Olawunmi was doing well for herself. She was an engineer leading a team at a top Nigerian manufacturer. Her family was taken care of. But she wanted more. So in 2018, she began the process of relocating to Canada, with her husband and two children.
At first, she considered the express entry route, where the Canadian government gives permanent residency visas to skilled workers and their families. It would not be easy.
In this week’s edition of our Japa Story, Olawunmi, now based in Newfoundland and Labrador, an obscure province in Canada, speaks about her move.
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This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Why did you decide to relocate?
We wanted a country where there's structure. Where there's organisation. Where the government cares about its citizens. But we are here now, reality has set in. It's not like I'm regretting. If you ask me to come back today, I won't come back. But it doesn't mean everything is so easy here. So it's not really greener on the other side like everybody thinks.
When did you start to plan to leave the country?
I'd been on the plan for about four years before it eventually clicked. I started planning to move in 2018 because I wanted the international experience. I wanted a better future for my children. There’s a better future for them here. Everybody was leaving through the express entry route to Canada. I joined the queue. However, the journey didn't sail through as I experienced several challenges. So I started to explore the study route.
What route eventually worked out?
I came through the study route in the end. I got my visa in 2021. But I waited until September 2022 before I left. I already had a BSc. I already had a postgraduate degree. But I went through PDG. I wanted to do an MBA but it was too expensive.
What was that like?
Relocating is highly capital-intensive. It's not even for the poor. If you come in as a student and you think you want to come and work to pay your two fees and leave here, you're on a suicide mission. People think they earn $1,000 a month but nobody thinks about how much they spend in a month to live here. An average Canadian here cannot even afford everything he needs. The earning power is not commensurate with the cost of living here, unless you find yourself in high-paying jobs like those working in the IT sector.
How much did processing your visa cost you?
Roughly CA$1,000 (around ₦1 million according to latest exchange rates).
What about rent?
The cost of renting a bedroom apartment here in St John’s is $1200 (₦1.2 million) per month.
In total, how much have you spent with children living in Canada since you came?
I spend like CA$2000 (₦2 million) per month. So talking about transportation, phone bills, internet, energy bills, house rent, groceries, a lot of things come into play, it should be roughly CA$15,000 (₦15 million) for the 18 months that I have been here.
How did you manage with two children in tow?
As I said earlier, the initial route I wanted to explore was the economic pathway that gives my entire family permanent residence at once. But COVID happened and age and things changed so I did study visa. I applied for myself alone to increase my chances. You won't give the visa officer the impression that you want to elope. They might use that as a reason to deny your visa application.
I got my visa. I deferred my admission to the next year, hoping to apply for my children while I'm waiting, then we can all go together. But it didn't work out. I was alone here. My husband was with them in Nigeria. So I was here when their visa was approved and I went back to Nigeria in April to bring them.
What was being alone in Canada like?
You have to be mentally strong. If you are not mentally strong and financially strong, you might find it very hard and you’ll begin to hear yourself saying things like ‘It's not worth it.’ But the truth is that it's worth it.
What was finding a job like?
This is a completely and entirely different environment. They have their way of doing it. The job market is a totally different ball game. Even if you have loads of experience from Nigeria, you might come here and find it difficult to get a job in that same field. A lot of times the employers are kind of biased towards you having Canadian work experience. It's a tough one but people eventually get it. Once they get that breakthrough, are able to enter into one company, and gather the Canada experience, that sets the ball rolling. It also can be a provincial problem. Some provinces don't have enough companies in the industry that you are experienced in. It's a very competitive environment.
I've come to discover that they are very narrow-minded when it comes to job applications. If you want to work as an administrative officer, they believe you must do a course in administrative office. They have all those courses here. If I get a job as an administrative officer, I know I will function well. But they don't believe in that. They believe that the skills you need to function in that role, you must get it through education.
Where did you eventually find a job?
Home care. Many people do home care here. Even after having their degrees, they continue to do home care jobs.
What was sorting out school for your children like?
Education is free from kindergarten to the end of high school. They have school buses here. You just need to contact the district and they’ll tell you the school the child will go. School was the easiest thing for me.
Do you worry about them being bullied at school?
Yes, I worry. I worry about that a lot because of course they come home and they also talk about this and that, but we have to work on our children's self-esteem.
Have you ever experienced racism?
Yes. At work. To be honest with you, there's still an element of racism somewhere in this country. It’s not that overt, but whites, they see you sometimes, and they are like “Who are you? You need to prove yourself.” They are intimidated because Nigerians are beginning to dominate in this province.
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What do you do in that instance?
It doesn't bother me anyway.
Now that you're done with the programme and are fairly settled into the system, what’s next?
I want to work and make money. Maybe I'd do professional courses that will set me into the job market.
What advice do you have for people looking to come to Canada?
If you want to come and study here, one thing that you need to do is try to offset your school fees by at least 50% before leaving home.