Working Paper Series - mbc.metropolis.netmbc.metropolis.net/assets/uploads/files/wp/2010/WP10-12.pdf · ment known as Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM), between 1999 and 2005, over three

Working Paper Series

Series editor: Linda Sheldon, SFU;Krishna Pendakur, SFU and Daniel Hiebert, UBC, Co-directors

No. 10 - 12

November 2010

Aceh-Malaysia-Vancouver: Settlement Among Acehnese Refugees Five

Years On

Lisa Ruth Brunner, Jennifer Hyndman, and Chris Friesen

Metropolis British Columbia

Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Diversity

MBC is supported as part of the Metropolis Project, a national strategic initiative funded by SSHRC and the following organizations of the federal government:

• AtlanticCanadaOpportunitiesAgency(ACOA) • CanadaBorderServicesAgency • CanadaEconomicDevelopmentfortheRegionsofQuebec(CED-Q) • CanadaMortgageandHousingCorporation(CMHC) • CanadianHeritage(PCH) • CitizenshipandImmigrationCanada(CIC) • FederalEconomicDevelopmentInitiativeforNorthernOntario(FedNor) • HumanResourcesandSocialDevelopmentCanada(HRSD) • DepartmentofJusticeCanada • PublicHealthAgencyofCanada(PHAC) • PublicSafetyandCanada(PSC) • RoyalCanadianMountedPolice(RCMP) • TheRuralSecretariatofAgricultureandAgri-FoodCanada(RuralSec’t) • StatisticsCanada(StatsCan)

MetropolisBCalsoreceivesfundingfromtheMinistryofAdvancedEducationandLabourMarketDevelopment(ALMD)oftheGovernmentofBritishCo-lumbia.GrantsfromSimonFraserUniversity,theUniversityofBritishColum-bia and the University of Victoria provide additional support to the Centre.

Viewsexpressedinthismanuscriptarethoseoftheauthor(s)alone.Formore information, contact the Co-directors of the Centre, Krishna Pendakur, DepartmentofEconomics,SFU([email protected])andDanielHiebert,De-partmentofGeography,UBC([email protected]).

mailto://[email protected]

mailto://[email protected]

3

Table of ConTenTs

absTraCT 5

InTroduCTIon 6

TheFirst365Days• 6

Research Methodology • 9

TheNext1,460Days 1• 2

The Work/language dIlemma 14

Englishclassesinthefirst365days 1• 6

(Un)employmentamongMen 2• 1

Women’sPerspectivesonWork 2• 4

TheRoleoftheState 2• 7

seCondary mIgraTIon To surrey and Calgary 29

repaTrIaTIon and CanadIan CITIzenshIp 33

polICy ImplICaTIons 42

DisseminationEvent 4• 4

ConClusIon 45

referenCes 47

appendIx 1: survey QuesTIons 51

appendIx 2: InTervIeW QuesTIons 53

Working Paper Series

4

Aceh-MAlAysiA-VAncouVer: settleMent AMong Acehnese refugees fiVe yeArs on

Lisa Ruth Brunner

DepartmentofGeography,SimonFraserUniversity

Jennifer Hyndman

Centre for Refugee Studies, York University

Chris Friesen

ImmigrantServicesSocietyofBritishColumbia

Acknowledgements:Wewould like to thankMetropolisBC for its fundingsupport. OurgratitudeisalsoextendedtoSamsidarHalimandFredyTanumihardjafortheirinterpretationservicesand tirelessassistancescheduling interviews. TheImmigrantServicesSocietyofBritishColumbiahasbeenawonderfulpartnerinthisresearch,especiallyHelenAquaandVitoCerovina.Aboveall,weareindebtedtotheAcehneseCanadianCommunitySocietyfortheirwillingnesstoparticipateinourstudy.Anyerrorsremainoursalone.

MBC: Aceh-Malaysia-Vancouver5

absTraCT

Ideally, the Canadian government, researchers, and/or service providers

would trace the settlement outcomes of government assisted refugees

(GARs) from various countries over time, but such data is expensive

tocollectandchallengingatthenationalscale.Inamodestefforttofillthis

gap,researchwithGARsfromAceh,Indonesiawasconductedin2005(one

yearaftermostarrived)andagainin2009toascertainsettlementoutcomes

intheareasofhousing,officiallanguageacquisition,employment,andpar-

ticipationinCanadiansociety.Whilethe2009findingsarebutasnapshotof

socialandeconomicrelationsamongtheAcehneseatthetime,theyofferthe

fullestavailablepictureofhowtheseGARsaredoing;whattheirconcerns,

priorities, and challenges are; and what Canadian policies do to facilitate or

hindertheiraimsasnewCanadiansandpermanentresidents.Morethanfive

yearsafter theirarrival,anumberofofficial languageandemployment is-

sues persist. Spousal sponsorship has proven a salient goal for the majority

of men who are still single. Working towards, saving for, and waiting for such

relationships to materialize may well be impeding integration aims in Canada.

Recommendations to address these situations are offered.

6 MBC:Aceh-Malaysia-Vancouver

InTroduCTIon

Between 2004 and 2006, a group of 154 government assisted refu-

gees(GARs)originallyfromAceh,IndonesiawereresettledentirelyinMetro

Vancouver,BritishColumbia(ISSofBC2007).Asanearlyexampleofthein-

creasingly“newandfew”Canadian-selectedGARgroupresettlements—that

is, a relatively small number of individuals forming a “new” ethnic group pre-

viouslyunrepresentedinCanada—theirinitialsettlementwasunique.Here,

wefollowuponresearchwithAcehneseconductedin2005,rememberingthat

“despite full legal status and access to employment sanctioned by the host

state, there is no guarantee that refugees will have an easier time creating

livelihoodsunderdramaticallynewconditions”(HyndmanandMcLean2006,

345).Inwhatfollows,weshowhow,fiveyearsafterarrival,lowlevelsofem-

ploymentandofficiallanguageskillsimpactotheraspectsofsettlementinthe

contextoftwoadditionaluniquefacetsofAcehneseresettlement:theinitial

concentrationinoneurbanareaandthepossibilityofrepatriation.Although

many are now Canadian citizens, struggles persist.

The First 365 Days

ToescapedangerintheprovinceofAcehresultingfromdecadesofbitter

conflictbetweentheIndonesiangovernmentandtheFreeAcehrebelmove-

ment known as Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM), between 1999 and 2005,

over three hundred thousand Acehnese were displaced within and beyond

the region’s borders (Drexler 2008; Hyndman andMcLean 2006). Forced

migrationwasparticularlywidespread followingMay2003,when Indonesia

began its largestmilitary offensive since the 1975 invasion of East Timor

(HumanRightsWatch2004).ThousandsofyoungAcehnesemeninparticular

fled to Malaysia, where a similar language and culture provided a second

MBC: Aceh-Malaysia-Vancouver 7

hometomanyundocumentedAcehnese(NahandBunnell2005).However,

as Malaysia is not a signatory to the United Nations High Commissioner for

Refugees(UNHCR)1951ConventionRelatingtotheStatusofRefugeesorits

1967Protocol,AcehneserefugeesinMalaysiaweredetainedindefinitelyand

occasionallydeportedbacktoAceh,wheretheyfaceddeath(UNHCRMalaysia

2010). In 2003, the UNHCR office inMalaysia estimated the presence of

betweeneightthousandandninethousandAcehneseofconcerninMalaysia

(UNHCRMalaysia2003),althoughotherestimatesarehigher.

In accordancewith Canada’s commitment to resettle refugees deemed

by the UNHCR as “most in need of protection” since the 2002 implementation

oftheImmigrationandRefugeeProtectionAct(IRPA)(PresseandThomson

2007),104Acehneseindividuals—mostlymen—wereselectedbyCanadaas

GARsand resettled toCanadabetweenFebruaryandSeptemberof2004.1

Although this resettlement flow was expected to continue, the December

2004IndianOceantsunamiandthesubsequentsigningofaMemorandum

ofUnderstanding(MoU)betweentheGAMandtheIndonesiangovernmentin

August2005changedtheAcehnese landscapedramatically,bothphysically

andpolitically.WiththearrivalofrelativepeacetoAceh,GARresettlementto

Canadaendedandthepossibilityofrepatriationbecameareality.Intotal,

afterallapplicants’wivesandchildrenarrived,154Acehneseindividualswere

resettledtoMetroVancouverbetween2004and2006,forming5percentofall

GARsresettledtoBCbetween2003and2006(ISSofBC2007).

GARsarrivinginCanadaaretypically“destined,”awordemployedinthe

settlement sector, to thirty-six different cities across Canada including the

ProvinceofQuebec.Anequalnumberofimmigrantandrefugeeservingagen-

ciesprovideinitialsettlementtoGARsthroughtheGovernmentofCanada’s

1 All but one principal Acehnese applicants interviewed were men.

8 MBC:Aceh-Malaysia-Vancouver

ResettlementAssistanceProgram(RAP).AstheAcehnesewerethefirstgroup

ofGARsfromIndonesiaeversettledinCanada,auniquedecisionwasmade

byCitizenshipand ImmigrationCanada(CIC), inconsultationwith theBC-

basedimmigrantandrefugeeservingagencyImmigrantServicesSocietyof

BritishColumbia(ISSofBC),toresettlethemallinMetroVancouverinorder

to keep the community together.2TheAcehnesewhoarrivedhadscantother

“co-ethnic”AcehneseinCanada,andtheirtrustofnon-AcehneseIndonesians

was low. Both the main settlement counsellor and most of the interpreters

hiredwereCanadiansofChinese-Indonesiandescent.

Thepost-IRPApolicyshiftawayfromresettlingrefugeeswithan“ability

toestablish”inCanadatowardsthosemostinneedofprotectionsignificantly

alteredCanada’sresettledrefugeepopulationto includemore“highneeds”

individualswithincreasedsettlementrequirements,andtheGARsfromAceh

fitthisprofiletotheextentthattheyspentmanyyearsinhidingandinde-

tentioninMalaysiabeforecomingtoCanada.Post-IRPAGARsfacebarriers

insecuringandmaintainingadequateemployment,housing,education,and

language(see,forexample,Yu,Ouellet,andWarmington2007;Sherrelland

ISSofBC2009;HiebertandSherrell2009).

