₦airaland Forum

sirabbey:
I am pleased that you, along with many others, understood the intent behind my post. My objective was to inspire, encourage, and motivate others while providing an honest and unfiltered account of an immigrant experience in Canada. I believe it is important to share both the challenges and the successes so that those coming behind us can be better informed, prepared, and encouraged.

Thank you as well for your prayers and kind wishes. Over time, I have learned not to be distracted by naysayers. Life has taught me that there are generally two kinds of people: those who think their blessings do not count and those who intentionally count them. As for me and my household, we have chosen the latter. We remain committed to counting our blessings with gratitude, celebrating how far we have come, and being a source of hope, encouragement, and light to others who may still be navigating their own journeys.

I am grateful for God's faithfulness and look forward to the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead with optimism and purpose.

Let us be honest: your post was mainly written to comfort immigrants who are struggling financially by presenting a Canadian passport as the ultimate evidence of success.

There is nothing wrong with celebrating citizenship, but nice words do not remove money problems, job stress, debt, or daily struggles.
You can count your blessings without pretending that every struggle automatically becomes a success story simply because a Canadian passport was added at the end. Sometimes suffering is still suffering, whether the passport is blue or red !!

walenden:
Let us be honest: your post was mainly written to comfort immigrants who are struggling financially by presenting a Canadian passport as the ultimate evidence of success.

There is nothing wrong with celebrating citizenship, but nice words do not remove money problems, job stress, debt, or daily struggles.
You can count your blessings without pretending that every struggle automatically becomes a success story simply because a Canadian passport was added at the end. Sometimes suffering is still suffering, whether the passport is blue or red !!

I think this misses the point of the original message.

Celebrating Canadian citizenship isn't about claiming that a passport magically solve all person financial problems. No reasonable person believes debt, unemployment, or stress disappear the day they receive citizenship.

citizenship comes with different things like security, stability. For many immigrants, those things are significant achievements because they provide opportunities and protections that weren't always available before.

Getting the blue pali does not mean bank account no go red, dm no dy use am take cashout but fact is getting blue passport calls for celebration.

walenden:
Financial freedom was never presented as everyone’s final goal. It was simply used to separate genuine stability from survival disguised as success.

Memories and contentment are important, but they do not pay mortgages, clear debts, or protect a family during unemployment. Calling financial security “shallow” is simply a convenient excuse for avoiding an uncomfortable reality.
The problem is that many Nigerian immigrants treat a passport as the ultimate proof that they have made it, even while living under serious financial pressure and unable to afford something as basic as visiting home or taking a modest holiday. That is not financial freedom; it is struggle wrapped in self-congratulation.

You're running around in circles and practically arguing with yourself. The espouse by @ednut1 into your strory does give insight into the underlying reason driving your statements and says much more than you're trying to convey.

walenden:
Little man, you had better start researching the Canadian job market, employment requirements, resume standards, and other relevant information because the job situation is critical right now. You seem to be jumping all over the internet celebrating your PR story via TEF without preparing for the reality ahead. Life in Canada is not as rosy as people make it seem, so prepare yourself for the serious challenges ahead.

'Little man' indeed... and you're the big man right? You should have alot of time to dig thru peoples posts. The thing with folks like you is that it only take a little scratch for the emptyniess to show itself.

@PrettyRX's.. welcome to Canada. Hope you share your testimony comes soon

Thank you so much🙏
Silence is the best answer for such people, let their negativity eat them up

jedisco:
You're running around in circles and practically arguing with yourself. The espouse by @ednut1 into your strory does give insight into the underlying reason driving your statements and says much more than you're trying to convey.





'Little man' indeed... and you're the big man right? You should have alot of time to dig thru peoples posts. The thing with folks like you is that it only take a little scratch for the emptyniess to show itself.

