Challenges Facing Skilled Immigrants in Canada
This page is dedicated to discussing challenges faced by immigrants.
Skilled immigrants in Canada often face a multifaceted set of challenges as they transition into their new life. The harsh Canadian climate can be a stark contrast to their home country’s weather, necessitating a period of acclimatization. A significant hurdle is the recognition of international credentials, which may not align with Canadian standards, often leading to the need for additional qualifications or certifications. The Canadian job market places a high premium on local work experience, which can be a catch-22 for newcomers who need experience to get work but work to gain experience. Language barriers also pose a considerable challenge, as proficiency in English or French is essential for most employment opportunities. Social integration is another aspect that can impact their well-being, as building a new social network is crucial yet challenging. Navigating the Canadian support systems, such as healthcare and education, requires understanding and accessibility that may not be immediately apparent to immigrants. Moreover, skilled immigrants may encounter employer bias, a mismatch of skills to the region’s needs, and cultural competency issues, leading to deskilling, where they are employed in roles that underutilize their skills and training. There are some dire problems let us take a deeper dive into these issues.
DB. 2024.4.02
Brain Drain and Health Equity in Developing Countries
Canada’s active recruitment of skilled immigrants, particularly from developing countries, is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it promises a better life, professional growth, and often higher wages. On the other, it contributes to a significant brain drain in the source countries, particularly in critical sectors like healthcare, construction, and STEM professions.
Statistics reveal that immigrants constitute one-in-four healthcare workers and more than one-third of those in science and technology in Canada. Nearly 500,000 immigrants working in Canada are trained in STEM fields, representing 24% of the national workforce but accounting for 39% of computer programmers and 41% of engineers. However, the reality of employment within these sectors is starkly different. Studies indicate that only 10-16% of immigrants secure employment commensurate with their education and skill level. This discrepancy is a testament to the “heavy hammer culture of deskilling” prevalent in Canada, where skilled immigrants often find themselves in jobs that underutilize their qualifications, such as a medical doctor driving an Uber, an experienced nurse working as a cashier, or the cyber security specialist cleaning hotel floors.
The regulatory bodies at provincial and federal levels, which oversee most professions, have been criticized for practices biased against immigrant professionals. These biases manifest in the workplace, where immigrants may excel in automated job assessments but face barriers during human interactions in the hiring process. The requirements set by regulatory colleges often necessitate Canadian education and work experience, creating a catch-22 for skilled immigrants.
Despite being a signatory to the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel, which aims to strengthen health systems and manage health personnel migration ethically, Canada’s approach seems to contradict its commitment. The lure of skilled professionals from developing countries without fully utilizing their talents not only undermines the individual’s potential but also hampers the healthcare system’s diversity and innovation. It perpetuates a cycle that diminishes health equity in the source countries while failing to capitalize on the skills and experiences that immigrants bring to Canada’s healthcare landscape.
DB. 2024.4.02
Immigrants and Canada
Before European colonization, the land now known as Canada was inhabited by various Indigenous peoples, each with their own distinct cultures, languages, and names for their territories. These Indigenous nations and cultures had rich oral traditions and languages, and their territories were defined based on their relationship with the land, water, air, and neighboring communities. Colonization has a dark history that still persists in today’s society due to the actions of key players perpetuating systemic practices deeply woven into the fabric of our society. These actions continue to exclude and discriminate in essential policy spaces where efforts for positive change are initiated, hindering progress towards a better future.
Endless Struggles: Skilled Immigrants in Canada and the Fight for Inclusivity
The lived experiences of skilled immigrants in Canada paint a disheartening picture, one marred by continuous challenges with no positive endpoint in sight. These struggles are deeply rooted in policies and attitudes that have persisted since Canada’s colonial era, creating a distressing parallel with the historical injustices faced by Indigenous peoples under oppressive policies like the Indian Act of 1876. This comparison sheds light on a troubling pattern of discrimination and exclusion, even for the highly skilled immigrants who were invited to Canada to practice.