CIC “recognizes that current resettlement programmingmay not ade-

quatelymeettheuniqueandchangingneedsofrefugees”(PresseandThomson

2007).However,thelong-termimplicationsofthese“higherneeds”onsettle-

mentarenotwellunderstood.Dolevelsofgreaterneedexistempirically?If

so, will they continue in perpetuity or will these newcomers eventually catch

uponhealthandeducationaldeficits,forexample?Longitudinalresearchon

2 We use “community” to describe the cohort of Acehnese who came to Vancouver between 2004 and 2006 and in-clude their immediate family members in Vancouver—some Canadian citizens and some not, some refugees and some not—but mark it as problematic in terms of whom it may include and exclude. For further thoughts on how “community” may be defined differently by members themselves and outsiders, see Cohen (1985).


post-IRPArefugeesettlementmayyethappen,butatpresent,itexceedsthe

shorterfundingcyclesofMetropolisBCandothernationalfundingbodies.The

LongitudinalSurveyofImmigrantstoCanada(LSIC),with itsnationalcov-

erage and successive waves of data, is a rich data source, but one in which

refugees—whocompriseabout10percentoftheimmigrantpopulation—are

not well represented.

In an effort to fill this gap in refugee-specific research, a study with

AcehneseGARswasconductedin2005—oneyearafterthearrivalofthefirst

104 adults—and planned again for 2009 to ascertain settlement outcomes

intheareasofhousing,officiallanguageacquisition,employment,andpar-

ticipationinCanadiansociety.Researchin2005foundthatthedecisionto

keepallAcehneseGARsgeographicallytogetherwasunanimously favoured

bytheAcehnesesurveyedandlaidthegroundworkfortheconsolidationof

anAcehnesecommunity(McLeanetal.2006).Despite“challengesposedby

officiallanguagedeficitsandpooremploymentprospects,”(McLean,Friesen,

andHyndman2006,20),theformationoftheAcehneseCanadianCommunity

Society (ACCS),competitivesports teamswithin localMuslim leagues,and

participation in localmosquesshowed“smallbut importantsignsofsettle-

ment”(HyndmanandMcLean2006,358).

Research Methodology

Ourqualitativecasestudytakesplacefouryearsafterthe2005research

and analyzes many of the same issues covered in that study. We aim to as-

certain changes in housing, employment, and official language ability. Our

methodsconsistofseventy-fivesurveys(fifty-onemen,twenty-fourwomen)

andfiftysemi-structuredinterviews(twenty-eightmen,twenty-twowomen)

conductedbetweenMay2009andNovember2009(seeAppendices1and2),

10 MBC: Aceh-Malaysia-Vancouver

followed by a dissemination and feedback event with participants and other

communitymembersonJuly3,2010.

OliverBakewell(2008)observesabiasinrefugeeresearchconcerningthe

“danger of falling into the trap of assuming that a certain set of problems or

experiencesaretheexclusivedomainofrefugees”(445).Toavoidrefugee-

centrismandtoincludeallsocialnetworksaffectedbyGARresettlement,our

studybroadlyincludedanyadultMetroVancouverresidentoriginallyfromAceh

whoarrivedtoCanadaafter2004;allcameeitherdirectlythroughtheGAR

resettlementprogramorweresponsoredasfamilymembers.Estimatingthe

size of an ethnic, and particularly refugee, community often posits a problem

whendesigningsurvey-basedstudies(Bloch1999).However,atthetimeof

study,theadultAcehnesecommunityinCanadaconsistedofonlyninety-eight

adults,approximately,basedondatafromtheAcehneseCanadianCommunity

Society(ACCS)andISSofBC,theprimaryserviceproviderforthisgroupupon

arrival.Thus,wewereabletosurveyapproximately75percentandinterview

approximately50percentofthepopulation.

Therecruitmentofparticipants initially reliedononeofseveral leaders

of theAcehneseCanadianCommunitySociety(ACCS), introducedtousby

ISSofBC.Thisrelationshipwiththegroup’scommunityleaderwasvitaltothe

trust-buildingprocessandrequired“constantnegotiations”commontosurvey

researchwithrefugeepopulations(Bloch1999,378).Nonetheless,wealso

recruitedmoregenerallybyhangingrecruitmentflyersatISSofBC’sofficeand

incorporating snowball sampling to make contacts with other potential partici-

pants.AsBloch(1999)pointsout,asnowballsamplingapproachcan“isolate

members of the communities who [are] not in touch with any social, cultural,

religious or community group or contact point and excludes them from the

research” (381). Tocounter this issue,we followedBloch’s suggestionsof


using multiple gatekeepers and a purposive sampling approach. We insisted

upon a minimum of at least 30 percent women for both the surveys and the

interviews despite the lower actual percentage of women in the community.

Intheend,32percentofsurveyedparticipantsand44percentofinterviewees

werewomen.Twointerpreterswhowereknowntothecommunityfromthe

settlement period served as additional gatekeepers; they actively recruited

participantswhowerenotasinvolvedintheACCS.

Aftersurveysandinterviewswerepilotedwithcommunity leaders,sur-

veys were administered in the living room of a private home adjacent to the

ACCScommunitycentrefrequentedweeklybymostmembers,women,men,

andchildren.Intervieweeschosewheretheypreferredtobeinterviewed,and

these were administered in either the private homes of participants or in the

ACCScommunitycentre.ThedisseminationeventtookplaceatSimonFraser

University’s downtown campus. Interview participantswere given grocery

storegiftcardsinexchangefortheirparticipation,andtheACCSwasgiven

payment in the form of rent for using the community centre throughout the

project.Allthreestagesofthestudy(surveys,interviews,anddissemination

event)wereconductedinthepresenceofoneofthetwoBahasa Indonesia

interpretersmentionedabove.AlthoughAcehneseisthefirstlanguageofthe

participants,themajorityarefluentinBahasa Indonesia and have drawn on

the services of both translators for previous interpretation.

Responses to surveys and the discussion at the dissemination event were

recorded by hand while the interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed

with permission. Finally, the survey data was tabulated manually and the in-

terviews were transcribed; the data was then coded by the following themes:

detention, marriage, employment, language study, comparisons between

CanadaandScandinaviancountries(wheremanyrespondents’friendswere


resettled), comparisons betweenMetroVancouver andAlberta/Calgary, re-

patriation,theAcehnesecommunityinVancouver,transnationaltiestoAceh,

and gender issues.

The Next 1,460 Days

According to our main community informant, seventy-three male and

twenty-fivefemaleAcehneseadults(notincludingchildren)arecurrentlyliving

in Metro Vancouver and appear to be a closely knit if not homogenous group

of newcomers.3

Source:CommunityInformant,2009

Amongthoseinterviewed,feelingstowardslifeinCanadaaremixedfiveyears

afterarrival.AllfiftyrespondentsexpressedtheirgratitudetotheCanadian

government, particularly for the safety that permanent residence in Canada

provides.Theypraiseaccesstohighquality,low-costpubliceducation,med-

icalservices,andtransportation.Onemanexpressedhisappreciation:

IwanttosaythankyouverymuchtotheCanadiangovernmentbecause

theysupportedus...I’mreallyhappy.It’s[allowedmeto]makeanewlife

here.Everythingischanging.

3 Some Acehnese have moved to Alberta for better work opportunities, but the majority remain in Metro Vancouver.


(Interview#48,Man,November1,2009,p.3)

However,echoingtheinitialresearchconductedin2005(HyndmanandMcLean

2006;McLean, Friesen, andHyndman2006), unemployment remains high

amongrespondents,official languageskillsremainquite low,andadequate

housing in Metro Vancouver (and particularly Vancouver) remains prohibi-

tivelyexpensive.Asanothermanexplains,thesechallengeshaveincreased

over time, especially in light of the late-2000s recession:

ThefirsttwoweeksIfeltveryhappyandveryproudbecausewearemostly

fromthelowerclass[inAceh]andIneverimaginedthatIcouldcrossthe

oceanandliveonanothercontinent.SoIwashappyatthattime.But...

nowit’sgettingmoredifficultbecausewedon’tknowhowtofindajob.[In

Canada]youhavetospeakEnglish.

(Interview#30,Man,August11,2009)

AlthoughtheAcehnesecommunity inCanada issmall, thediversityamong

individuals is noteworthy. Our interviews revealed varying Acehnese and

Indonesian languageskills,aswellasage,maritalstatus,rural/urban,and

educational differences, each affecting settlement differently. For example,

the significant gender imbalance among Acehnese Canadians represents a

major challenge for the young, single men who want to start families of their

own.Intheabsenceofsingle,AcehnesewomeninCanada,manyexperience

long waiting times associated with marriages organized across international

borders(hereafter,“transnationalmarriages”).Theyenduretensionsbetween

state(andsometimespersonal)goalsfortheirparticipationinCanadianso-

cietyandtheiraspirationstokeepAcehculturealive,givenitsminoritystatus

inIndonesiaandinCanada.Acompanionworkingpapertothisoneexplores

thespecificsettlementimplicationsandtransnationalmarriagepracticesthat


resultfromaskewedgenderratioamongtheAcehneseuponarrival(Brunner,

forthcoming).

Inthefollowingdiscussion,wefocusbroadlyonthreeprominentissues

common to all respondents: the work/language dilemma; secondary migra-

tiontoSurrey,BCandCalgary,AB;andtherelationshipbetweenrepatriation

andCanadiancitizenship.Indoingso,ouraimistoavoidthe“tendencyto

definerefugeesthemselvesastheproblem,andtheresettlementsystemas

the solution,” instead recognizing how “this system operates within a prob-

lematicsocialcontext”(Simich2003,577).WeagreewithSimichthat“too

little analytic attention has been given to contextual factors such as the social

conditions in which refugees are expected to adapt and policies designed to

controlrefugeesettlementpatternsinreceivingcountries”(577).Although

refugee settlement is often compared to the economic objectives of other im-

migrantclasses(suchastemporaryforeignworkersorskilledworkers),we

stressthattheResettlementAssistanceProgram(RAP)isfirstandforemosta

refugee protection and humanitarian program.

