I came to Canada as an international student. It was a cold, hard road to achieving my dream

Keerthy Vinukonda · for CBC First Person

· Posted: Jul 12, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: July 12

This First Person file is written by Keerthy Vinukonda, who lives successful Toronto. For much accusation astir First Person stories, spot the FAQ.

I rushed to the autobus halt conscionable aft midnight aft a engaged displacement astatine a pizza store supervising the unit and making definite the orders were prepared correctly. It wasn't my perfect occupation — I had earned a pharmacy grade successful India — but it was 1 of the fewer that would enactment an planetary pupil similar maine connected way for imperishable residency. 

As the minutes crept by and nary autobus appeared, I realized I had missed it. 

After different 30 minutes of lasting astir successful -15 C, the adjacent autobus yet arrived to instrumentality maine to the subway. It was 2 a.m. by the clip I yet walked down the steps to my basement rental. 

Cold wintertime moments similar this made maine question my choices and whether my anticipation of being a Canadian was worthy the struggle.

Despite being wholly exhausted, I was up aboriginal the adjacent day, sleepily reviewing my notes connected integrated chemistry for a pharmacist equivalency exam — a indispensable measurement to get my grade from India recognized successful Canada.

Jolting maine alert was the ringing code of my duplicate sister phoning from India. She was anxious to travel to Canada, based connected the heaven-like portrayals of this state successful India successful galore media advertisements promising casual work. I tried to dilatory her enthusiasm by listing acold realities, similar the upwind and obstacles successful my vocation path. 

Once upon a time, I besides utilized to imagination of coming to Canada. But my dreams did not see the twists and turns I would acquisition successful my travel to becoming a Canadian. 

Sold connected promises

Given the precocious levels of unemployment for young, educated professionals successful India, it was hard to find a occupation — adjacent with my grade — truthful I decided to survey abroad. 

I arrived successful Toronto connected a survey licence successful 2016 and yet completed a health-care medication programme successful 2017 from a backstage college. I past got different certificate from a publically funded institution.

After graduation, I obtained a enactment licence and worked six days a week arsenic a displacement supervisor. I was assigned to 3 restaurants that were acold from wherever I lived. I had 20 hours of commuting clip each week.

Restaurant enactment was a satellite distant from the vocation I had trained for, but due to the fact that the occupation was considered "Canadian skilled enactment experience," it qualified maine for the Express Entry watercourse of immigration. In 2021, I received a missive inviting maine to use for imperishable residency, and became a Canadian national 3 years later.

It felt ironic that connected the time that I was invited to my citizenship ceremonial quality headlines were focused connected a caller headdress connected survey permits for planetary students, citing schools — including one, Alpha College, that I had attended — that gave retired "sham" degrees oregon were "bad actors." I don't person thing atrocious to accidental astir the students oregon instructors, but the courses astatine Alpha College could person had much substance.

WATCH | What planetary students mean for Canada's economy: 

When I arrived, I was fortunate to find reasonably priced rooms for rent, and I avoided the expensive, overcrowded lodging that was commonplace among my friends.

But conscionable similar falling down connected ice, not everything flowed smoothly for me. 

Despite graduating "first people with distinction" successful India, I was incapable to walk the Canadian pharmacy equivalency exams. I was emotionally exhausted and physically burned retired from commuting agelong distances to enactment a occupation that was unrelated to my studies. Although I aboriginal recovered enactment arsenic a pharmacy assistant, I cannot assertion to beryllium a pharmacist successful Canada.

Given what I had gone through, I privation I'd heard much realistic perspectives from radical already successful Canada alternatively than from migration counselling firms successful India, which advertised that you could gain much wealth successful 1 period than radical successful India marque successful 1 year. I thought I could supply a luxury manner for myself and my family.

It was not casual to illustration a pathway erstwhile the world was truthful antithetic from my expectations.

But everything considered, I americium arrogant to beryllium a Canadian citizen. Even though I've dealt with immoderate rude customers successful my antithetic jobs successful Canada, generally, I tin spot that determination is simply a basal level of respect for each people. People are capable to unrecorded their lives freely, and that's thing I value. I've started a household here.

The moments of singing O Canada astatine the citizenship ceremonial and voting successful an predetermination successful Canada for the archetypal clip are pleasant memories that volition past forever.  

Some of my friends from India usage the words "back home" to picture India. Life doesn't ever crook retired perfectly, but aft a agelong way to imperishable residency and citizenship, I'm arrogant to telephone Canada my home.

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