In the years leading up to the pandemic, the Immigrant Services Society of British Columbia (ISSofBC) noted accelerated arrival numbers of refugee claimants in Metro Vancouver. Though the COVID-19 outbreak ushered in a brief period of a reduction, as of 2022 the number of refugee claimants in British Columbia has surpassed pre-pandemic levels. “Last year…

When then-Simon Fraser University (SFU) student Saba Fatemi and her peers won the 2019 SFU Student Community Engagement Competition with their “CommuniCreate” initiative – a program for refugee and newcomer children pre-pandemic – she didn’t specifically have Ukrainian children in mind. “My university peers and I learned that newcomer youth were a growing demographic in…

The United Nations’ designated World Refugee Day on June 20th will be a day observedto celebrate and honour “the strength and courage of people who have been forced toflee their home country to escape conflict or persecution.” Last year, Immigration,Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reported over 90,000 asylum claims, includingnearly 4000 from claimants seeking refuge…

People often study for years to achieve the degree of professional experience they need to excel in their careers. However, all this effort can seem wasted when a person immigrates to a new country, only to find their credentials and experience are not recognized or not enough for the host country. Even in a place…

In their public conversation on Jan. 26 entitled “Homelands: Exile and Return,” Amyn Sajoo and Kamal Al-Solaylee will delve into that feeling of belonging and the yearning immigrants have about returning to their homelands. Al-Solaylee will look to unpack these restless quests, including his own. Sajoo, a term lecturer and scholar-in-residence at SFU, and Al-Solaylee,…

Released last December, a new study, entitled Perceptions of shared values in Canadian society among the immigrant population, compares the proportions of Canadian-born people and immigrants who believed that Canadians share values to a significant extent. These values represent the democratic norms or standards that provide a basis for social inclusion in a diverse society, providing…

Last October, MOSAIC launched the Accessibility for Newcomers Program, an innovative new program that will enhance accessibility for immigrants, refugees and newcomers in the Lower Mainland. Funded by the City of Vancouver in accordance with their new Accessibility Strategy, the innovative program will connect newcomers with disabilities to employment and disability support services while working…

How did Indigenous communities historically view immigration to Canada? As immigration is predicted to rise in the following decades, it is important for fresh voices to join in on matters of global importance. Marking its 50th anniversary, the Immigrant Society Services of BC (ISSofBC) will offer, in a joint effort with the Ismail Centre Vancouver,…

They were relatively civilized middle-class Europeans who looked more like the family living next door than the refugees western nations had become so accustomed to seeing trickle across their borders. At least, that’s how Western news media and politicians depicted the Ukrainian citizens forced to flee their homes following the start of Russia’s invasion of…

Canada is responding as quickly as possible to the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan by helping bring Afghan citizens and their families safely to their new home. We remain firm in our commitment to resettle 40,000 Afghan nationals, and our partnerships with provinces, territories and settlement service providers across the country are key to achieving this…

Although the North American film industry has been recently evolving toward being more inclusive, there is still a long way to go, especially for Middle Eastern actors. Vancouver-based actors Hani Mefti, Panta Mosleh and Mostafa Shaker discuss the daily challenges they face in their acting careers. The number of auditions and callbacks Middle Eastern actors…