The Work/language dIlemma: “We sTIll feel lIke sTrangers To The CounTry”

Foruptooneyearaftertheirarrivaloruntileconomicself-sufficiencyis

achieved,GARsareeligibleforfederalassistancethroughRAP.Inadditionto

initialorientationservicessuchastemporaryhousingforfifteennightsanda

one-time basic household goods and furniture package, monetary assistance

isavailablebasedonfamilysizeandtheageofhouseholdmembers.In2006,

forexample,anindividuallivinginBritishColumbiawaseligibleforupto$635

CADmonthly,mirroringprovincialincomesupportrates(ISSofBC2007).In

principle,thisinitialyearoffersGARsanopportunitytoconcentratefullyon


settlementandespeciallyonofficiallanguageacquisitionasprovidedinBritish

Columbia byBC’s English LanguageService for Adults program (ELSA). In

practice, several factors pose challenges to full-time language study during this

initialperiod;arecentstudyamongpost-IRPAGARsinToronto,forexample,

foundhighdrop-outrates,lowgraduationrates,andincreasedoveralldiffi-

cultyinlanguageclassescomparedtootherclassesofimmigrants(Debeljacki

2007).

Although low official language ability hinders several aspects of GARs’

lives—suchastheirabilitytoaccessservicesandmoregenerallyparticipatein

Canadiansociety—itparticularlyaffectstheiraccesstoemployment(McLean,

Friesen,andHyndman2006).ResearchersandAcehneseparticipantsalike

stressedastronglinkbetweenlanguageandemploymentinthe2005study

(McLean,Friesen,andHyndman2006)ashavestudieselsewhere(Hyndman

andWalton-Roberts1999;HeninandBennet2002).Acehnese“participants

repeatedlycalledformoreESLavailability,aswellasmoreinnovativeESL/

pre-employment job placement pilot programs,” leading McLean, Friesen, and

Hyndman to conclude that “extant federal and provincial employment as-

sistancemodels[were]notworkingwellfornon-Englishspeakingrefugees”

(2006,15).AftermorethanayearinCanada,“allmembersoftheAcehnese

communitywereexperiencingdifficultyfindingstableemployment,andcon-

tinued to cite lack of English skills and ‘Canadian’work experience as the

reason for their failure” (15). The2005 studyalso revealed languageas-

sessmentwait-listsandseatshortages,delayingaccesstoELSAduringthis

crucialfirst-yearperiod(McLean,Friesen,andHyndman2006).Althoughnew

moneyfromfederalsourceslargelyeliminatedthesewaitsforGARsarriving

after2008,otherbarrierstoELSAduringparticipationinRAPpersist.Starting

fromthecriticalfirst-yearRAPsupportperiod,wetraceAcehneseexperiences


with the “work/language dilemma” by highlighting additional challenges re-

vealedfiveyearslater.

English classes in the first 365 days: “I was broken that year . . .”

Facing the highest housing prices in Canada, one initial challenge for

AcehneseinVancouverwasthattheassistanceprovidedbyRAPwassimply

notenough(SherrellandISSofBC2009).Asonemanexplains,rentwasso

highthatRAPpaymentsprovidedforlittleelse:

WhenIfirstlandedinCanada,Igot573dollarseverymonth[fromRAP].

Thatisnotreallyenough,becauseafteryoupayrentandbuyabuspass,

you have no more money.

(Interview#48,Man,November1,2009,p.8).

ThealreadyinadequateRAPallowanceleftlittleroomfortheadditionalcost

ofthetransportationloanGARsarerequiredtopayback,withinterest,tothe

Canadiangovernment. In2006, forexample,an individualGARarrivedto

Canadawitha$1,534CADdebt(ISSofBC2007).Althoughrepaymentcanbe

delayedforuptotwelvemonthsafterarrival,allfiftyofourrespondentssaid

theypaidtheirtransportationloansasquicklyaspossible;forsome,thiswas

partially to avoid paying riba,thetermforinterestforbiddeninIslamiceco-

nomic jurisprudence fiqh.

ThepressuresonAcehneseGARstosendhomeremittancescreatedan

additionalfinancialburdenearlyon.InthecontextofresettledSudaneserefu-

gees,Akuei(2005)notesthatremittancesareasourceofdignityandpridefor

those who send them, often contributing towards a dowry or allowing younger

siblings to attend school. However, remittances vary by country of origin;

in a study with Kosovar refugees living in BC in 2002–03, for example, only

threefamiliesoutoftwenty-foursentsemi-regularremittances(Sherrelland


Hyndman2004).FortheAcehnese,thewidespreaddevastationofthe2004

tsunami created an unexpected pressure to send remittances months after

arrival(or,dependingontheirarrival,immediatelyuponarriving)inCanada.

Respondents described their support of those affected by the tsunami:

[IsendremittancestoAcehbecause]mymomandmyfamilyneedhelp.

Before,myhusband’sbrotherlosthishomebecauseofthetsunami,and

they needed help [too]. So we helped them.

(Interview#4,Woman,July12,2009,p.5)

IhaverelativesinAcehwho,becauseofthetsunami,areorphans.SoIstill

have to send some money to support them.


Before [the peace agreement] we had to [send] donations for orphans, be-

causeinAcehtherearealot.

(Interview#40,Man,August20,2009,p.10)

Basedonourinterviews,allrespondents—eventhoseunemployed—arecur-

rentlysendingremittancesbacktoAcehtosupporttheiragingparentsand/

or the education of their younger relatives such as siblings and cousins, while

unmarried men are also saving up for additional costs associated with future

transnationalmarriages. Orphaned relatives continue to add pressure not

only to send remittances but also to save towards the costly sponsorship pro-

cess, as another woman describes:

Mynephews’parentswerekilledinthetsunami,soIwouldliketobring

them[toCanada]...[whenI]call[mynephews],theyaskwhetherthey

cancome[liveinCanada]withme.Iwouldliketosponsorthem.Evenjust

onekidisokay…Itreatthemjustlikesons.

(Interview#28,Woman,August8,2009,p.6)


AfinalchallengeduringtheRAPperiodwasthesheerdifficultyinadjusting

to life in Canada. Unfamiliarity with Canadian teaching styles and limited pre-

viousexposure toEnglishcreatedchallengesadjusting toELSAclasses,as

one woman remarked:

ThefirsttimeIwasputintoanELSAclassatlevel1,Ilearneduptolevel2,

butIwasnotinterestedatthattimebecauseIcouldn’tunderstandwhatthe

teacherwastryingtoexplain.ButnowIfeelIcouldlearnmorebecauseI

understandalittlebit[more],soIwanttogoback.


ThiswomanneededtimeinCanadabeforefeelingconfidentenoughtoprogress

further through Canadian language classes. Unfortunately, like all immigrants,

GARsareonlyallowedlimitedELSAinstruction;thus,individualsenteringat

a lower level—asmost Acehnese did—are not offered sufficient support to

reachfullfluency.Inaddition,onceapermanentresidentobtainscitizenship,

theyarenolongereligibleforgovernment-subsidizedclasses.Thesebarriers

significantlylimitthelevelofofficiallanguageproficiencypost-IRPAGARsare

abletoobtainevenfiveyearsafterarrival.

Forothers, yearsof conflict, separation,anddetentionpresented chal-

lenges, particularly in light of the tsunami:

ThefirstyearIstayedinCanada,thegovernmentgavemypeopleoneyear

togo[tolanguage]school[andeverything]wasfree.ButatthattimeIwas

crazy;somethingwaswrongbecauseIthoughtaboutmycountry,andthen

Ididn’tgo[to]school.Iwasbrokenthatyear...butnow[byworkingand

sendingmoneybacktoAceh]Icanhelpsomanypeopleinmyfamily.

(Interview#43,Man,September6,2009,p.1)


Astheabovequoteexemplifies,initialadjustmentdifficultiescombinedwith

the pressures to afford life in Vancouver, pay back the transportation loan,

sendhome remittances, andachieve self-sufficiency createda serious dis-

tractionfromtakinglanguagecoursesduringthefirstyearafterarrival.This

resultedinquickpart-timeentryintothelabourmarket,withmanybeginning

workbeforetheRAPperiodwasup.Onceintheworkforce,however,respon-

dentsfaceddifficultyjugglingemploymentandotherhouseholdresponsibili-

tieswithlanguageclasses.Asthefollowingtwoquotesshow,thedemandsof

both paid and unpaid labour compete with language classes:

Goingtoschoolafterworkwasverydifficult.Itwasjustgoingthroughone

earandoutthroughanotherear.Therewasnothingleft.Nothingstuck.


Istopped[ELSA]duringtheRamadanpreparations.Ididn’thaveenough

timeforcooking[and]preparing[Iftar]dinner...sofarIhaven’t[gone

back]becauseIhave[to]takecareofotherthingsfirst.


Amongwomen,childcarewasthesinglegreatestbarriertoELSA.Thismirrors

findingsfrompreviousstudies(forexample,Sherrell,Hyndman,andPreniqi

2004;Wasik2006;Wayland2006).

For men in particular, the “low-skilled” nature of employment found re-

sultedinanadditionalfactorhinderingofficiallanguageacquisition.Uponar-

rival,mostoftheyoungerAcehnesemenquicklyfoundjobsinconstruction,

finishingcarpentry,andpainting,whileoldermentendedtoworklower-paying

positions such as janitors, halal butchers or prep cooks in restaurants, or in a

boxfactory.Althoughthelatterwererelativelyhigh-paying(morethan$20

perhour),manyjobswereoutsidethecity(suchasworkontheSea-to-Sky


Highwayinadvanceofthe2010winterOlympics)andrequiredirregular,con-

tract, or overtime hours.4Itquicklybecameimpossibletomeettherequire-

mentsforbothworkandEnglishclasses,asonemanworkinginconstruction

pointed out:

Ihavenotime[forELSA]rightnowbecausesometimesI’mworkinglatebut

sometimesI’mnot.Ireallywanttostudybut[ifIdo]Iwouldhavetotell

mybossIhavetostopajobat4or5[pm].ButsometimesIhavetowork

until6or7[pm].


