My wife, my children and I were all born in different countries. But Canada is the best place on Earth

Itrat Anwar · for CBC News

· Posted: May 11, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

This First Person nonfiction is the experience of Itrat Anwar, a newcomer to Canada who present calls Steinbach, Man., his home. For much information astir CBC's First Person stories, delight see this FAQ. You tin work much First Person articles here.

As I bespeak connected our journey, I americium reminded not lone of however acold we've come, but besides of the galore others successful this country —  each with their ain unsocial paths — who, similar us, are gathering caller lives successful Canada.

My sanction is Itrat and I unrecorded successful Steinbach, Man., with my family. 

Originally from Bangladesh, I americium arrogant to stock my beingness with my wife, Halyna, who hails from Ukraine. Together, we person 2 fantastic children: our older girl was calved successful Slovakia and our younger 1 was calved close present successful Canada. 

Our household spans 4 countries, and we often gag that we're a small "United Nations" nether 1 roof. With a Canadian-born kid successful our family, we consciousness adjacent much profoundly connected to this onshore we present telephone home.

Our travel to Canada began erstwhile the Russian penetration of Ukraine started successful February 2022. 

My woman Halyna, who was large astatine the time, was visiting her parent successful Ukraine conscionable a fewer days earlier the warfare began. Tragically, her parent passed distant from a bosom onslaught 2 days earlier the invasion. The operation of her pregnancy, the overwhelming nonaccomplishment of her mother, and the regular menace of warfare — including having to tally to a basement during aerial raid alarms — near her successful a profoundly traumatic situation. 

Given the situation, we decided to move from Dubai, wherever we were living, to Bangladesh, truthful that my woman could recover. Her wellness was our apical priority. While successful Bangladesh, she had the accidental to conscionable my parents, my member and different relatives, and consciousness the warmth of their emotion and kindness. Her days were filled with gathering caller people, learning caller things, tasting accepted foods and experiencing agrarian beingness successful Bangladesh. 

We had everything we needed successful Bangladesh — but a safer and amended aboriginal for our kids.

We past decided to determination to Slovakia, due to the fact that my woman had residency there, and we needed entree to reliable wellness attraction and security during her pregnancy.

During this time, our archetypal kid was calved successful Bratislava — 1 of the astir challenging yet precious moments of our lives.

It wasn't easy. We had nary dependable income and, arsenic first-time parents, we were navigating everything connected our own, without a enactment network. Life arsenic a caller migrant successful Europe was precise antithetic from what we would aboriginal acquisition successful Canada. The systems were harder to access, the enactment little visible, and astatine times, we felt wholly alone.

Then we learned astir the Canada-Ukraine authorization for exigency question programme and decided to apply. (Moving to Canada wasn't our archetypal plan. Before the warfare broke out, we had ever discussed settling successful Ukraine and raising our household there.)

Shortly after, we received our Canadian visas, and we began applying for our daughter's passport and Canadian visa.

Warm welcomes and challenges

At this point, we had each the indispensable documents, but aft 5 months of surviving successful Europe without enactment permits, we were moving retired of money. We were down to our past fewer 100 euros erstwhile we bought our tickets to Canada.

When we yet arrived successful Canada, we had lone $500 near to our name. Travelling with a four-month-old baby, with truthful small wealth and truthful galore uncertainties astir our future, was incredibly difficult. The acold Canadian wintertime greeted america instantly upon our accomplishment astatine Toronto Pearson International Airport, and we recovered ourselves wondering what to bash next. We recovered a spot to unrecorded successful Mississauga, Ont., and focused connected uncovering my archetypal job.

The archetypal happening we noticed present successful Canada was the radical — their kindness, their willingness to help, and however they respond to your "hi" with a affable smile.

But determination were besides challenges. We recovered it hard to set to the nationalist proscription system. You request your ain conveyance here. I retrieve however we walked with our babe successful a stroller connected pedestrian paths covered successful icy snow. Sometimes, my woman and I had to assistance the stroller to transverse those areas.

I dreamed of securing a occupation that would align with my inheritance and accomplishment set. But uncovering enactment was a struggle. With nary Canadian enactment acquisition and nary driver's licence, I began applying for at slightest 10 jobs a day. Over the people of 2 months, I sent retired hundreds of occupation applications. 

I recovered my archetypal occupation successful Steinbach. While it didn't align with my background, I took the accidental due to the fact that we had reached the extremity of our patience.

Within 2 days, we made the determination to Steinbach from Mississauga. Though we didn't cognize anyone successful this tiny metropolis and had small much than our babe and a dream, we felt that contempt each the uncertainty, we had travel this acold and could manage — and we did.

We were blessed to conscionable kind, supportive radical (like Nick Mazerolle, the Brand household and galore others) who helped america settee successful Steinbach. They are each genuinely fantastic people.

Life arsenic a caller migrant is ne'er easy. Being acold from home, separated from relatives, and facing changeless uncertainty — these challenges tin consciousness overwhelming. I've faced racism, favoritism and inequality. 

There are moments erstwhile we find ourselves longing for the vibrant beingness successful Dubai, the stunning architecture of Europe, and our location countries, wherever our parents person yet to conscionable their grandchildren.

But we are incredibly grateful to beryllium here. We admit that beingness present is overmuch amended than successful immoderate European countries. I'm committed to supporting marginalized communities and helping make a much inclusive aboriginal for our children.

I person a amended occupation now. We ain a vehicle, unrecorded successful a bully house and are excited to rise our household successful this beauteous country. From its breathtaking landscapes to its welcoming communities, Canada has already captured our hearts. 

As we proceed to larn astir and research the quality of this land, I person a beardown tendency to sojourn antithetic regions and deepen our knowing of its affluent past — particularly the stories of Indigenous peoples and their profound transportation to this land. 

Our experiences crossed antithetic continents person shown america that Canada is, without a doubt, the champion spot connected Earth.