@PrettyRX's.. welcome to Canada. Hope you share your testimony comes soon

PrettyRX:
Thank you so much🙏
Silence is the best answer for such people, let their negativity eat them up

Little man, let them continue deceiving you. I already warned you to sit down and start researching the Canadian job market before you arrive, but since you received your PR visa, you have suddenly become the lord of the internet and a self-appointed immigration expert. Relax. First, enter Canada, join the unemployment and poverty queue, and let reality deal with you properly. Then, after four years, we will celebrate your Canadian passport as compensation for everything you endured=)

walenden:
Financial Freedom

Wale,

1. Sincerely sorry about your brother's experience. It really is not easy to see a close relative go through hardship. It has probably influenced your view of Canada and that's absolutely fair.

2. The Canada of today is very different from the Canada or ten years ago or the early COVID era when jobs were in abundance. Now only the prepared will prevail. Again you are right on that point.

3. There are few certainties in this world except death and taxes, as they say. So we work with probabilities in most things. You will agree with this.

4. There is poverty and economic hardship all over the world. However, the probability of a graduate level individual falling into that subset is less than the probability for an uneducated fellow (remember high school maths and venn diagram?). In terms of Financial Freedom (by which I assume you mean no debts and plenty assets...financial and physical in short rich abi?), I dare say less than 10% of the entire world population have achieved this so condemning the celebration of the citizenship even when there is no Financial Freedom is a non-starter. In maths and in the real world we always take a sample from the entire population. Do you know that Canadians have the highest household debt of the G7. You cannot be harrassing migrants about Financial Freedom when it's a world wide and specifically Canadian issue. Besides, the OP explained how things have gotten progressively better. Even if he is now paying property taxes etc because he is a home owner does that mean he would be better off as a tenant? As Jedisco said homes are a large part of the net assets of most Canadians, equity is a thing. People even take out of their home equity for investments or to buy a second home for those who believe in that asset class. The bank of mum and dad of today may well have groaned in the early days of their mortgage. In addition, one thing I have realized is that we all want different things in this life o. Sirabbey has chosen his own and it cannot be taken from him. No comment can take it away. Even if we assume he never blows, becoming an Elon Musk. The sky will be the limit for his children. Confirmed! I hope you know that this is the motivation of the majority of migrant parents. For their kids, not for Financial Freedom, that's why it's called a sacrifice, bro.

5. If you consider point 4 and the maths of the Express Entry program, the migrants on this thread are on good footing, probability wise. I assume you know how the CRS is calculated and that these people are not refugees or overstaying students. They already have the odds in their favour but need to come prepared with POF, which Sirabbey explained kept them afloat.

6. Of course there will always be outliers, the Danogotes of Nigeria that make up less than 0.01% of the population and the migrants who do very poorly and regret the move, looking back 5 or 10 years. The vast majority of migrants are better off compared to where they were 5 or 10 years previous and are better off than if they had stayed in their Country of Origin/Birth. Better off, in terms of their kids education and future projects and even financially. Emotionally...it can be argued that that's another kettle of fish, which is why the OPs apparent solid marriage and admiration for his wife are to be envied. I salute you again Sirabbey.
He has not been here for 10 years yet, he let us see a glimpse of his journey, he is still on his way and it's not complete. People are and should be proud of milestones on they way to a destination. The journey is just as important. Like a road trip.......Grit and positivity are valuable qualities allowing us to celebrate how far weve come and equipping us for the road ahead.

7. One of the things that leads to better financial propects/outcomes is work and immigration stability. Jedisco already tried to explain it. There is a confidence with which you do your job, excel and florish compared to the guy with only one leg in. What happens with international work trips/courses and always being able to make it because US banned your country from B1/B2 when the only passport you have is a green one? Are these not the stepping stones to professional sucess and "Financial Freedom". Your brother would probably have been better off if he landed in Canada as a PR rather than as a temporary resident. Even people who go to schools with DLI often do not realize that the PGWP is a max of 3 years and is not renewable. Many end up without PR and need to go back home or study again if they have the cash to pay for school. What Sirabbey went through is child's play compared to the shege pro max these guys are experiencing.

8. For the past 5 years, most intending migrants planning to come to Canada are better off staying in Nigeria, learning French like PrettyRx did and landing as PRs. They spend less in Naira/USD terms, enter as PRs because of the crazy bonus points from the second language and have a skill that is invaluable in the workplace.
I did TEF several times before I passed and I know how that skill has helped me in the workplace here. But Naija nor dey hear word...they believe student route is the way! Against this backdrop, you have to give PrettyRx his/her flowers. PrettyRx, well done, enough respect!