However,afterstoppingELSAclasses,itwasvirtuallyimpossibletoreenroll.

InadditiontothepreviouslylistedbarrierstoELSAbasedonallottedtimein

ELSAandcitizenshipstatus,thecomplexlogisticsofreenrollmentareafur-

therhurdle.Inourstudy,twomenmentionedattemptstoreenrollinELSAbut

facedlongwaittimes;othersmentionedthedifficultybalancingthecommit-

ment to classes with the search for part-time work and the need to be avail-

able for work anytime.

If official language skills are not obtained during the RAP period, they

can remain elusive indefinitely. In 2009, English-speaking abilities among

Acehnesemenandwomenwerevariedbut lowoverall. Amongthosesur-

veyed,theaverageELSAlevelobtainedisbetween2and3amongmenand2

amongwomenoutof6possiblelevels(literacylevel,beginnerlevels1-3,and

intermediatelevels4and5).Amongthefiftymenandwomeninterviewed

inthepresenceofaninterpreter,thirty-twospokeentirelyinIndonesian,ten

spokeamixtureofEnglishandIndonesian,andeightspokeprimarilyinEnglish

withclarificationsfromtheinterpreter.Noonehassuccessfullyreturnedto

4 The average wage of men was reported to be $18.30 per hour, although only roughly two-thirds of those employed were willing to give an exact number.


ELSAafterstopping,anddespiteadesiretodoso,nooneisactivelystudying

English.

(Un)employment among Men: “My future is very dark for me right now”

ForAcehnesemen,quickentryintothelabourmarketdespitelowEnglish

proficiency levels proved disastrous when employment conditions changed

duringtherecessionTheconstructionindustry,particularlyinconjunctionwith

the2010Olympics,washithard;asaresult,manymenwereforcedtoaccept

short-term,sporadiccontractworkorlosttheirjobsentirely.Withfewsignifi-

canttiesbeyondtheircommunity,theAcehnesewereparticularlyaffected.Out

of twenty-six men interviewed, twenty-four found all their jobs through other

Acehnesemen.5BecausetheentireAcehnesecommunityworkedingroups

for a small number of employers, when one company laid off employees, mul-

tiplemenfromthecommunitylostworkoptions.Ourresearchwasconducted

inthemidstofthesechanges.Thefollowingquoteisrepresentativeofthe

experiencesofvirtuallyallAcehnesemeninourrespondentpool:

Myfirstjobwasinconstruction.IheardaboutitfromanAcehneseperson.

Iworkedforoneyearandtwomonths,butthesalarydidnotmatchthe

workload.AnotherAcehnesefriend[helpedmegetajobin]tilegrinding,

soIworkedthereforoneyearandtwomonths...[but]Iwasalwaysat

thebottom...IquitandwenttoworkfortheKiewitconstructioncom-

pany[throughanotherAcehnesefriend]forninemonthsbutIgotlaidoff.

IcalledthepreviousgrindingcompanyandgotworkbutaftertwoweeksI

got laid off again because the economy was slowing down . . . [Finding a job

inCanada]isveryhardbecauseIdon’tknowanybodyhere...Istilldon’t

knowwhattodo.Myfutureisverydarkformerightnow.Ihavenoexpe-

rience and no stable job.

(Interview#47,Man,September27,2009,p.2).

5 Two men said they found their jobs through acquaintances in ELSA classes.


Facingashortageof“low-skill”jobopportunities,thosewithlimitedEnglish

skillswerehavinggreatdifficultyfindingworkandmakingendsmeet.One

sentimentfrequentlyexpressedagainechoedresponsesofthe2005survey:

Acehnesemenwanttoworkbutsimplycannotfindit.Atthetimeofthe2009

survey,nineteenofthefifty-twomenwereunemployed,althoughanecdotally

welearnedthatthisproportiongrewsignificantlyas2009progressed;atthe

time of writing, community informants estimate that “most” are out of work.

Twomen—bothwith jobsand relativelyhighEnglishskills—describedwhat

other respondents were hesitant to admit:

My friends [without a job] have nothing. No money. No job. Some of them

have no money to pay the rent. Some of them have no money to buy food.

Ifillouttheirforms[like]employmentinsuranceforms.Ifeelsympathyfor

[them].

(Interview#44,Man,September13,2009,p.8).

SomeAcehnesehavejustenoughtosurvive.

(Interview#18,Man,July28,2009,p.8).

Attemptstobettertheirsituationhavelargelyfailed.Manyoftheskillsthat

Acehnesehavewerenotalignedwithlocallabourmarketneeds,similartothe

KosovarssettledintheBCinteriorin1999(Sherrell,Hyndman,andPreniqi

2004).Thosewhohaveparticipatedinemploymentprograms,however,still

struggletofindwork.Atleastfourmendescribedattemptstoworkastruck

driversorelectriciansbutnotedtheyfacedcertificationchallengesthathin-

deredtheseefforts.Newfundingin2008providedmoreemployment-related

supportprogramssuchasISSofBC’sEmploymentOutreachServicesandthe

MOSAIC-ledStepAheadprogram;thesettlementservicessectorhasdeliv-

eredtargetedtrainingprogramsthatincludedanESLandjobplacement/work


experiencecomponent.Thesehaveincludedhomesupportwork,paintingand

decorating, long-term care aide, and automotive mechanics.

Onewomandescribedtheplightofherfamilyafterherhusband,whohad

workedasatruckdriverinMalaysiafortwentyyears,failedtheBCdriver’s

test for the thirtieth time:

I’mashamedbecausewhenIgotothewelfareoffice,itseemslikeI’ma

beggar asking for money, and the person there just keeps rejecting, re-

jecting. With four kids you have to pay bills, have to pay the rent – the

moneyisnotenough.ThemoneyIhadinsavingsisalreadyusedup.[My

husband]hasbeenunemployedsinceSeptemberlastyear,soit’s[been]

aboutayearalready.Thewelfarepeople...sayif[he]doesn’tfindajobby

September then [our] welfare will be cut.


AfterfinishingwithRAPandtransferringtoprovincialwelfare,thesethreats

happen and at times refugees are pushed out of language classes in order to

findemploymentandgetoffofwelfare.Findingemploymentremainsdifficult,

butanadditionalsourceoffrustrationamongrespondents isthatafterfive

years in Canada, the low-skilled work available to them does not match their

expectations.OnemanrecallshisexpectationsofemploymentinCanadabe-

fore his arrival:

InAcehwedon’tgetpaidbythehour.Wegetamonthlysalary.Sowhen

we had to work eight hours [a day in Canada], we were really surprised be-

causeeighthourshereisreallyeighthours.It’snotlikeAceh.Ifyouwork

eighthours,maybeonlyfourhoursare[spent]directlyworking...That

wasahardadjustmentandIwishtheCanadianofficerhadtoldme[more]

about employment in Canada . . . [Some of us thought] working in Canada

wasjustsittingandusingacomputer,likeanofficejob.



Expectationsandlivedrealitiesaretwoveryseparatethings.Althoughsome

respondentsremainhopeful,thedifficultytheyfaceinimprovingtheirEnglish

leaves bleak prospects for many respondents to achieve their goals:

Idon’tlikemy[construction]jobrightnow.Idon’twanttobedirty.It’sa

[manual]labourjob.MyfirsttargetwillbestudyingEnglish.Afterthat,I

want to be a politician.

(Interview#18,Man,July28,2009,p.2)

Iwanttofindajob.Idon’tcareaboutthesalary...becauseIhavenojob

now...but my dream job is to be a paramedic.

(Interview#48,Man,November1,2009,p.1–2)

Previous research revealed frustration among refugees with generally high

education obtainment who experience downward mobility in the Canadian la-

bourmarket(forexampleKrahnetal.2000).Despitelowereducationallevels

overall,thesepost-IRPAGARsalsofacefrustration.

Women’s Perspectives on Work: “We have our own pride”

Women had different observations and analyses of the settlement process.

Ingeneral,Acehnesesocietyprescribesdifferentgenderrolesthanthosein

Canada, and older women in particular encountered tensions upon entering

theCanadianlabourforce.Onewomanwithfourchildrendescribedherdif-

ficultdecisiontoquitherjobeventhoughherhusbandhadbeenunemployed

for almost a year:

InCanada,it’sverynormalforboththehusbandandthewifetowork,but

backinmyhometown,it’scommonthatthehusbandworksoutsideandthe

wifetakescareofthehouse,thekids,andthehusband.[When]Ihadajob,

Igotoffworkatmidnight.Iwenttosleepat1o’clock.Inthemorningsat

5:30,Iwasalreadyawaketocookformyhusband.Thenat7:30,Iwoke


upthekidstogotoschoolandthenat9o’clock,Itookthemtoschooland

thenpickedthemupagain,andthen,youknow,[Ihadto]cleanandevery-

thing,andthenIwentwork.[Afteroneyear]Icouldnotdoit.Itwastoo

hard for me [especially] at my [older] age. From the perspective of a wife,

the government of Canada [can help by] preparing a job for the husband so

we [wives] can take care of children at home.


Despite her struggle to balance employment and household obligations, her

unemployedhusband’sassistancewithhouseholdworkwasnotarealisticop-

tion in her opinion:

IfIamtheonewhohastogotowork,it’sbetternottohaveahusband...

Ijustdon’tfeelitisrightforamantostayathome.

