After the challenge of bringing thousands and thousands of Syrian refugees to Canada was met, the next crucial task was dubbed Month 13.
Month 13 is the time when government-sponsored refugees’ benefits run out – leaving them in need of either employment or welfare.
About 1,800 refugees have arrived in Waterloo Region since 2015. Most of them are Syrian. Many of them have been here for longer than a year, meaning they have crossed the Month 13 threshold.
“I think the transition has been fairly smooth,” says Tara Bedard, director of Immigration Partnership.
It is believed that about half of all Syrian refugees in Canada have found employment. Privately-sponsored refugees, who often arrived in the country with more connections and a better grasp of English, are more likely to have jobs than government-assisted ones.
“It’s pretty normal for refugees who arrive in Canada to not be in employment at the end of their first year,” Bedard says, noting that English skills are often the biggest barrier refugees face when it comes to finding jobs.
Bassam al-Dares says that’s been the case for his father, who worked in Syria as a baker.
As al-Dares’ parents still have only rudimentary English, the 13 year old – who has picked up the language much quicker – finds himself accompanying them to doctor’s appointments and other necessities of Canadian life.
“If you don’t speak English and you don’t understand what people say to you, it’s hard to find a job,” he says.
Even if jobs aren’t easy to come by, the al-Dares family say they’re grateful to their new country for making them safe.
“We really want to say thank you to Canada,” al-Dares says.
Tareq Ibrahim, who was privately sponsored, was at one point in the same predicament as al-Dares’ father.
When his Month 13 began, he had yet to find work.
“It was scary, a little bit,” he says.
“I’m not use to (sitting) at home and doing nothing. I want to feel that I’m a productive person.”
For Ibrahim, it was a stroke of luck that led him to employment.
A human resources representative for a local insurance company heard him give a radio interview about his situation, and reached out. He now works for that company – in the same industry he worked in back in Syria.
“I’m a productive person again. My brain is working,” he says.
Other refugees, like 21-year-old Mohammad al-Masalmah and his father, have found work at local restaurants.
“It’s something that was hard, but we found it,” al-Masalmah says.
“We’re starting to build ourselves.”
English skills may not be the only issue holding up some refugees from finding work.
Ibrahim says others have been turned down for jobs because of a lack of work experience in Canada – something that he hopes employers will be able to see past.
“You will discover, when you employ them, that they are very quick learners (and) they are innovative,” he says.
Overall, though, Ibrahim says that dealing with homelessness or joblessness is nothing compared to dealing with a loss of dignity – something he says many refugees thought they would never get back, until they arrived in Canada.
With reporting by Nadia Matos
