish I would’ve done that.”

Advocates and community members worry about the impact the immigration cuts will have on newcomers, now in a fierce race to PR.

“Those who do have questions about Canada do know now about the bad press around our immigration system,” said Lou Janssen Dangzalan, a Toronto-based immigration lawyer.

Lou Janssen Dangzalan, a Toronto-based immigration lawyer, says it’s not surprising that immigrants unable to settle down in Canada would move to Australia or New Zealand instead, as the policies are similar. (William Anthony Garcia)

He says it’s not surprising that immigrants unable to settle down in Canada would move to Australia or New Zealand instead, as the policies are similar.

Dangzalan said that “there is a general malaise and souring sentiment toward immigration” in Canada and the U.S., and that Australia “was a year ahead” of Canada in terms of curbing international student intake.

Great To Desire immigration to Canada 4

“I certainly hope our favourability numbers maintain, if not improve. We will eventually need to amp up on immigration again.”

Policy changes have rendered immigration “an arms race,” he said, putting many in a desperate situation.

For most immigrants, there is a “fallacy of sunk costs.”

A recent CBC-commissioned survey found a similar sentiment: Out of 1,507 immigrants who came to Canada between 2014 to 2024, two-thirds felt the process cost too much. The same fraction found it was more than they had expected to pay.

“People have invested way too much in Canada to fail at this point,” said Dangzalan. “They are willing to do anything and everything to just be able to stay in Canada. It’s very tragic.”

While grateful to be in Canada, many newcomers say there aren’t enough jobs or services for them to thrive

Feeling stuck in Canada

Many newcomers like Ankit and Akash, a gay couple from India, resonate with that feeling. CBC is only using their first names, as they are not out to their families.

The couple said a consultant and immigration paperwork alone cost them around $10,000. Ankit says it was still worthwhile, as same-sex marriage is not recognised in India.

“Coming to Canada, do I regret? Yes and no,” he said. “Socially, it was great to be here without all the judgment and stigma. But financially, it was the worst decision to come here.”

Ankit said they were mistaken to believe that Canada’s liberal society would also entail a financial upgrade.

A glass is in the foreground. In the background are two men getting married.

Ankit and Akash at their wedding. (Submitted by Ankit)

“Once in four months, we will go for a drink or a date night, but that lifestyle was way better in India. We used to go out every week,” Ankit said.

After the wedding, they weren’t able to go away for their honeymoon, he said, despite travelling often while living in India. Presently, Akash is working in the IT sector, while Ankit looks for jobs.

“In Bengaluru, I was middle class. Here, I’m in the lower middle class,” Ankit said.

“In Canada, I can’t think about purchasing a house, while there I bought a house already. My former colleagues are now buying their second house.”

Great To Desire immigration to Canada 5

A hand puts a ring on another hand.

The couple hasn’t been able to go away for their honeymoon, and finds that coming to Canada was a bad financial decision. (Submitted by Ankit)

The lack of jobs and inflationary pressures are also taking an emotional toll.

“I had subtle anxiety issues, which have increased now, and I’ve lost self-confidence. The only good thing is I don’t have to hide myself here.”

African migrants heading towards Canada

Going back is not an option for the couple, as they have “burnt savings and don’t want to lose out on a married life dream.”

“I feel stuck in Canada. I’m still trying my best to like it here.”

Tuition versus food                                   

For Aryan Panchal, a fifth-year international student at the University of Calgary, he says he has already spent about $107,000 in tuition.

“I have $12,000 more left to pay before I graduate,” the 22-year-old said.

“That money took my family and me a lot of time to save. It will all go to waste if I’ve to go back.”

A man in a suit crouches in front of a sign.

READ ALSO: I Can Make Your Travel To Canada Possible But..- Grace White

For Aryan Panchal, being an international student in Canada has sometimes meant cutting down on food to save money for tuition. (Rebecca Kelly/CBC)

Panchal followed his two elder brothers who immigrated to Canada before him.

“I tried to cut down as much cost as possible to save up enough money for tuition.

Great To Desire immigration to Canada 6

“There were days that I didn’t eat or had to cut down on food.”

His elder brother, 26-year-old Shivam Panchal, is facing his own hurdles trying to get PR, and is considering relocating to another province or learning French.

Shivam says he has spent $50,000 on education, but the job crisis and limited time remaining on his work permit is making him question his decision.

“The amount of investments that we make to move here and the return that we get is far less,” Shivam said.

Only the eldest brother, 30-year-old Parth Panchal, who came in 2018 as an international student, reached the highest rung in the immigration journey, getting his Canadian citizenship in 2023.

“I have a saying,” Aryan said. “Fall in love with suffering, because that’s what’s going to happen when you come to Canada.”

READ ALSO: Trudeau Resignation: Trump Serious US Is Taking Over Canada

Phil Triadafilopoulous, political science professor at the University of Toronto, said it makes sense that some assumed they could transition to PR.

“This was the story that they were sold by immigration consultants and the media,” he said.

“The problem is actually going to get worse, because not everyone’s going to go home.”

He said immigrants who have spent a lot of money to be here “have plenty of reason to be upset,” but the present plight “was almost predictable.”

“That dream isn’t only shared by people from other countries. It’s a dream that Canadians share, but it’s not in good shape right now.

“The system’s a real mess.”

picture credits: New York Times & Quartz