(Interview#20,Woman,July29,2009)

Some younger women, however, described positive experiences working in

Canada(someasthesolebreadwinnerintheirfamily)orexpressedastrong

desiretowork.Atthetimeofoursurvey,sixoutoftwenty-fourwomenwere

employed with an average hourly wage of $10 per hour as part-time prep

cooks, grocery cashiers, or labourers in a commercial bakery. More women

want to work but face multiple barriers related to their household obligations

andlowEnglishlevels.Asoneyoungmotherexpressed:

Thegovernmenthastodosomethingforyoungmoms,becauseafterweget

pregnantwewouldstillliketofindajob,butweknowthatourEnglishisnot

sufficientenoughtofindone.ButifwewouldliketoimproveourEnglish,

thereisnodaycareprovidedandwecannotgo.Theincomeofourhus-

bandscannotcoveralltheexpenses.That’stheconflictwe[face]butwedo

notknowhowtosolveit.Ifeelembarrassedto[dependon]welfareassis-

tance.Iwouldliketofindjob,butwhataboutmykids?Whowilltakecare

ofthem?That’stheconflictinourhearts.Wedonotwanttoaddtothe

burden of the government. We have our own pride.



Theunpaidbutvitalworkofchildcarecompeteswiththeneedforincomeand

paidwork.AlthoughsomeELSAclassesofferfreechildcare,thereare“not

manyspaces”andwaittimesarelong(ELSANet2010).

Still, in addition to the competing demands of household work, the available

paid work options are poor. Like their male counterparts, women expressed

frustrationregardingthetypeofworkprospects.Asonewomanexplained,

some positions are under-the-table and render employees vulnerable:

IfIworkinafactory,Ifeelmoresecurebecauseeverythingisarranged

[formally].ButifIwork[underthetable]inarestaurant,thereisnocom-

mitment, there is no certain schedule or shift . . . the [business] is small

andtheyhavetopaycash...I’mforcedtotakethejobintherestaurant

becausemyhusbandisunemployednow.Ifinthefuturemyhusbandgets

ajob,Iwillnolongerstayintherestaurant.Iwillfindanotherjob[which]

providesbenefits.


OthersrecalledtheirpreviousexperiencesinAceh:

[WhenIchangemyjobinthefuture]Idon’twantittoinvolvetoomuch

physicallabour.WhatIwasdoinginacommercialbakery[hereinCanada]

was[adifficultjobphysically].BeforecomingtoCanada,Inevereven

workedbefore.I’mstillyoung.Iwasdoingmyuniversity[inAceh].


It’sshameful.Backhome[inAceh]Ihadacomfortableposition.Iwas

workingforagovernmentinstitution,not[manuallabour].ButhereIhave

to work in a factory



Idreamtobeanurseagain,like[Iwas]inmycountry.OfcourseIcando

that here [someday] because the government will loan me money for an

education.Thegovernmentprovidessuchkindsofopportunities,right?


These women are experiencing downward social mobility on a local scale

through their employment, while men experience a similar downward mobility

through unemployment. As onewoman remarked, things are different in

Aceh:

[InAceh]ifyouarejobless,yourconditionisstillokay.Buthere[inCanada]

you are forced to face that unemployment is not a good thing here . . . if

youareunemployed[inCanada],itseemsthatit’snotgoodforthiscountry.

ButinIndonesiathereisalotofunemployment.


While not unusual for immigrants of any class, their struggle with limited op-

tionsandaspirationstofindbetterjobsisreal.

The Role of the State: “The government does not pay enough attention to us”

Frustrated, both men and women respondents see this as an unmet obli-

gation on the part of the Canadian government in terms of basic survival and

self-determination,asthefollowingrepresentativequotesreveal:

Incomingrefugeesshouldbegivenaskilltopreparethemselvesbe-

fore coming [to Canada] or maybe during their resettlement so they

have a [way] to survive in Canada rather than depending on employment

assistance.



Thegovernmentdoesnotpayenoughattentiontous,tohelpusfindjobs.

We do not regret coming to Canada, oh no, no, no. We are happy to come

to Canada. But the thing is, [having a] job is very important to survive.


Thinkingofthefuture,respondentsalsoexpressedfearsthattheavailability

of manual labour is not only affected by the economy but also by individual

age and ability, as an older man says:

AfterELSA,maybethegovernmentcanprovideatrainingcourseforem-

ployment...tolearnabouttherefugees’skillandwhattheydidintheir

countrybefore.Forexample,Ihadaconveniencestorebusiness[inAceh]

soIwanttoknowhowto[manage]aconveniencestorehere[inCanada]

also...Idon’tlikeworkinginconstruction.Ifyouworkinconstruction

andyouarestrong,youareyoung,okay.Butaround55or60you’llbetoo

weak, right?

(Interview#40,Man,August20,2009)

Finally,asthefollowingquoteshows,thesignificanceofemploymentexceeds

its monetary value and affects notions of self and participation in Canadian

society:

TheCanadiangovernmentshouldpaymoreattentiontoemployment,be-

cause for other things, we can do it by ourselves to improve. But for em-

ployment we still feel like strangers to the country.


For some participants, employment offers one of the few opportunities to in-

teractwithnon-Acehnesepeople.Astheremainderofthepaperwillshow,

long-termunemploymentcoupledwithlowEnglishabilitiesleavesmanyfami-

lieswithdifficultdecisionstomake.


seCondary mIgraTIon To surrey and Calgary: “our fuTure Is unCerTaIn”

Asnoted,theAcehnesewerethefirstgroupofGARstoberesettleden-

tirely in one Canadian urban centre, and the Acehnese surveyed in 2005

unanimouslyfavouredthisdecision.Thecommunityremainsverytight;at

thestartofthe2009study,theAcehneseCanadianCommunitySocietycon-

vertedacollectivelyrentedstorefrontinVancouverintoamosqueandused

itasacommunitycentre. Althoughallseventy-fiverespondentssaid they

attended at least once a month, the vast majority attended every Saturday.

Respondents expressed the importance of this space as a place to pray, so-

cialize,teachtheirchildrenAcehneseandreligiousclasses,exchange infor-

mation about jobs, and support community members during celebratory or

grieving periods following major events such as births and deaths. During the

study, however, the community centre was moved to a storefront with cheaper

rent; at the time of writing, the community is only able to afford a basement

space and its future remains up in the air.

Attheapproximatetimeofthe2005survey,eighty-fiveindividuals(in-

cludingadultsandchildren)livedinVancouver,forty-fivelivedinBurnaby,and

twenty-threelivedinSurrey(ISSofBC2007).Our2009surveyofseventy-five

individuals surveyed the housing location of adults only, revealing forty-one

adults living in Vancouver, twenty-three in Surrey, nine in Burnaby, and two in

Richmond.Themapbelowshowsthesettlementofsixty-twoadultsforwhich

accurate postal codes were available. During our research, however, several

additional families moved or planned to move to Surrey.


BecauseVancouver’shighrentalcostswerenegotiated“throughstrategiesof

doubling and tripling up in order to spread rental costs among more people,”

in2005,81percentofsurveyparticipantslivedwithfourormoreotherpeople

intheirapartment,26percent livedwithsixormore,and22percent lived

withthreeormorepeopleperroom(McLean,Friesen,andHyndman2006,

11).Our2009studyrevealsthatsinglemenwithnospouseinCanada(69

percentofsurveyrespondentsin2009)aremorelikelytodouble/tripleupand

thus afford housing in Vancouver, while married couples with children largely

do not have this housing option and tend to live in Burnaby or Surrey.

However,a(third)migrationtootherpartsofCanadahasemergedasa

survivalstrategybytheAcehnese.Singlemenandfamiliesalikeundertook


searchestofindemploymentspecificallyinAlberta,threateningthecontinuity

of a geographically centralized community. Research participants spoke of the

relationshipbetweentheAcehnesecommunity inMetroVancouverandtwo

AcehnesemenwhoimmigratedtoCanadaseveraldecadesagothroughtheir

workintheoilindustry.ThesemeninitiallyassistedAcehnesefindemploy-

mentinrestaurantsandfactoriesthroughoutAlberta,includingworkinmore

ruralareassuchastheColumbiaIcefields intheRockyMountainsandFort

McMurray,Alberta.

Anecdotally,atthetimeofourstudy,respondentsestimatedthatthere

wereaboutthirtyAcehneselivingintheCalgaryarea.Theirmovesare,how-

ever, often temporary; many return, citing cold weather, poor public transpor-

tation,andalackofAsianand/orAcehnesepeopleandfoodastheirreasons

for returning to Metro Vancouver, as the following respondents explain:

IwenttoCalgarybecausesomeAcehneselivethereand[myAcehnese

friend] said come here, we have a good job here, [you can] work in a res-

taurant[neartheColumbiaIcefield],therearealotof[Acehnese]people[in

Calgary]...butwhenIgotthere,Isawthattheweatherisnotreallygood

forme.SoIcameback.Vancouverhastheverybestweather...[and]

more[peoplefrom]differentnationsliveheresoIloveit.

(Interview#44,Man,September13,2009,p.2–3)

InCalgary,fromoneplacetoanotherplaceisquitefarandofcoursethe

weatheriscold.TherearealsonotsomanyAcehnesepeoplethere.In

Vancouver, there are a lot of places we can go, for example the beach,

andwehavemanyfriendshere.ThatiswhyIdecidedtomovebackto

Vancouver.


Thesepassagesonlyscratchthesurfaceoflocationaldecision-makingamong

theAcehneseweinterviewed.DespitenegativeaspectsoflifeinAlbertafor


respondents, it remains an option for the future. Since the end of our research

in 2009, at least two families we interviewed have moved to the Calgary area.

VeryfewAcehnesemen,however,andnowomenwithwhomwespokewere

willingtomovetoanareawithnootherAcehnesenearby. Onemantried

working in Vernon, BC but stayed for only two weeks due to feelings of alien-

ationandhousingdifficulties.

IwenttobuysomethinginaCanadianfoodstore,butI[wastheonly]

Asianguy.Theotherguysweretoodifferent.That’swhyIdon’tlikeit[in

Vernon]...Itwasdifficulttogethousingtheretoo.

(Interview#22,Man,August4,2009,p.2–3)

Yet, as the poor economic climate continues, even less desirable locations for

work may cease to be an option, as one man pointed out:

InCalgaryit’salsodifficulttofindajob.IfthereisajobinCalgary,I

wanttomove[back]there.ButevensomeAcehneseinCalgaryareal-

ready coming back to Vancouver now because they lost their jobs there.

