How preparation, chance, and opportunity brought Daniel from Syria to Canada
Like countless others who were compelled to leave their homes in the aftermath of the Syrian Civil War in 2012, Daniel and his family were in constant search of a way to safely rebuild their lives. As a refugee for the past 10 years, Daniel and his wife raised three children in Jordan with minimal resources and limited working rights.
In 2019, an opportunity presented itself when Daniel stumbled upon an article about one of his former college classmates who had relocated to Australia after securing a job through Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB). He quickly recognized, given his experience as a software engineer, that this was an avenue he needed to explore as well.
“I didn’t expect anything when I first registered for TBB,” Daniel says. “But not so long after that, somebody called me in Amman and scheduled a personal interview with me. They took my information, updated my CV, and told me that they will start sending my profile to employers.”
In the interim, Daniel continued to persevere and make a living for his family, working remotely as a subcontractor and as a freelancer for international companies based in France and in the United States. He also worked to ensure that his resume was competitive by utilizing TBB resources, took part in mock interviews, and ultimately positioned himself to take on new opportunities and learn new things.
While it took two years, in part due to COVID-19, Daniel made headway at the end of 2021 when he was offered a job with Canadian IT consulting firm CGI.
“All of this was organized by Talent Beyond Boundaries. TBB set up the interview with CGI and organized connections with an immigration agency to help me with my papers,” Daniel said. “It took some time but on October 26, 2022, me, my wife and three children all came here to Canada.”
Pictured: Daniel’s three children on their flight from Amman, Jordan, to Toronto, Canada.
Adjusting to life in a new country
Making the decision to relocate to a different country is never easy. But for Daniel and his family, moving to Canada meant having permanent status and allowed Daniel and his wife to offer stability to their children, something that is elusive when living as a refugee.
“We are now starting our life,” Daniel said. “We’ve rented an apartment, I started going to work, and I registered two of my girls in school. Overall, I’m happy for sure.”
Daniel is also fortunate to have a brother living in Montreal who has helped the family with navigating their new environment. While Daniel’s family lives in Toronto, his brother has made the drive over multiple times to ensure that they’re getting the support they need.
“The people here have been very welcoming,” Daniel says. “It’s been good. Right now I’m working on my driver’s license, but I can commute easily with the buses here.”
“All of the world needs our skills”
To Daniel, his experience of moving to Canada as a skilled worker demonstrates the need for the talents of displaced peoples all over the globe.
“In the end, opportunities exist and Canada and other countries need experienced people in all aspects,” Daniel says.
“If you can market yourself, you can show businesses that you are a ‘talent’ beyond boundaries; you can show businesses who are in need of these resources that you can do it. All of the world needs our skills.”
