Ibrahim was born and raised in Lebanon, but has never held citizenship of any country. He’s Palestinian, the third generation of his family to live in Lebanon, and is a refugee like 5.5 million Palestinians across the Middle East.

His grandfather moved to Lebanon as a refugee from Palestine at the age of five. Both of Ibrahim’s parents were born in Lebanon and worked hard to provide for him and his four siblings. Like many Palestinians, Ibrahim’s father wasn’t able to work in his field of training. He was an accountant but supported his children through school by selling vegetables.

Ibrahim set out to study nursing and graduated from Makassad University in 2014. It is rare for Palestinians to find work in healthcare; they are prohibited in most cases from legally working in healthcare professions. Ibrahim was among the lucky few able to secure a coveted position, at a hospital where he completed rotations as part of his Bachelor’s degree. Here, Ibrahim developed a strong work ethic and attention to detail while caring for patients.

One job, however, wasn’t enough to support himself and his wife. Palestinians are systematically underpaid compared to Lebanese citizens. Ibrahim took a position at another hospital in 2017, and started working between 16 and 24 hours each day.

Ibrahim and his wife lived with precarious status in Lebanon. They were unable to plan for their futures, to access many public services, or to earn decent wages. The couple even lived separately, with their families, because they couldn’t afford their own home.

Ibrahim registered with Talent Beyond Boundaries in the hope of a different life for himself and his wife, and their future family. He was determined to be recognized for his professional ability and to live where his family could access healthcare, compete equally for jobs, and have secure status.

Ibrahim was shortlisted for a job opportunity with Closing the Gap Healthcare, an in-home healthcare provider with operations in Nova Scotia and Ontario, in 2018. He interviewed with management based in Halifax and was soon after offered a job. Closing the Gap Healthcare is a “designated” employer under a Canadian pilot program to attract and retain talent to Atlantic Canada, which faces an aging population and acute shortages in the healthcare sector. They couldn’t get Ibrahim to Halifax fast enough to begin work - but it would be another year and a half due to visa processing timelines before Ibrahim could relocate.

He and his wife boarded a plane for Halifax on March 11, 2020, in the last weeks before borders closed amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. It was not an easy start in a new country: The couple faced two weeks in strict quarantine, government office closures, and all the challenges that come with renting an apartment and starting-up in lockdown. They were supported along the way by TBB partners like Miles4Migrants, which provides donated frequent flyer miles to support refugees to travel to new homes, and Premiere Suites, which extended significantly reduced rates for a long period of temporary accommodation while the couple - remotely - found an apartment. They did find one, just minutes from the Atlantic Ocean.

Ibrahim’s days are now filled with patient visits. Some are elderly and others have profound physical needs. He isn’t working directly with COVID-19 patients, but he and his team are keeping at-risk patients healthy and avoiding hospitalization or long-term care homes, where the risk of exposure is pronounced. Ibrahim is doing what he was trained to do. He’s still working around the clock, but now he’s paid a good salary and supported by a compassionate team.

Ibrahim is a permanent resident of Canada and will be eligible to apply for citizenship in just three years. Canadian citizenship will be his first.