Everybody’sgettinglaidoff.


Moving between apartments, cities, and metro areas was a persistent theme

throughout the interviews. In five years, almost all respondents reported

movingatleastfivetimes,addingtopersonalhistoriesofdisplacement.Two

families were successful in jointly purchasing a home in Surrey, BC. Since the

recession, however, the looming possibility of unemployment is omnipresent,

andrespondentsnotedinadequatelivingconditions,unresponsivelandlords,

and long waiting lists for subsidized housing though BC Housing. These

housing conditions closely resemble those recently described by Sherrell and

ISSofBC(2009).Theresultinginstabilitycausedbymovingtoseekingbetter

opportunities is, as one woman describes, disruptive:


[IwastoldbyAcehnesefriendsinCalgary]thatit’seasytofindemploy-

ment[inCalgary]andthepayrateismuchhigher,soit’sgoodtobethere.

MyhusbandtooktheopportunitytogothereandafterthreemonthsI

joinedmyhusband,butIfounditdifficulttosocializeandthereisnotmuch

[Acehnese]communitythere...so[ourfamily]decidedtomove[back

to Vancouver] . . . For the time being, we can maintain our situation [in

Vancouver]becausemyhusbandisstillhasajob.Butifinthefutureit’s

hard for my husband to be employed, we will have to consider moving to an-

other city or country. We are not sure yet because our future is uncertain.

(Interview#3,Woman,July12,2009,p.2–3)

Inthe2005study,onerespondentwasquotedassaying“wewouldnevergo

backtoAcehforgood”(McLean,Friesen,andHyndman2006,20).Yetasthe

precedingquotesuggests,relocationpossibilitiesarenotlimitedtoCanada.

Still,MetroVancouverisretainingmanyoftheGARsfromAceh,evenafter

theyhavetriedotherCanadiandestinationsandreturned.Inthefinalsection,

weexplorethewaysinwhichsettlementdifficultiesarerelatedtocross-border,

or transnational, linkages and strategies employed by those we interviewed.

repaTrIaTIon and CanadIan CITIzenshIp: “I am a CanadIan buT I Was born In aCeh”

For those struggling to survive, an uncertain future might focus less on

living inMetro Vancouver or Calgary andmore on the benefits of Canada

versusMalaysiaorevenAceh.Thelasttwoquestionsweaskedduringeach

interview were, “what has been your biggest challenge in Canada so far?”

and“whichachievementinCanadaareyoumostproudof?”Thisattempted

torevealthesignificanceoflivinginCanadafortheAcehneseinourstudy.

Interestingly,thetwomostcommonanswerstobothquestionswereidentical:

Englishskillsandeconomicself-sufficiency.EvenverylimitedEnglishskillsor

formeremploymentexperienceswereviewedassourcesofpride.Thethird


mostcommonanswertothequestionconcerningachievement,however,was

physicallybeinginCanada.Asthefollowingrespondentsexplain,theupward

social mobility on a global scale gained by simply “making it” to Canada is

great:

People usually say that someone who can go abroad is wealthy. But we

came here from nothing, from a poor situation. But we still can be here.

That’sreallyaverygoodblessing.It’sluckyforustobehere.Beforewe

just dreamed . . .


People[inAceh]thinkgoingabroadisdifficult,especiallytoCanada,butI

madeit.SoI’mproudofit.Thatismybiggestachievement.Imadeit.


ThesenseofbeingamongthefirstAcehneseevertoarriveinCanadamade

this feat particularly rewarding, as one man describes:

I’mproudbecauseI’mthefirstAcehnesetocometoCanada.Before[me]

therewerenoAcehnese.InCanadatherearelotsofpeoplefromaround

theworld,likeChinese,Japanese;everycountryishereinCanada.But

Acehnesenevercameherebefore.


For some, however, it was their only source of pride in Canada, as one woman

says:

[Respondent]:IamproudthatIcanbehere[inCanada].Icanbehereat

theotherendoftheworldbecauseofthe[Canadian]government’shelp.

Evenifpeoplehavealotofmoney,theycannotstayinCanada.

[Interpreter]:Whataboutyourachievementsforyourself?Perhapsstudying

Englishorworkingorhavingadriver’slicense?


[Respondent]: No, not so much. [My achievement] is the existence of being

here [in Canada]

(Interview#42,Woman,September6,2009,p.7)

OnlyonemandiscussedthesignificanceofCanadiancitizenshipaboveand

beyondthesocialmobilitygainedbysimplybeing inCanada.Althoughhe

was unemployed at the time of the interview, his Canadian citizenship carries

a huge weight in Malaysia:

[Canadiancitizenshipgivesme]morerespect.ThefirsttimeIlandedin

Malaysia[afterbecomingCanadian],Igave[theofficer]mypassport.He

looked at my passport and then he looked at my face. He looked at my

passportandthenhelookedatmyface.Isaid,issomethingwrong?[He

said,]no,no,no,areyouCanadian?AndthenIspokeinMalaysian.Yes,I

amaCanadian,butIwasborninAceh.[Theofficersaid,]oh,that’sgreat,

howlonghaveyoubeeninCanada?[Isaid,]I’vestayedtherefiveyears.

[Theofficersaid,]areyouworkingthere?[Isaid,]yes,I’mworking.Asa

CanadianImustwork.[Theofficersaid,]oh!Andthenhegavemeavisa

forthreemonths.Istayedtherefortwodays.WhenIgavethepassport

again[toleaveforAceh,theofficersaid,]what?JusttwodaysinMalaysia?

[Isaid,]yes,becauseIneedtotraveltoAceh.Iwanttoseemyfamily.

[Theofficersaid,]well,youhaveavisaforeighteendays.Youshouldstay

hereforlikeoneortwomorevisitsinMalaysia?IsaidIhavenotime.

[Laughing.]Iftheydidn’tknowI’mCanadian,theywouldaskformypass-

portandeverything.ButbecauseIfeelI’mCanadian,Idon’thavetoworry

whenIgoanywhere.Idon’tcareaboutthepolicebecausewedon’tmake

anymistakes.Wehaveatruedocument...Itchangesalot[abouthowI

thinkaboutmyself].BeforewhenIdidn’thaveadocumentinMalaysia,

whenIwanttobuysomethingIfeltverynervous.Arethepoliceoutside

or not? We have to look very carefully, make sure there are no police on

the street, make sure there are no operations to [arrest undocumented mi-

grants].IwasinMalaysiaforthreeyears.Istayedinthecityforoneyear,

but[thefirsttwoyears]Istayedintheforest.



Canadian citizenship provides enhanced status, though ironically it belies a

lifeofunemploymentorunderemployment.Itsrelativevaluealsochanges

dependingonone’slocation.RecentchangestotheCitizenshipActthatfocus

onEnglishorFrenchlanguagerequirementsmaywellmakeitmoredifficult

forpost-IRPArefugeestoobtainCanadiancitizenship.

Amajorironyforthemajorityofrespondentswhospentyearsworking

undocumented in Malaysia is that formal Canadian documentation does not

guaranteeajob(McLeanetal.2006).Despiteverynegativeexperiencesas

undocumentedmigrantsandsubsequentdetaineesinMalaysia,threerespon-

dentsexpressedapreferenceforlifeinMalaysiaoverCanada.Thismaypar-

tially be true because Malaysian language and culture, including religion, are

muchmoresimilartothoseinAcehthanthoseinCanada.However,asthe

following passages show, negative employment experiences in the Canadian

labourmarketinfluencethesepreferences:

Themostdifficult[thingaboutlivinginCanadais]thelanguageandalso

[thefactthatthereare]toomanyregulationsinCanada.Inordertoenter

atrade[inCanada]youhavetohaveacertainticket.Therearetoomany

regulationsthatblockthewaytoearnmoney.It’sdifferentinMalaysia.As

long as you can work, you get a job.


Theminimumwage[of$8perhourinBritishColumbia]istoolow.Itisstill

the same as the Malaysian rate, [but] here in Canada, everything is expen-

sive [such as] rent and food. Compared to Malaysia, when we work, a single

day’swagecanbeusedforeatinginarestaurantforoneweek.Butgoing

backtoMalaysiareallydependsonthegovernmentpolicybecauseit’snot

easy for [undocumented migrants] there.



InMalaysia,respondentscouldwork,communicate,pray,eat,andsoforth,in

afamiliarcontext;theywerejustnotallowedtostaylegally.InCanada,the

oppositeistrue.Thisparadoxfrustratedrespondents,andtheallusionstothe

difficultplightofundocumentedworkersinMalaysiaintheprecedingquote

revealtheimpracticalityoflivingwithoutstatusinMalaysia.Amoreplausible

hopeistoreturntoAceh.

Allrespondents—singlemen,marriedmen,andwomen—notedtheirde-

siretotraveltemporarilybacktoAcehinthefuture,citingcostasthemainob-

stacle.Technically,theIndonesianconsulatehastheauthoritytoissueeither

atraveldocumentoranIndonesianpassportforthoseAcehnesewhoarenot

yetCanadiancitizens.OnewomanrespondenttravelledbacktoAcehonan

Indonesianpassportwhileonemarriedcouplereturnedontraveldocuments

issuedbytheIndonesianconsulate;allthreedidsoinresponsetoemergency

medicalsituationsconcerningtheirrelativesinAceh.Theremainingrespon-

dentsexpresseddistrustoftheIndonesiangovernmentandchosenottobe

involved with the consulate, opting instead for Canadian citizenship and pass-

ports, as one man explained:

Ican’ttrustIndonesia...NobodycantrustIndonesia,especiallyAcehnese.

(Interview#1,Man,June26,2009,p.6)

TheLongitudinalSurveyofImmigrantstoCanada(LSIC)“showsthatref-

ugees(GARsandPrivatelySponsoredRefugees)showthehighestpercentage

(97to99percent)ofhavingobtained,appliedfor,orintendingtoapplyfor

naturalization” by the fourth year of arrival as compared to economic and

familyclassimmigrants(Yu,Ouellet,andWarmington2007,21).Thisisnot

asurprise,sincerefugeesnormallydonotbenefitfromtheprotectionoftheir


owngovernment.FormostAcehnese,however,Canadiancitizenshiphasan

additionalpurpose:tomoresafelyfacilitateareturnvisittoAceh.

