In this episode, we spoke to Roshni Ethiraj, who shared their experience of immigrating to Canada on a student visa. Roshni describes that her decision to immigrate to Canada was due to her own choice (Zhou, 2020). However, this decision also came with a financial burden on her and her parents, due to the high costs of applying for a student visa and attending a Canadian University.  

Throughout the episode, Roshni shares the ebbs and flows of immigrating to Canada. She shares how in the first four months she had difficulty adapting to Canadian Culture (Albanese, ). She talks about the challenges of navigating the culture, language, and the cold winters. In addition,  she discloses the financial hardships that can occur, due to tuition being almost two times more than Canadian students. She explains how there is financial support available to immigrant students, however, it is something the student must go and look for. 

Despite these challenges, she explains that she eventually was able to adapt and integrate into Canadian culture. She shares that she has a strong sense of belonging in Canada now. She attributes this to the support of her friends, and the ability to be who she is and get the education that represents her needs and wants. She describes that her identity has changed for the better since arriving in Canada. 

Finally, Roshni discusses the difficulty of finding a job after university. She explains how sometimes the job descriptions may not align with what she has– but tells us to always apply despite that.

References

Albanese, P. (2009). Newcomer Children in Canada. In P. Albanese (Ed.), Children in Canada Today (pp. 143-262).Oxford University Press. 

Zhou, P. (2020, January 21). Forced, Reluctant, and Voluntary Migration. ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/voluntary-migration-definition-1435455