Au Revoir, America. Bon Jour, Canada!
By: Ani Rao
Tags: United States, Canada, Discrimination, Immigration, High Skilled Immigration

It was the summer of 2008 when my wife and I landed in the United States with 4 suitcases. 12 years since, with US work experience and a US Master’s degree, we have given up on the American dream and have moved to Canada for good. My application for Canadian permanent residency took less than a year to be processed, whereas I still am yet to see any progress on my United States immigrant/permanent residency petition that was approved back in 2013. At the current rate, with the current system in place, I would never become a permanent resident of the US. And, spend decades on visa extensions and uncertainty. In a sharp contrast, as a Canadian permanent resident, I no longer need to worry about visa paperwork. It feels liberating, and I can focus on the good I can do to help the country we now call our home.

In the 21st century, the United States is the only developed country that still treats applications based on where the applicant was born, not based on the skills/possibilities an applicant brings, and applies a country-based quota system. Forget attracting the best-brightest from all over the world, the United States is failing to retain the best-brightest that have already made the country their home and contributing to their economy and society in several ways. While immigrants like me are stuck in uncertainty and visa hassles, our well-qualified spouses find it challenging to keep their work permits, and children fear self-deportation and aging out.

I spent the last several years knocking on the doors of the Congress asking for a very simple thing to be fixed in the United States immigration system. From asking questions at local town halls, writing letters to the representative and senators, to meeting with staffers in Washington D.C, I did it all. I kept stating that countries like Canada or Australia would welcome highly-skilled individuals like me. I grew frustrated by the wait, the inaction, and the ever growing ill treatment of immigrants by the Trump administration. So, I decided to act on it and applied for Canadian permanent residency. It was not as easy as one may think it to be. There were barriers to enter the system, lot of coordination and work involved to ensure all paperwork was in order, and then finally within a year’s time we received our confirmation of permanent residence!

I am not a pioneer in this journey up north. Several immigrant families have made this journey, and have embraced their new homes in the true north!

While the Trump administration does deserve most of the credit on the exodus of hard-working highly-skilled immigrants and their families, and the subsequent loss in revenues and investments, the elected representatives and senators are also complicit in their inaction or lack of courage in pushing forward with a bipartisan legislation. It is with no doubt that the topic of immigration sparks polarizing views. But, while families are being separated, futures and opportunities for more American jobs is being lost, surely the elected “leaders” must have the foresight to change the laws to meet the future needs of the country. Surely, they must have the courage to work with the opposite side in good faith. They are the “leaders” after all. Surely, they can usher in a modern immigration system that does not treat people by their color of skin or nationality and also help build a sustainable economy that also creates millions of jobs for American citizens.

America is a nation of immigrants! It has always been and always will. Whether an agency, government, or political party tries to cover that up or tries erasing that history, everyone needs to understand that you are either an immigrant or descendants of immigrants. People who went through hardships and hard work to reach the American shores, worked to build their name and skills, and the contributed in several ways to this fabric named the United States of America. At the basic level, we are all human beings (not aliens) built by the creator to pursue quests for happiness and fulfillment. And, an attack on immigrants is a tear, a rip in the very fabric and values that builds the country.

Photo by James Wheeler from Pexels

I am grateful to Canada for welcoming immigrants like me with open arms and granting us permanent residency. Last few months of the move have been a rollercoaster. It has not been easy uprooting ourselves from our places of work, place we called home, say goodbyes to our friends, and move to a new country and start from scratch. Having said that, getting this opportunity to become a Canadian permanent resident is something I am not taking lightly. My family and I forever will remember this. I may not be a genius scientist, inventor, or an entrepreneur (yet). But I am an honest, hard-working, skilled immigrant. My family and I will surely be paying it forward and looking for opportunities where we can be of value and help to our new home — Canada.

Au revoir, America. Bon jour and merci, Canada!