However, a gender disparity exists in the rates of citizenship between

menandwomen:atthetimeofoursurvey,Acehnesemenwere3.5times

morelikelytohavecitizenshipthanAcehnesewomen,withthirty-oneoffifty-

one men holding Canadian citizenship compared to only four of twenty-four

women.6Weinitiallyhypothesizedthatthisdifferencemayberelatedtothe

increaseddesireoftheoverwhelminglysinglementoreturntoAcehtoget

married(seeBrunner, forthcoming).Acommunity informant,however, told

us that many women and men alike have failed the citizenship test more than

oncebecauseofpoorEnglishabilities.

Source: Survey data 2009

6TheearliestthatGARsarepermittedtoapplyforCanadiancitizenshipisapproximatelythirty-sixmonthsaf-ter arrival, and the total processing time for a routine application for Canadian citizenship is approximately thirteentosixteenadditionalmonths(CIC2009).Thus,itisreasonabletoassumethatcitizenshipcouldbeobtainedinfifty-twomonths.Basedonoursurveyofseventy-fiveparticipantsin2009,theaveragelengthoftimeinCanadaatthetimeofthesurveydifferedonlyslightlyformen(fifty-ninemonths)comparedtowomen(fifty-sixmonths)withforty-sixoutoffifty-oneinCanadaforfifty-twomonthsascomparedtotwenty out of twenty-four women.


While citizenship is an important indicator of social inclusion, one is techni-

cally no longer eligible for settlement services once citizenship is obtained.

Likewise,accesstoofficiallanguageacquisitionisrestricted.Moreresearchon

theimplicationsofthenewcitizenshipactonpost-IRPArefugeesisneeded.

AnotherfactormaybethefeelingthatCanadiancitizenshipcomesata

cost.SincethenationalitylawsofneitherIndonesiannorMalaysia—thecoun-

trieswheremostAcehnesespentsignificantamountsoftime—recognizedual

citizenship,onceanAcehnesebecomesaCanadiancitizen,avisaisrequired

toreturntoAceh.Althoughshort-termvisas(30daysorless)areavailable

toCanadiancitizensattheIndonesianborder,respondentstypicallyobtaina

single-entry60-dayvisitorvisainMalaysiaorSingaporeandmayextendita

maximumoffourtimes,orto180daystotal.7Onewomanexpressedregret

overlosingherIndonesiancitizenshipinordertobecomeCanadiansinceit

lessenedthechanceshewouldeverreturntoAcehpermanently:

Iffromthebeginningweknewthatwecouldtravel[backtoAceh]witha

traveldocument,perhapsmyhusbandwouldn’thaveappliedfor[Canadian]

citizenship. Perhaps we would just hold permanent residency. We tried for

[Canadian]citizenshipandmyhusbandpassedbutIfailed.Thendueto

the tragedy of my sister passing away, my mom asked me to come back [to

Aceh]foravisitsowetriedanotherwaybyvisitingthe[Indonesian]con-

sulate.TheconsulategavemeatraveldocumentsoIcouldgobacktovisit

Aceh.Butnow[since]myhusbandisalreadya[Canadian]citizen,Ihaveto

[try to pass the Canadian citizenship test] again to join [my husband].

(Interview#26,Woman,August8,2009,p.8).

OftheUNHCR’sthree“durablesolutions”(voluntaryrepatriation,local inte-

gration,orresettlementtoathirdcountry),resettlementisreservedfor“situ-

ations where it is impossible for a person to go back home or remain in the

7 Indonesiamakesanexception forchildrenundereighteen;however,at theageofeighteen, theymustchoose citizenship to one country.


hostcountry”(UNHCR2010).Indeed,asCastlesaptlyremindsus,“theover-

whelmingmajorityoftheworld’sdisplacedpeoplewouldprefertoreturnto

theirhomesinsafetyanddignity.Itisonlythosewhohavenohopeofreturn

whogetresettledintheWest”(2005,ix).Yetsincethesigningofthepeace

agreement,Acehnesedohavetheoptionofreturning.Onewomanmadethe

following remark:

ThereisanIndonesianproverb[whichsays]it’sstillbettertoliveinourown

countrythangoabroad.IfGodpermitsandgivesmealonglife,Ipreferto

go back home for my retirement.


Offiftyinterviewees,ninesaytheyplantoreturntoAcehinthefutureand

fivesayitisapossibility.Ofthethirty-sixrespondentswhoplantoremainin

Canadapermanently,eightsaidAcehisnotyetsafeenoughtoreturn;nine

mentionedthelackofjobsinAceh;andsixsaideducationfortheirchildren

is prohibitivelyexpensive inAceh. The remaining thirteenmentionedonly

positive attributes of Canada and nothing about Aceh. Although twomen

mentionedtheincompatibilitybetweenCanadianworkschedulesandIslamic

prayer and five parentsmentioned hopes to send their children to Islamic

schools abroad, most cited the Canadian labour market as the primary reason

behind their consideration of whether or not to leave Canada.

Notably, however, no respondent had a concrete plan to return permanently,

althoughsomeimpliedthatmoneywastheonlylimitingfactor:Iwantto

movetoanothercountry.MaybeMalaysiaorSaudiArabia.Ormaybego

backtoIndonesia,I’mnotsureyet.IamthinkingaboutitbutifIdon’t

havemoney,howcanIopenabusinessthere?...IfIhaveenoughcapital,

maybeIwillgobacktoIndonesiaorMalaysia.



Ihavenointentionto[returnto]AcehbecauseIhavenocapitaltostarta

business[but]ifIhaveenoughmoney,ImightwanttostayinAceh...I’m

planningtorunasmallbusinesslikeaconveniencestoreinAceh.

(Interview#37,Man,August18,2009,p.5–6).

This is anoption for the significant number ofAcehnese refugees living in

Denmark,whereimmigrantsareofferedfinancialincentivesinexchangefor

theirrighttoDanishresidencythroughthe“RepatriationAct”(DanishRefugee

Council2002).Yetonemanrecountshisdisapprovalofafriends’acceptance

of the offer:

Afterthetsunami,theDanishgovernmentoffered[myAcehnesefriends

livinginDenmark]aboutCAD$25,000[tomovebacktoAceh]andsignthat

theyarenotallowedtoreturntoDenmark.Onceyoutakethatmoney,you

candobusinessinAceh,butyoucan’treturntoDenmarkanymore.Only

one [of my friends] did that, but [in my opinion] he made the wrong [deci-

sion]...it’sveryhardtogotoanothercountry!Youneedlotsofmoney.If

you [immigrate] by yourself you have to spend lots of money, like $200,000.

[IfCanadaofferedthesameoption]I’dstayhere[inCanada.]


Theserepatriationschemesarecontroversialandnotapathwesupportfor

policyandpracticeinCanada.Instead,weshouldaskwhatCanadiancitizen-

ship means in the context of refugee resettlement. Citizenship is commonly

definedbytwocomponentfeatures:membershipinapolityanda“reciprocal

setofdutiesandrights”(KivistoandFaist2010,227).Aswehaveshown,

asurvivalincome(ironicallyequivalenttoapproximatelyhalfoftheStatCan

low incomecut-off)maybearight inCanadathroughtheprovisionofso-

cialassistance,butemploymentandacquisitionofofficiallanguageskillsare

not.Withoutthese,activecitizenshipinCanadiansociety—theideathatnew-


comersparticipateinthiscountry’sinstitutions,publiclife,andcommunities

beyondsimplemembershipinapolity—remainselusive.

polICy ImplICaTIons

Our research points to possible policy recommendations for both the

DepartmentofCitizenshipandImmigrationCanada(CIC)andtheProvinceof

British Columbia. What follows are recommendations to enhance settlement

outcomes,socialinclusion,andeconomicsurvivalbasedontheAcehneseex-

perienceoverthepastfiveyears.

CIC should develop, and where possible deliver, pre-departure English1.

language training for refugees selected for resettlement.

CIC and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) should2.

review theexistingpre-departureorientationprogram (COA) toensure

that informationprovided is realisticandactually reflects the inevitable

experiencesfacedbyrefugeesduringtheirfirstfewyearsinCanada.For

example, they should be briefed on the low level of income support they

will receive and the likelihood of unemployment.

CIC and provincial bilateral agreements on immigration should extend3.

the eligibility for language classes to include naturalized citizens to

better respond to the need for greater social inclusion and labour market

attachment.

The BC Government should review the current daycare inventory and4.

expand spaces in various locations to improve access to language programs

for refugee women.

CICshouldfundresearchorundertakeinternalanalysistoascertainhow5.

the new citizenship act will impact refugees.


TheBCGovernmentshouldreinvest intailored,project-based language6.

training programs to support the retraining and greater labour market

attachment opportunities for resettled refugees.

CICshouldundertakeareviewoftheirdestiningpolicytodetermineits7.

effectivenessinmeetinggoalsofintegration.Itshouldalsoobtaingreater

clarityfordestiningsmallerethno-specificrefugeepopulations,considering

in particular whether there is a minimal optimal number that should be

considered as part of the destining policy.

Governmentassistedrefugees, liketheAcehnese,wouldgreatlybenefit8.

frommoreearly intervention support servicesduring their first year in

Canada.CICshouldincreasethefundingtoRAPsothatitcouldbeexpanded

toincludeadditionalservices,particularlythoserequiredtoaddressthe

changingneedsandcharacteristicsofrefugeespost-IRPA.

For several years CIC Refugee Affairs Branch has had a RAP National9.

WorkingGroupconsistingofCICNationalHeadquarters(NHQ)andRegional

representativesaswellas foursettlementsectorreps.CICNHQshould

consider expanding the permanent membership to include a representative

from the BC and Manitoba governments.

