LIFE STORIES

Immigrants' struggles aimed at better lives

Study shows that more than a third of recent arrivals live under the poverty line

by NIKKI LIN

“It’s not ideal I know, but still it’s better than most of my friends who are still live in the Philippines.” — Nick Cue

People who immigrate are often looking for a better life and more opportunities. The question, for those immigrants who still live below the poverty line, is do they really get the life they wanted? Only they know the answer.

A recent Vancouver Sun article reported, “The rising number of new immigrants who are living in poverty in Canada is a 'tinderbox' that could explode into an 'inferno,' a new study warns. More than 36 per cent of immigrants who have been in the country for less than five years live in poverty, according to the latest Canadian Labour Market Report. That compares to 25 per cent in the 1980s.”

Nick Cue, who immigrated to Canada six years ago, is a kitchen helper at a Filipino restaurant in Vancouver. He, his wife and his four children live a house near Joyce Skytarin Station: a two-bedroom floor of a 50-year-old house. He and his wife sleep in one bedroom with their three-year-old daughter, and their three sons sleep in the other. Cue works night shift; he has to get some sleep during the day. It was spring break when I visited them, so the children were at home during the day, but they were quiet. Even the little didn’t making any noise.

"They know their father has to sleep during the day," Cue’s wife.

Because they can't afford a babysitter or child care, Cue’s wife has to stay home and take care the children. Cue’s pay cheque is all they have and they soon may be forced to relocate: Cue told me that the owner is planning to sell the house.

I ask my question: Do you think you got what you wanted when you immigrated?

“It’s not ideal I know, but still it’s better than most of my friends who are still live in the Philippines,” he said.

Low wages, hard work worth it for the future

Amy Jiang came to Canada two years ago. She's a single mother with a 14-year-old daughter, and she works as a nanny.

Jiang lives in a one-bedroom apartment with her daughter in Richmond. She has a degree in arts from China, but working as a nanny is the fastest way for her to get a permanent resident card. Normally, live-in nannies make more money than nannies that work by the hour. However, Jiang has to take care her teenage daughter, so couldn’t take job as a live-in nanny.

Because Jiang has to cook for the family she works for, her daughter has learned to cook for herself and her mom at home. The girl didn’t know how to cook until she got here.

Does she regret having left home to come to Canada?

“No," Jiang says. "My daughter can get a better education and [there is] better air [quality] here. I don’t mind working harder, but I would mind letting my child live in polluted air.”