Shame, a potent and pervasive emotion, plays a significant role in this narrative. Skilled immigrants often find themselves grappling with a profound sense of shame, stemming from the perception of not being accepted or valued due to their foreign qualifications or backgrounds. This feeling of inferiority hampers their ability to assert their rights and challenge the systemic barriers they face. It is a plight echoing the historical injustices faced by Indigenous peoples, who were also forcibly assimilated and stripped of their identities.
Much like the Indigenous people, skilled immigrants are pressured to undergo a process of “Canadianization.” Canadian education, Canadian work experience, and Canadian references are insisted upon, effectively excluding skilled immigrants from Canadian society unless they conform to these rigid standards. This demand erases their humanity, forcing them into an oppressive system that perpetuates these wrongs against themselves and future immigrants.
Who Benefits from Credentials Evaluation?
In the grand marketplace of credentials, skilled immigrants often find themselves in a peculiar bazaar. They pay a hefty entrance fee, only to discover the currency of their hard-earned qualifications is akin to Monopoly money in the eyes of the gatekeepers. These evaluations, costing a pretty penny, are the golden tickets to a ride that often goes nowhere—except, of course, for the merry-go-round of profit for those who punch the tickets. It’s an academic amusement park where the rides are closed for maintenance, but the ticket booths are always open for business.
Simply put, your international credential isn’t worth a penny here. So navigating the job market as a skilled immigrant is like being in a game of professional tag—you’re “it,” but no one will let you tag them. You’re ready to play, credentials in hand, but the gatekeepers seem to be playing a different game altogether, perhaps hide and seek?
Another Matter of Concern?
The reluctance of some Canadians to accept affordable housing or support immigrants in their communities underscores a pervasive issue of NIMBYism. Despite advocating for social change in principle, these individuals resist its implementation in their immediate surroundings. This attitude further isolates immigrants, intensifying their exclusion from mainstream Canadian society.
It’s like a game of musical chairs. The music stops, you rush for a seat, but alas, they’re all taken, reserved for locals who knew the tune all along. So there you stand, a skilled maestro without an orchestra, a player without a team, holding a baton and a chair in a game where the rules are written in invisible ink. It raises a critical question: why should skilled immigrants resort to shaming those responsible for these wrongs, just to be acknowledged?
The need for Canadians to confront and address these issues openly and honestly cannot be overstated. Merely verbalizing inclusivity is not enough; it must translate into tangible actions. Policies that support the integration of skilled immigrants into Canadian society without compromising their dignity and self-worth must be actively enforced.
Promoting education and awareness about the invaluable contributions of immigrants is essential. Skilled immigrants bring diverse experiences, often from resource-stricken settings, yet they boast a track record of delivering enduring positive results. Canadians must recognize that genuine inclusivity and equal opportunities, irrespective of background, are not just moral imperatives but also fundamental drivers of social and economic progress. It is not about empty acknowledgments or media-friendly statements; it is about fostering a truly inclusive environment where the potential of every citizen, immigrant or not, can flourish. Only then can Canada truly progress as a nation.
D.B. 2023.10.30
References
Canadian Council of Professional Engineers. (2019). From Consideration to Integration: Pathways to Skilled Immigrants in the Engineering Profession. https://engineerscanada.ca/reports/pathways-to-engineering
Government of Canada. (2020). The Daily — Study: The Economic Impact of Immigration in Canada. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/200528/dq200528a-eng.htm
Statistics Canada. (2021). Immigrants in the Canadian Labour Market. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/71-606-x/71-606-x2021001-eng.htm
World Health Organization. (2010). WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel. https://www.who.int/hrh/migration/code/practice/en/
3 Responses
When seasonal farm workers keep complaining about the work conditions they are right.
And to think that each year they kept asking for families to uproot their lives to come and live in their country only to be victimized.
This needs to be said. Black immigrants out of African region seems to be displaced more than immigrants from anywhere else. Talk about that!
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