Foreign-Born Canadians Help Syrian Refugees
A foreign-born Canadian family that started a successful company in Vancouver has decided to “give back” to Canada by sponsoring Syrian refugees.
In 1991, Karina Hayat and five other family members decided to immigrate to Canada from Guatemala, where a civil war was raging.
As an 11-year-old Canadian newcomer, she was determined to learn English and soon mastered the language.
In 2001, while she and her husband, Zeeshan, were still in college, they launched a successful, award-winning marketing company in British Columbia which earns millions of dollars per year and employees 20 workers in Vancouver.
Now, in 2016, Karina and her husband have decided to help another family fleeing civil war by sponsoring refugees from Syria.
Their goal is to help the Syrian family to adjust to living in Canada as soon as possible so they can also have the opportunity to live the “Canadian Dream” just as they have.
This inspiring story demonstrates how people who immigrate to Canada can make their dreams come true. It is also a good example of the warm welcome that Canadians extend to immigrants in this beautiful multicultural democracy.
Canada is an immigrant-friendly country where new arrivals can feel right at home. Since many Canadian residents are either immigrants or the children of immigrants, they understand the challenges that people sometimes experience when they first move to a new country.
Thus, all across Canada, people have been raising money and donating clothing or other items to help the thousands of Syrian refugees who will immigrate to Canada at the end of 2015 and during 2016. Many Canadians, like Karina and Zeeshan Hayat, have even opened their homes to sponsor refugees and make it easier for them to get settled in their new country.
It should be encouraging to realize that if refugees fleeing conflict can move to Canada with few possessions and become successful business owners, the opportunities are even greater for skilled foreign workers who immigrate to Canada as “economic immigrants” possessing the English or French language skills, education, work experience and other traits in high-demand by Canadian employers.