RAP service agencies, such as ISSofBC, would greatly benefit from an10.

opportunity to share and learn from good practices happening across

Canada. CIC, BC, and the Manitoba government should jointly fund a

national conference on RAPwith the goal of collectively enhancing the

settlementoutcomesidentifiedthroughtheAcehneseexperience


Dissemination Event

OnJuly3,2010,wetookthepolicyimplicationsnotedabovebacktoin-

vitedstakeholdersfromCIC,theProvinceofBC,anduniversities,aswellas

membersoftheAcehnesecommunityatadisseminationeventinVancouver.

Thefollowingadditionalpolicyimplicationscameaboutasaresult:

CIC shouldmake every effort to amend sponsorship policy and reduce11.

processing time once for the sponsorship of a spouse, even if the

engagement/marriageoccursafterarrivinginCanada.Thisisparticularly

importantfornewcomersfromAcehfortworeasons:1)therewasnorefugee

community fromAcehalready inplaceupon theirarrival inVancouver;

and2)theinitialgroupcamefromMalaysia,wheremostspentthreeto

fiveyearsindetentionbeforetheirresettlementtoCanada.Theyhadlittle

to no opportunity to foster such relationships in these conditions.

The provision of space for community gatherings and network/support12.

buildingwould be very beneficial forGARs, particularly during thefirst

yearafterarrivalforthosewhoare“newandfew.”Thisspacecouldbe

usedbymultipleGARgroupsduringdifferenttimesandwouldalsoserve

asacontactpointforISSofBCandotherserviceproviders.

AccesstocreditprovedtobedifficultformanyAcehneseentrepreneurs13.

who were committed to opening new businesses. Collateral for loans

was an obstacle, as was lack of schools to create a solid business plan.

Thegreatesthurdle,however,wasthe interestexpectedbyall lenders.

As strictly observant Muslims,many are not permitted to pay interest

and do not know how to negotiate their faith with market values here in

Canada. Further research to probe possible partnerships or options would


be a prudent move toward better labour force attachment and business

activity.

Linguistic/ethno-specificofficiallanguagetrainingshouldbeconsideredfor14.

post-IRPAGARs,particularlythosewhoare“newandfew”and/orcome

from protracted refugee situations. Pre-departure delivery of such services

infirstcountriesofasylumwouldbeefficient,bothintermsofcostandin

hastening labour force attachment once in Canada.

ConClusIon

In2003,Simicharguedagainst theCanadiangovernment’sdecision to

“destine,”ordistribute,othergroupsofGARsoutacrossmultipleurbancen-

tres. Her main concern was that “while refugees are agents of their adapta-

tion, the resettlement bureaucracy may operate at cross-purposes and con-

strain their resettlement” (2003,588). In thecaseof theGARswhocame

toMetroVancouverfromAcehviaMalaysia,thedecisiontoconcentratethe

community and settle its members together has proven popular with them

and is perhaps a factor in retention. Further research should examine the suc-

cessesofCanada’sdestiningpolicy.Overall,theAcehnesegenerallyviewtheir

movetoCanadaasapositiveone.LocatingallAcehneserefugeesinMetro

Vancouverin2004hasworked,andthecommunityiscloseandactive.While

some have left for jobs in Calgary, others have returned for the weather and

forAcehnesefriends.

Yet,thisisqualifiedbythebarrierstheyfaceinacquiringEnglishandgetting

goodjobs,and,aswehaveshown,thetwoareintrinsicallylinked.Adequate

jobshavebeenhard tofind in lightof the recession,andstrong language

skills have been neglected in order to pursue other goals. Unemployment

andlowEnglishskillsultimatelyaffectmanyaspectsofsettlement,including


the ability to come together in a community centre, the continued geographic

concentration in Vancouver, and ultimately, a sense that everyone will stay

inCanada.Familyreunificationpoliciesareprovingdifficulttonegotiate,as

shown in an analysis of efforts to arrange marriages across borders despite

very low incomes in Canada upon arrival and transportation loans to be repaid

(seeBrunner,forthcoming).Moreover,RAPratesofincomeassistancearelow

acrossthecountry,meaningthatallGARsfaceameagrestartinCanada.

InoutliningthestrugglesfacedbytheAcehnese,weaimtostressrefugee

resilienceratherthanpathology(Simich2003).Ourinterviewsincludedmo-

ments of joy and stories of success as well as those of struggle and hardship.

Yet although these former refugees, now citizens and permanent residents,

mayberesilient,theystillrequiresomeongoingsettlementsupport,accessto

employment,andEnglishlanguageclasses,muchofwhichisnolongeravail-

able to many of them in Metro Vancouver due to their new citizenship status.


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appendIx 1: survey QuesTIons

1.Whatisyourage?(Alsorecordsex.)

2. Where do you live? What is the postal code and city?

3.When(monthandyear)didyoufirstarriveinCanada?

4. What is your current status in Canada (Permanent Resident? Citizen?

Other?)?

5.DidyoucometoCanadaasarefugee?

a.Ifso,wereyoupreviouslyinMalaysia?Ifso,forhowlong?Whenwasthe

lasttimeyouwereinAcehbeforelandinginCanada?

b.Ifno,didyoucometoCanadathroughthefamilyreunificationprocess?(If

so,whatisyourrelationtothepersonwhosponsoredyou?)

6.Doyouhope tobringanyonehere through family reunification? (If so,

who?)

7.Howdoyougetnewsabouttheworld?(Newspapers,TV,internet,friends?

Whichone(s)?Andinwhichlanguages?)

8.Doyouattendmosque?Ifso,inSurreyorVancouver?

9.DoyouvisittheAcehneseCommunityCentreonaregularbasis?

10.Doyouparticipateinanycommunityorsocialactivitiesotherthanmosque

ortheAcehneseCommunityCentrewithothersfromAceh(sports,shop-

ping,cooking,etc.)?

11.Doyouparticipateinanycommunityorsocialactivitiesotherthanmosque

or theAcehneseCommunityCentrewithothersnot fromAceh? (If so,

who?Howdidyoumeetthem?)


12.Doyouhaveanychildren?(Ifso,doyouattendparent-teachermeetings

atyourchildren’sschoolfromtimetotime?Haveyoumetanyotherpar-

entswithwhomyoutalkatschool?Afterschool?)

11.Doyouhaveapaidjob?(Ifso,whatpositionandwhoisyouremployer?

Howmanyhoursperweekandatwhatrateofpay?)

12.Whatlanguagedoyouspeakathome?(elaborate)

13.WhatlevelofELSAtraininghaveyoufinished,ifany?


appendIx 2: InTervIeW QuesTIons

Preamble:In2005weconductedastudywithISSaboutthearrivalofthe

AcehnesecommunityinCanada,yourhousingsituationatthetime,andyour

educationandlanguageprograms.Thesequestionsfollowupfromthose;we

wanttoknowwhathaschangedsince2005andhowyouarefaring.

1. Employment/training/language

a.Didyouparticipateinourfocusgroupdiscussionin2005?Eitherway,

what were you were doing (for work or school) in 2005? How have

things changed since you arrived in Canada?

b.DescribeyourexperienceswithELSAclassesandlearningEnglish—for

example,ifyouarenolongertakingELSAclasses,whynot?

c.Describeyourexperiencesfindingemployment.Ifyouareemployed,

do you enjoy your job? Do you plan to look for a new job in the future?

Have you been affected by the global recession?

d.Areyoustillpayingthetransportationloan?

2. Prior to arrival in Canada

a.DidyouspendtimeindetentioninMalaysia?Areyoucomfortablean-

sweringafewquestionsaboutthattime?[ifno,skiptolasttwoques-

tions in this section]

b.Ifyes,wherewereyoudetainedandforhowlong?

c.Whatdidyouwhileyouwereindetention?(work?)

d.Howwereyoutreated?(probetreatmentbyauthorities,availabilityof

food,livingconditions)


e. Did you have any communicaton with family members while in

detention?

f.Didanyhealthissuesarise?(Whatkind?InAcehorMalaysia?)

g. Did you have medical care?

h. Did your time in Malaysia affect your health?

i. When did you learn that you would travel to Canada? What, if any in-

formation did you learn about Canada before leaving? Do you have any

advice for the Canadian government to change the pre-departure orien-

tation program?

j.Howwouldyourateyourcurrentstateofhealth:1.Excellent;2.Good;

3.Okay;4.Poor;5.ExtremelyBad

3. Housing

a. Can you describe your arrival in Canada? How did you feel upon arriving?

Whatdidyoudoduringthosefirstweeksafterarriving?Comparedto

your feelings then, how do you feel now?

b. How many times have you moved residency since you arrived in

Canada?

c.Whereareyoulivingnow(cityandpostalcode)?

d. Why did you choose this place?

e.Doyourentorownthishome?Ifrenting,whatrentdoyoupayper

month?

f.ArethereotherAcehnesenearby?

g.Withwhomareyouliving?(notenumberoffamilymembersandrela-

tionofeachtorespondent)


4. Family

a.Oneoftheissuesraisedin2005wasthedifferenceinthenumberof

Acehnesemenversusthemuchsmallernumberofwomen.Whathave

Acehnesemendonetosolvethisissue?(Hasanyonebeenabletomarry

womenfromAcehandsponsorthem?)

b.Areyoumarried/divorced/single?

c.Whereandwhendidyougetmarried?(Canada/Aceh/Malaysia)

d.HaveyoubeenbacktoAcehsinceyoucametoCanada?(Ifso,when,

forhowlong)?Ifso,whatdidyoudowhileyouwerethere?

e.Doyouhavefamilymembers inothercountries,other thanAcehor

Canada?

f.Doyousendmoneytofamily?Tofamily inAceh?Howoftendoyou

send money?

5. Thefuture

a.NowthatpeacehascometoAceh,doyouwanttoreturn?Willyou?To

visit?Tolive?Whyorwhynot?

b. What has been your biggest challenge in Canada so far?

c. Which achievement in Canada are you most proud of?

d. What would you change about the Canadian government assisted ref-

ugee resettlement process for future groups?

Documents

Working Paper Series - mbc.metropolis.netmbc.metropolis.net/assets/uploads/files/wp/2010/WP10-12.pdf · ment known as Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM), between 1999 and 2005, over three