Claudia Hepburn: What newcomers are saying about Canadian immigration and how to improve it

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When Dr. Binal Patel emigrated, she got a job making sandwiches at a fast food restaurant to support her young daughter. As an Indian-trained dentist, Dr. Patel wondered how she was going to pay the fees for Canadian dental exams and, if she didn’t, how she would regain her self-respect and properly care for her children in Canada.

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Immigration figures from Canada are increasing year by year. During the 2021 census, nearly one in four people identified as immigrants, the largest proportion of Canadian immigrants ever, and the highest among the G7 countries. A sizable portion of them, like Dr. Patel, are well educated and highly trained when they arrive.

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According to a recent Bloomberg-Nanos poll, most Canadians agree, immigration is good for the Canadian economy. Many also recognize that more than ever before, we need the talents and skills immigrants bringespecially in sectors such as healthcare and IT.

There is less consensus on how well our immigration system is working or what needs to be done to improve it so that immigrants, like Dr. Patel, can integrate efficiently.

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In the process of developing a new podcast, we asked 20 experts for their views on Canadian immigration and for their ideas and initiatives to empower newcomers to integrate faster. Podcast contributors ranged from Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to business leaders concerned with productivity and labor supply, to CEOs of the immigrant sector who work daily to support the integration of newcomers and social entrepreneurs. who are working to fix what is sometimes described as a broken system. We also capture the views of qualified newcomers, including Dr. Patel.

We hear creative perspectives on how to strengthen immigration to make it more equitable for newcomers.

Arif Khimani, COO of Calgary-based IT staffing company MobSquad, spoke about his company’s approach. MobSquad identifies international technology professionals with the skills to meet the needs of North American businesses. The company takes care of immigration paperwork and finds lucrative roles for immigrants to start working upon arrival in Canada. Employers, immigrants and the economy benefit.

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Shamira Madhany, Deputy CEO and Canada General Manager of World Education Services (WES) reminded us that the speed of integration possible for IT talent must also occur for healthcare professionals. Government, regulators and employers need to do a better job of ensuring that when internationally trained doctors, nurses and pharmacists choose Canada, we put them in a position to contribute their skills to our healthcare system as quickly as possible.

The insights shared with us were often inspiring but also, at times, discouraging.

Dr. Nnamdi Ndubuka, a public health physician and professor from Saskatchewan, originally from Nigeria, shared his belief that Canada continues to be an incredible land of opportunity for newcomers. Meanwhile, immigration advocate and founder of Immigrant Networks Nick Noorani, who came to Canada from India in 1998, lamented the idea that in Toronto, “the best place to have a heart attack” was the back of of an Uber, due to the number of international passengers. -trained doctors who drive them.

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What resonated most for me from these conversations was the importance of creativity and cross-sector collaboration in addressing immigrant integration challenges. Jennifer Freeman, executive director of Vancouver-based PeaceGeeks, told us that newcomers should have easy access to the information and resources they need to thrive, virtually wherever they are in Canada. She stressed that every immigrant comes to this country with a smartphone and there is no reason, in 2023, their settlement experience cannot be streamlined and simplified through the use of technology. As more countries around the world experience aging populations and skills shortages, the need to innovate is growing.

If Canada is serious about welcoming more immigrants and refugees each year, the status quo is not acceptable.

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The next Dr. Ndbuka and Dr. Patel may decide that the costs, in time and money, of integrating professionally in Canada are too high and choose one of the other countries that are working to speed up the process of integrating qualified professionals. Solving the integration challenges facing our immigrants will be key to our national prosperity, our health care system, and Canada’s future.

Claudia Hepburn is CEO of Windmill Microlending, a national charity that empowers qualified immigrants and refugees to achieve economic prosperity through affordable loans and support.

Letters to the editor should be sent to [email protected]. The editor of the editorial pages is Hardip Johal, who can be reached at [email protected].