Community conversations are happening in Red Deer this week to provide a glimpse into the immigration experience in Canada.
Presented by Red Deer Local Immigration Partnership along with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, people can join small group discussions to learn more about the immigration process and the realities immigrants can face as part of Welcoming Week activities, which run until Sept. 18.
"It's not about trying to sway people's opinions one way or another as much as it is giving them information so that they're able to have a better understanding and better awareness of what it means to be an immigrant and how immigrants actually contribute to the building of Canada, and our province especially," Dieulita Datus-Hall, manager with Red Deer Local Immigration Partnership.
She said during last year's campaign, community agencies showcased their services and programs for newcomers.
"This year, we actually did the reverse, where we're hosting more conversations with community members who may not know as much about immigration or migration on the other end.
"We're hoping this will become an annual event."
On Monday, immigration advocate Adriana Wildbore, with the Community Legal Clinic, led a discussion about the long, complicated and stressful application process for immigrants and refugees.
She said the application process can drag on and it doesn't help that it can take the immigration department months to let someone know information is missing or something else is wrong with their application and they must start the whole process over again.
Immigration policies can also change quickly without warning, and when a new government is elected immigration priorities can shift.
"I don't think people understand, unless they're an immigrant, the (immigration) status stress you go through until you get your paperwork and you're a permanent resident," Wildbore said.
Datus-Hall encouraged Red Deerians who attended Monday's community conversation to visit Canada's immigration website to figure out the steps involved in the immigration process.
Wildbore said while immigrants face obstacles to citizenship, they are also trying to deal with the day-to-day challenges of housing, employment and inflation.
"There are always a lot of struggles."
Moving to a new country is not easy for many reasons, and some people become overwhelmed and just give up trying and leave Canada behind, she added.
"It's very hard to move because you lose your family, your culture and then you have to re-adapt to a new culture."
On Sept. 17, the Welcoming Week community discussion — Embracing Diverse Language: A Bilingual Discussion on Immigration, will be held at Intermediate School, Harmony Room, 5205 48th Ave., from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
A Family Movie Evening will also be held Tuesday featuring the film Migration, followed by a family-friendly discussion about the film's connection to immigration, at Care for Newcomers, Maple Room 5000 Gaetz Ave., from 4 to 6:30 p.m.
On Sept. 18, the discussion — The Vulnerability of 2SLGBTQI+ Newcomers, will be held at Intermediate School, Harmony Room, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
