It is easy to use the term “integration”, but it is hard to grasp its full meaning in the context of the Canadian connotation, and many of the first-generation Somali immigrants face integration challenges stemming from language barriers, large family sizes, and unrecognized professional qualifications.
Integration is a term widely used by Canada and its multilayered institutions. “For new immigrants, it is the long-term journey of learning the local language, finding a job, and feeling a sense of belonging in their new community.”
Many Somalis come to Canada equipped with neither English nor French. These are the two official languages of the country. As a result, these new immigrants face enormous challenges which impede their progress in the country. They become wedged between life’s demands and a language barrier that stands in the way of quick integration.
Upon arrival, settlement agencies, affiliated with the Canadian immigration, assess the English proficiency of the newly arrived immigrants and place them in learning sessions according to their levels of the language. Based on those levels, they are referred to schools where they are expected to learn English. Nevertheless, many of them do not even get the chance to attend those recommended classes due to other responsibilities they are saddled with. Some of them are married couples with children to care for, and others are singles trying to get money first in order to establish themselves (to marry and put down roots) and quickly send money to their families back home. To married couples, learning enough is akin to ascending the peak of “Mount Surrat”. It is so because of the children’s demanding chores: cooking, cleaning, school drop-offs and pickups. Moreover, married couples also have to send money to their relatives back home.
Somali households in the diaspora have large family sizes. Like those back home, Somali families in Canada tend to have many children, an average of six children, making the parents’ responsibilities more daunting. For that reason, married couples, without English before arriving in Canada, are unlikely to perfectly learn English, but they can collect the basics to get by. They remain impeded by that language barrier, which impacts their children, whose mother tongue becomes English. (Mother tongue is the dominant language spoken in the land where someone resides.) For the Somali children residing in Canada, Somali is not their mother tongue; English or French are their mother tongue. The language barrier of the parents brings on another level of language barrier between them and their children. Parents are fluent in Somali, and children are fluent in English, making communication between them cumbersome. Some parents can barely communicate in English, while their children can barely communicate in Somali, and from there arises a permanent language barrier between them.
Many professionally overseas educated Somalis arrive in Canada, hoping that their qualifications will help them find suitable jobs. However, they hit rock bottom after they realize that their qualifications do not get them anywhere. With broken spirit and unmet expectations, they embark on other initiatives to provide for themselves and for their kith and kin back home. Because their big credentials do not benefit them, they shelve them, lamenting the time and resources dedicated to achieving them. Then they unroll their sleeves and take up whatever menial jobs they can lay their hands on. Some of the professionals drive trucks, taxis, and Uber, whereas others work in meat plants or perform janitorial duties.
With shuttered expectations, they eke out their living through those means and take the trouble to acclimatize to the circumstances in which they find themselves. These learned new immigrants beat all odds to adapt to their new country, demonstrating their resilience and determination. After some time, some of them go back to school to upgrade their communication and technical skills in order to get better jobs.
Underemployment and having futile degrees are not only confined to the abroad educated Somalis but extend to those who obtained their degrees and diplomas from Canadian universities or colleges. After graduation, many of them try their best to find employment in their fields of study, but to no avail. In Canada, people can attend universities or colleges and become equipped with tangible skills, but it is not guaranteed that they land jobs in their fields of expertise. Yes, of course, they obtain their credentials from their educational institutions, but the onus is on them to find employment. And to find an aspired employment is not an easy task. Job-hunting individuals write resumes for themselves and apply to various employers for opportunities. However, they might not be called for interviews, let alone get hired. They keep sending resumes tailored to specific job roles and responsibilities, hoping to land a suitable position in the end. That process of job search continues for a long time, six months, a year, or even longer. Eventually, they become tired and demoralized. As a result, they consider other venues to earn a living. They become taxi drivers, truckers, meat cutters, and the like.
Integration is an encouraged phenomenon in Canada, but achieving it is not a realistic matter for the first-generation immigrants of the Somali people, at least. It is a long battle to fight.