This Calgary newcomer wants to go back home

It's OK if Canada isn't for you': This Calgary newcomer wants to go back home. She isn't alone
 
Two-fifths of newcomers would consider leaving Canada, CBC survey suggests

This story is part of Welcome to  Canada, a CBC News series about immigration  as told through the eyes of  those who have experienced  it.
A year and a half after  leaving the Philippines to  settle in Canada, Ali Quina is  seriously considering  returning home. Life here is much harder than  you think, she  said.
Quina came to Calgary  in search of opportunity and a better quality of life. But even after moving here with  professional experience in marketing and  earning a certificate  from the University of Calgary,  she is struggling to find work in her field. Advertising
So she works part-time as a waitress and says she's struggling to  make ends meet.
"My daily routine consists of getting up in the morning, sending  applications, and then  tears. [...] To be honest, I can barely afford to pay for my  groceries," said  Quina.
"Just based on my experience, but Canada is  no longer the land of  opportunity." Today, he shares a message with other newcomers who feel  that the  difficulties are not paid: "It's  okay if Canada  doesn't it's not for  you."
He's not the only one who  thinks so, according to a new CBC News survey  on the experiences of newcomers, conducted by  Pollara.
Although eight  out of ten newcomers have an overall positive experience in Canada,  more than 40% of  the newcomers  interviewed said  they would be likely to leave Canada if given the  choice.
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The waving flags
Although 40  percent of  the new respondents said  they would consider leaving Canada, a migration researcher  in Calgary said he  did not expect an increase in emigration.
They said they  have felt homesick, faced discrimination and  struggled to find housing and  quality employment. Nearly a third said they would leave Canada to return to their home country, while  the rest (20%) said they would  move to the United States  later.
The survey, conducted by market research firm Pollara in November using an online panel,  included 1,507 people who  came to Canada in the past 10 years. A national survey of  this size would normally have a margin of error of +/-  2.5%. Despite the challenges newcomers  face, a Calgary migration researcher said he  doesn't expect an increase in immigration, but he  does expect to see more  status newcomers  return to the country temporarily due to recent policy changes and the current political climate  surrounding immigration.
What the data says
Statistics  Canada's latest  immigration analysis shows  that more than  15% of immigrants leave the country within 20 years of  their arrival.
People born in countries with  generally higher living  standards, including Taiwan, the United States and  France, are more likely to return  home. And in Canada, if people do leave, they usually do so within three to seven years of  arriving.
But a recent report  from the Canadian  Citizenship Institute, which helps newcomers settle here,  says that a growing number of immigrants are leaving the country.  Skilled newcomers are more likely to  leave, the report said.
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"When they leave, we lose,"  the institute's CEO Daniel Bernhard told CBC News in  an interview in November.
"We have to  look at supply and demand and recognize that, yes, there are opportunities  to reform the system to make it smarter. But we  have to make sure that the people who are  chosen to come here are  primarily there to succeed. Opening the door is not  enough."
However, compared  to larger cities like Toronto and Vancouver, newcomers who settle in Calgary are more likely to stay in Canada,  according to the  report.
Temporary newcomers  may leave
Robert Falconer, a  researcher at the University of  Calgary's School of Public Policy, said  it's not surprising that so many newcomers are expressing interest in leaving  given the state of the  economy.
"Even though inflation  has fallen, this is still a very real experience for many  people." "COVID has been very  difficult," said Falconer, who specializes in migration.
But  he's not too  concerned about the survey numbers — he said  they don't mean a mass exodus of newcomers  is in the  works. A small portion of immigrants who say they want to leave Canada  are doing so, he  said.
However, he expects to see some changes in the short  term.
"We are very likely to see an increase in the  emigration of international students, temporary foreign workers,  etc. "I think the restrictions  imposed by the federal government will  make people  leave," Falconer said.
The federal government is reducing immigration targets to stabilize population growth. Among other  measures, the government is reducing international student permits by  10% and  imposing more  restrictions on work permits for spouses of foreign workers and international students  enrolled in  master's programs.
Local organizations that support newcomers say  that challenging immigration in Canada and the  United States could send a message that  blames immigrants for economic  problems and  lead to  increased hostility toward  new immigrants.
Falconer said  it could also  influence people's decisions to stay,  so it's important  for politicians  to be very careful about the language  they use around  immigration.
As for Quina,  she's giving herself a few more months before making a final decision about  her departure. She's leaning toward  closing her businesses and  returning home when her post-graduation work permit expires in November,  rather than finding another  way to  stay. In the meantime, she's sharing her experience on social media, in the hope  that other newcomers facing the same challenges  won't feel  alone.
"There's nothing wrong with giving up,"  Quina said. "It won't be the end of everything, but the  beginning of a new chapter."

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