COLD  CANADA?  WE WELCOME WITH WARMTH!

-      By Usha Pudukkotai

We all have dreams, goals, aspirations. For a better lifestyle, a better future for ourselves and our families. With that in mind, many of us are willing to relocate to an unknown land, leaving our comfort zone behind. In pursuit of opportunities, we emigrate to different countries and make our new homes in distant and far away places.

With globalization though, the world has definitely shrunk and no corner of the planet is too remote! No land unknown, no territory undiscovered, no surprises whatsoever! However, relocating from one place to another is still not an easy task, especially if you are moving in/out with your families.

When you take a look at statistics, every year the number of visa applicants to and from each country is mulitiplying geographically. As of 2006, the International Organization for Migration has estimated the number of foreign migrants worldwide to be more than 200 million. Europe hosted the largest number of immigrants, with 70 million people in 2005. North America, with over 45 million immigrants, is second, followed by Asia, which hosts nearly 25 million. Most of today's migrant workers come from Asia.

In 2005 the United Nations reported that there were nearly 191 million international migrants worldwide, about 3 percent of the world population. This represented a rise of 26 million since 1990. 60 percent of these immigrants were now in developed countries, an increase on 1990. Those in less developed countries stagnated, mainly because of a fall in refugees. Contrast that to the average rate of globalization (the proportion of cross-border trade in all trade), which exceeds 20 percent. The numbers of people living outside their country of birth is expected to rise in the future.

The Midwestern United States, some parts of Europe, some small areas of Southwest Asia, and a few spots in the East Indies have the highest percentages of immigrant population recorded by the UN Census 2005. The reliability of immigrant censuses is low due to the concealed character of undocumented labor migration.

A 2012 survey by Gallup found roughly 640 million adults would want to migrate to another country in the world if they had the chance to. Nearly one-quarter (23%) of these respondents, which translates to more than 150 million adults worldwide, named the United States as their desired future residence, while an additional 7% of respondents, representing an estimated 45 million, chose the United Kingdom. The other top desired destination countries (those where an estimated 25 million or more adults would like to go) were Canada, France, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Germany and Spain.

Of special interest to us is Canada, which is our new home, to many of our readers. In 2001, 250,640 people immigrated to Canada. Newcomers settle mostly in the major urban areas of Toronto and Vancouver. Since the 1990s, the majority of Canada's immigrants have come from Asia. The leading emigrating countries to Canada are China, Philippines and India. India was the third largest source country for immigration to Canada in 2012, with 28,889 permanent residents admitted. This represents an increase of almost 15 percent since 2004. In 2010, a record 280,636 people immigrated to Canada.

Looking at these figures, is it any wonder that Canada is a hugely popular destination? Not at all. What’s the reason behind it? Not the cold weather, the harsh winters and the snow. Obviously not. It is the economic opportunities, the family values, the human aspect. The government gives a lot of importance, tremendous amount of assistance to newcomers trying to integrate into the mainstream society. In the workplace, in schools as well as culturally. The number of programs that are available is incredible. Right from when you arrive at the airport, you feel welcome, you feel you have arrived at the right place. A great country, great people with a lot of warmth.

In addition, there are a lot of non-profit agencies as well as businesses that have their own initiatives and endeavours that you can avail. So, yes to reiterate, we can emphatically say that it’s a warm country and a great place to bring up our kids, the next generation!