I hope with these few points of mine I have been able to convince you that the passport we are chasing is not for nothing and is worth celebrating, it is a pathway to something better compared to the control group!
Sometimes, as you yourself acknowledge, contentment is the goal, a happy home, well adjusted kids with free education till grade 12, a roof over your head even if mortgaged, free healthcare, emergency services that are a phone call away, a high probability (if not certainty) that "anyhow" behaviour will be punished. Ebenezer Obey, said that the boy that said his father is not truly successful, that his father doesn't have money, sebi he will grow up to be a father too. Contentment by definition means we have enough to be ok, to pay the bills. And that's alright. I hope you know that the desire for flash in the pan wealth is one of the leading causes of corruption and the destruction of the moral fabric of our home country but that's another conversation. The terrorists issue is another one for discussion but let's park it for now. Enu e naa wa yen....

Even if we said Financial Freedom was the goal of everyone on earth. Probablity wise, many would choose a Canadian Passport without Financial Freedom versus a Nigerian without Financial Freedom! Why? It's the maths thing again...probablity of success be it Financial or otherwise. After all that's why we migrated....for opportunities that the passport brings.

I won't ask if you have achieved Financial Freedom as you say this is irrelevant and I agree. I was going to ask what exactly this Financial Freedom is by your definition and how those that are interested can achieve it. But again, that's almost irrelevant. In the final analysis, we all want different things, celebrate different things and that's ok...one man's trash is another man's treasure.

I've been off NL for ages, but I came back....just for you!

IRE O!

sirabbey:
I am pleased that you, along with many others, understood the intent behind my post. My objective was to inspire, encourage, and motivate others while providing an honest and unfiltered account of an immigrant experience in Canada. I believe it is important to share both the challenges and the successes so that those coming behind us can be better informed, prepared, and encouraged.

Thank you as well for your prayers and kind wishes. Over time, I have learned not to be distracted by naysayers. Life has taught me that there are generally two kinds of people: those who think their blessings do not count and those who intentionally count them. As for me and my household, we have chosen the latter. We remain committed to counting our blessings with gratitude, celebrating how far we have come, and being a source of hope, encouragement, and light to others who may still be navigating their own journeys.

I am grateful for God's faithfulness and look forward to the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead with optimism and purpose.

I congrate and salute you sir!

Onward and Upward!!!

GraciousWords2:
Wale,

1. Sincerely sorry about your brother's experience. It really is not easy to see a close relative go through hardship. It has probably influenced your view of Canada and that's absolutely fair.

2. The Canada of today is very different from the Canada or ten years ago or the early COVID era when jobs were in abundance. Now only the prepared will prevail. Again you are right on that point.

3. There are few certainties in this world except death and taxes, as they say. So we work with probabilities in most things. You will agree with this.

4. There is poverty and economic hardship all over the world. However, the probability of a graduate level individual falling into that subset is less than the probability for an uneducated fellow (remember high school maths and venn diagram?). In terms of Financial Freedom (by which I assume you mean no debts and plenty assets...financial and physical), I dare say less than 20% of the entire world population have achieved this so condemning the celebration of the citizenship even when there is no Financial Freedom is a non-starter. In maths and in the real world we always take a sample from the entire population. Do you know that Canadians have the highest household debt of the G7. You cannot be harrassing migrants about Financial Freedom when it's a world wide and specifically Canadian issue. Besides, the OP explained how things have gotten progressively better. Even if he is now paying property taxes etc because he is a home owner does that mean he would be better off as a tenant? As Jedisco said homes are a large part of the net assets of most Canadians, equity is a thing. People even take out of their home equity for investments or to buy a second home. The bank of mum and dad of today may well have groaned in the early days of their mortgage. In addition, one thing I have realized is that we all want different things in this life o. Sirabbey has chosen his own and it cannot be taken from him. No comment can take it away. Even if we assume he never blows, becoming an Elon Musk. The sky will be the limit for his children. Confirmed! I hope you know that this is the motivation of the majority of migrant parents. For their kids, not for Financial Freedom, that's why it's called a sacrifice, bro. Are you a parent yet?

