I Moved to Canada for a Better Life & I Found Racism, Isolation, and a Tim Hortons

"I left Nigeria with a master's degree, seven years of finance experience, and the unshakeable belief that Canada would see my resume and open its doors. It opened them. And then stood in the doorway."

Let me be fair: Canada is genuinely good at some things. The healthcare system did not bankrupt me when I had an emergency. The streets are clean. Nobody has shouted a slur at me. By the metrics of my previous life, Toronto is heaven. But not terrible and belonging are different countries, and no one told me that before I boarded the plane.

The Credential Trap

My master's degree in finance, earned at the University of Lagos, was worth almost nothing to Canadian employers. I was told I needed Canadian experience. I applied for roles that would give me Canadian experience. They required Canadian experience to apply. I spent four months delivering food on a bicycle, which was a kind of experience, though not the kind I had in mind.

Recent immigrants to Canada earn 19% less than Canadian-born workers with the same qualifications in their first five years. Racialized immigrants face an additional earnings penalty of 8-12%. (Statistics Canada, 2025)

The Warmth Gap

Canadians are polite. They will hold a door, apologise when you bump into them, and carefully avoid making you feel uncomfortable in any interaction that lasts fewer than 90 seconds. What they will not necessarily do is invite you to anything, introduce you to their network, or become your friend. I have met people who have lived in Canada for ten years and still describe themselves as having no close Canadian friends. This is not malice. It is a particular cultural texture that immigration brochures do not have a section for.

But Also

My daughter is in school here. She speaks French without an accent and has friends whose parents come from six different countries. She does not see the same doors I ran into. She might not have to. That is why I came. Canada is a good country, trying to be better. But it needs to stop confusing immigration policy with inclusion policy. Opening the door is the beginning of welcome, not the whole of it.