When asked the reasons for migrating, many respondents cited war (ethnic, tribal or civil) as a reason for which they decided to leave their home countries and immigrate to Canada. This may be attributed to the large proportion of our sample having come to Canada as refugees. In fact, desire to escape the difficulties imposed by conditions of war and to look for peace and security for themselves and their families is cited by the majority of respondents as a primary reason for migration. For instance, reflecting on tribal conflict in her country of origin as the reason for her immigration to Canada, one immigrant care worker from Zimbabwe said:

Oh, things have completely gone down ... we were doing so well soon after independence but because of the political problems in Zimbabwe ... because the government could not ... tolerate any opposition party, there has been so much turmoil. ... I’m sure if you have been watching television or following it in the papers you see what’s happening. ... lots of our friends who have disappeared, who have been jailed, who have just left the country because they could not operate. And when I had my close call with government police I realized I couldn’t stay there anymore. My husband had passed away in 2004, and in 2005 things were getting increasingly impossible for me to tolerate and so I left. (Ontario Care Worker A12)

Similarly, when asked why she chose to come to Canada, another immigrant care worker noted:

I came as a refugee to Canada because in my country we had a good position, good level of life. We were considered as rich people so in that situation because in Columbia we had a lot of problems, security problems. We have very difficult situation with the guerrillas - they wanted to kidnap my kids. So that situation because we have to move: Security. (Ontario Care Worker A11)

Another reason often cited for immigrating was lack of job opportunities in their home countries. For those who had jobs in healthcare, the decision to migrate was a direct result of their underpaid work and poor financial situation. In particular, some of the immigrant care workers reveal that having heard about the favourable employment opportunities and conditions in the Canadian healthcare sector, migration to Canada seemed to be a good way to improve their impoverished economic circumstances and secure a better future for themselves and their families. For instance, commenting on her decision to leave her home country, one immigrant care worker said:

I graduated from nursing. We paid so much money but there is no job available for nurses because there [are] too many nurses in the Philippines. To get in a job you have to apply as a volunteer in the hospital so I worked as a volunteer in the hospital having 32 patients on my own. I am alone on the ward. That’s the only way I can get into the hospital and I’m earning one dollar a month. So then after eight months of doing that, my dad is an international seaman. He learned about the Live-in Caregiver program of Canada and we paid $5,000, U.S. dollars to the agency in 1998, and to get a sponsor. So that’s the only reason that I came to Canada: ... for employment (BC Care Worker 11).

Some immigrant care workers from the Philippines felt that their home country did not want them there anymore, and pushed them to emigrate: “the government is forcing us out, so what can we do?” (Québec Care Worker 16).

Some immigrant care workers also cite other difficulties inherent in remaining in their home countries. For instance, one respondent who was visiting Canada would have been forced into an arranged marriage. She decided to stay and apply for refugee status. Another respondent experienced discrimination and violence due to his sexual orientation. In both cases, returning to their home country would mean oppression and violence.

…parce que j'avais des problèmes aussi dans mon pays parce que mes parents voulaient me marier forcée, tu vois. Donc avec toute cette situation-là j'ai décidé de rester (au Canada). (QUÉBEC Care Worker 3)

[...because I also had problems in my country because my parents wanted to force me to marry, you see. So, with that whole situation, I decided to stay (in Canada).]

No matter how hard we have worked or how much we wanted to build there or to do, now the first thing they see in us is we are gay. We are fags. So it’s a highly homophobic society.... And one of the neighbours, he wasn’t old, he was 30 something, almost 40, he beat me because I am gay. (QUÉBEC Care Worker 2).

Some of the reasons noted for migrating to Canada were because of factors within Canada; as one immigrant care worker noted “because a friend of mine came here ahead of me and she said ... a lot of good things about Canada, about the health care, about the jobs.”(BC Care Worker 5) Another noted how “Canada ... gives you a better life and so that’s why we decided to come here.”(Ontario Care Worker A14) A few immigrant care workers used the LCP programme as a way into the country. To them, the 24 month requirement was simply used as a stepping stone towards obtaining permanent residency status in Canada:

This is the best way, because I’m a nurse in the Philippines. ... that’s why I came here so that later on I could apply what I’ve learned as a nurse, but again, I need to study first as being a caregiver. ... I will study here and then later on I could work in a hospital here. (QUÉBEC Care Worker 13)

Many also decided to move to Canada because in the words of one care worker, “It’s a better opportunity for my kids.” (QUÉBEC Care Worker 9). Some interviewees point out that the decision to migrate specifically to Canada was due to the fact that unlike some other countries (e.g., Germany, USA and some Middle East countries), Canada has well-established family reunification policies that enable immigrants to bring their families here to live with them. Commenting on Canadian family-friendly immigration policies, one immigrant care worker says:

If I will be in Canada then I can sponsor my son and then we will be together. So that’s my main thought was in coming to Canada. (Ontario Care Worker J14)

Language was a factor cited by immigrant care workers for choosing Québec as a destination. Some French-speaking respondents wanted to avoid having to learn and work in a new language, and so Québec was the obvious province of choice when moving to Canada. As well, some immigrant care workers chose Québec over other provinces because the immigration process to Québec was rumoured to be faster than elsewhere in Canada.

Other less commonly cited reasons for immigration included family problems (such as an abusive husband), environmental problems (such as high level of pollution), and a desire to change surroundings and try something new in a country they felt was friendly. As evident from some of the interview excerpts cited above, the care workers’ decision to leave a home country and come to Canada was often the result of more than one factor. The following quote is a good example of the multitude of factors that go into the decision to immigrate to Canada:

Et aussi, j'ai vu dans les revues que c'était (le Canada) un pays pacifique surtout. Et aussi, très organisé. Et aussi pour le niveau d'éducation pour apprendre autre chose, je voulais aussi apprendre d'autre chose. (QUÉBEC Care Worker 6)
[And also, I saw in magazines that it (Canada) was, above all else, a peaceful country. And also very organized. And also for the level of education available to learn other things, I also wanted to learn other things.]

Figure IV.3 reveals that most of our participants became Canadian citizens but almost as many have permanent residency status and a work permit. Related to this, the employers who filled in the online survey similarly noted that most of their workers are Canadian citizens followed by those who have landed immigrant status, though in different proportions (see figure IV.4).