5. If you consider point 4 and the maths of the Express Entry program, the migrants on this thread are on good footing, probability wise. I assume you know how the CRS is calculated and that these people are not refugees or overstaying students. They already have the odds in their favour but need to come prepared with POF, which Sirabbey explained kept them afloat.

6. Of course there will always be outliers, the Danogotes of Nigeria that make up less than 0.01% of the population and the migrants who do very poorly and regret the move, looking back 5 or 10 years. The vast majority of migrants are better off compared to where they were 5 or 10 years previous and are better off than if they had stayed in their Country of Origin/Birth. Better off, in terms of their kids education and future projects and even financially. Emotionally...it can be argued that that's another kettle of fish, which is why the OPs apparent solid marriage and admiration for his wife are to be envied. I salute you again Sirabbey.
He has not been here for 10 years yet, he let us see a glimpse of his journey, he is still on his way and it's not complete. People are and should be proud of milestones on they way to a destination. The journey is just as important. Like a road trip.......

7. One of the things that leads to better financial propects/outcomes is work and immigration stability. I'm struggling to understand how this is not crystal clear. Jedisco already tried to explain it. There is a confidence with which you do your job, excel and florish compared to the guy with only one leg in. Your brother would probably have been better off if he landed in Canada as a PR rather than as a temporary resident, as we call them. Going to a school without DLI is an error and even people who go to schools with DLI do not realize that the PGWP is a max of 3 years is not renewable! He may still have struggled but probability wise.......not as severely. Many end up without PR and need to go back home or study again if they have the cash to pay for school. What Sirabbey went through is child's play compared to the shege pro max these guys are experiencing.

8. For the past 5 years, most intending migrants planning to come to Canada are better off staying in Nigeria, learning French like PrettyRx did and landing as PRs. They spend less in Naira/USD terms, enter as PRs because of the crazy bonus points from the second language and have a skill that is invaluable in the work place.
I did TEF 5 times before I passed and I know how that skill has helped me in the workplace here. But Naija nor dey hear word...they believe student route is the way! Against this backdrop, you have to give PrettyRx his/her flowers, bro. PrettyRx, well done, enough respect!

I hope with these few points of mine I have been able to convince you that the passport we are chasing is not for nothing and is worth celebrating, it is a pathway to some level of Financial Freedom compared to the control group!
Sometimes, as you yourself acknowledge, contentment is the goal, a happy home, well adjusted kids with free education till garde 12, a roof over your head even if mortgaged, free healthcare, emergency services that are a phone call away, a high probability (if not certainty) that "anyhow" behaviour will be punished. Ebenezer Obey, said that the boy that said his father is not truly successful, he doesn't have money, sebi he will grow up to be a father too. Contentment by definition means we have enough to be ok, to pay the bills. And that's alright. I hope you know that the desire for flash in the pan wealth is one of the leading causes of corruption and the destruction of the moral fabric of our home country but that's another conversation. The terrorists issue is another one for discussion but let's park it for now. Enu e le wa yen....

Even if we said Financial Freedom was the goal of everyone on earth. Probablity wise, many would choose financial hardship and a Canadian Passport versus financial hardship with a Nigerian one! After all that's why we migrated....for opportunities that the passport brings.

Out of curiosity, I won't ask if you have achieved Financial Freedom as you say this is irrelevant and I agree. But, pray tell, what exactly is this Financial Freedom by your definition and how do those that are interested achieve it (because personally I am without ambition and have always jejely chosen contentment instead and no one can take that one away from me - my bills are paid thanks very much )..and please don't say it's by being an entrepreneur....again probability wise.....what percentage of us can be business owners?

I've been off NL for ages, but I came back....just for you!

IRE O!

We can now conclude that the Canadian passport has become a consolation prize for years of financial hardship, joblessness, debt, and silent suffering. But when old age and retirement finally arrive, will the passport pay the bills, provide a home, or replace the wealth and opportunities lost along the way?

walenden:
We can now conclude that the Canadian passport has become a consolation prize for years of financial hardship, joblessness, debt, and silent suffering. But when old age and retirement finally arrive, will the passport pay the bills, provide a home, or replace the wealth and opportunities lost along the way?

So after this my epistle this is your summary? Chai!

I give up...you win!

The passport is a prize we're happy to live with.

In retirement in 20 to 40 years depending on age, we're hoping that we've have paid off our mortgages and built equity, downscale and buy a smaller place and have money left over. If that doesn't work, our kids will pick up the bill of looking after us and if that fails, CPP, OAS and work pension, bro.

GraciousWords2:
So after this my epistle this is your summary? Chai!

I give up...you win!

The passport is a prize we're happy to live with.

In retirement in 20 to 40 years depending on age, we're hoping that we've have paid off our mortgages and built equity, downscale and buy a smaller place and have money left over. If that doesn't work, our kids will pick up the bill of looking after us and if that fails, CPP, OAS and work pension, bro.

Your retirement plan is basically to hope the mortgage is paid off, hope the house still has enough equity, hope downsizing works, hope your children can carry the burden, and if everything fails, depend on CPP, OAS and a pension.

That is not a solid retirement plan; it is a chain of assumptions dressed up as cheap confidence. But congratulations,the passport will still be there to console you when reality finally sends you back to Lagos at retirement age =)

Uncle, your epistle will not convince such a person. It's best to leave them alone. We can all agree that he wins. It's only left for Nairaland to present him with his gold trophy. I'm so happy that @sirabbey is not responding to him.

GraciousWords2:
So after this my epistle this is your summary? Chai!

I give up...you win!

The passport is a prize we're happy to live with.

In retirement in 20 to 40 years depending on age, we're hoping that we've have paid off our mortgages and built equity, downscale and buy a smaller place and have money left over. If that doesn't work, our kids will pick up the bill of looking after us and if that fails, CPP, OAS and work pension, bro.

GraciousWords2:
I congrate and salute you sir!

Onward and Upward!!!

Thank you Gracious Words, your words indeed are very gracious, They remind me of a favourite scripture: " Let your words be always with grace seasoned with salt, that you may know how to answer every man. Col 4: 6"

I commend you for your emotional intelligence and patience in writing that epistle and trying to educate the naysayer, but in life I have come to realise that even when you walk on water, some people will refuse to see the miracle in what you have done but still castigate and mock you, saying that it is because you can not swim, that is why you are walking on waters. For such people, you just ignore them, lest they infect you with their negativity and cynicism. An apt scripture for that is Prov 26:4

sirabbey:
Thank you Gracious Words, your words indeed are very gracious, They remind me of a favourite scripture: " Let your words be always with grace seasoned with salt, that you may know how to answer every man. Col 4: 6"

I commend you for your emotional intelligence and patience in writing that epistle and trying to educate the naysayer, but in life I have come to realise that even when you walk on water, some people will refuse to see the miracle in what you have done but still castigate and mock you, saying that it is because you can not swim, that is why you are walking on waters. For such people, you just ignore them, lest they infect you with their negativity and cynicism. An apt scripture for that is Prov 26:4

I am not surprised. When some people cannot defend their position with facts or logical reasoning, they hide behind religion and quote irrelevant Bible verses to excuse irresponsibility and celebrate mediocrity.
With all your financial struggles, debt, and uncertain retirement plan, you still describe getting a Canadian passport as the “final milestone.” That alone proves my point: the passport has become a consolation prize for everything you have endured.

walenden:
You are arguing against a point I did not make. I never said citizenship or homeownership should not be celebrated.
My point is simply that legal stability and property ownership are not the same as financial freedom. A passport provides security, and a house can build wealth, but a person can still be heavily indebted, unemployed, or under serious financial pressure despite being a citizen.
His story is clearly one of resilience and progress. However, he also admitted that expenses increased sharply and that his family faced intense financial strain. Acknowledging that does not diminish his achievements; it simply prevents progress from being confused with complete financial independence.

I bet someone like you said home ownership is not the way to financial freedom to someone who got a house of less than 500,000 in 2011 in Toronto and sold 1.2 million in 2021 to move to Calgary with enough money to buy a house fully paid.

Time and chance happen to us all. Let that sink in.