About 50 years ago, in the late 1970s, on a cold, snowy night, I landed at Toronto airport to start a new life as a young man in search of his destiny. My reasons for making such a drastic decision to leave behind family, friends, and a well-paying entry-level job in Pakistan to move to a distant country about which, in the pre-Internet era, I knew very little, were never clear to me. I now think it was the yearning of many young people at that time—and even more so today—to venture abroad and explore the possibilities in a Western country.
Fifty years later, I remain forever indebted to my native Pakistan for my upbringing in my hometown of Hyderabad (Sind), where I received my high school and university education, as well as the beginning of my career in engineering in Karachi. I am also thankful to my adopted country, Canada, for embracing me as an immigrant and enabling my professional growth while allowing me to settle and raise a family in a safe and peaceful environment.
In earnest, Pakistanis began emigrating to Canada in small numbers during the 1950s and 1960s following the violent events of the partition in search of a better life in a Western country. Many were highly educated professionals—scientists, doctors, engineers, lawyers, and economists—and they found good academic opportunities and jobs in Canada. There were also students who aimed to pursue higher education and planned to return home after completing their degree programmes. While some returned, others chose to stay and became founding members of the Pakistani-Canadian community.
One such early migrant, Syed A. Sattar, PhD, completed his BSc and MSc in microbiology from the University of Karachi in 1960. A year later, while teaching there, he was awarded a scholarship to pursue post-grad education in Canada. He moved to Canada in 1961 and joined the prestigious School of Hygiene at the University of Toronto, where he completed a post-grad diploma and another MSc degree. He then proceeded to the School of Medicine, University of Ottawa and earned a PhD in Virology, followed by a long and distinguished academic career at the University of Ottawa. Upon retirement, he was awarded the prestigious and life-long title of ‘Professor Emeritus’.
Professor Sattar’s advice to newcomers from Pakistan is to come to Canada with an open mind and leave behind religious and cultural biases. He found Canadians to be tolerant and trusting in general. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to reciprocate in kind.
According to the 2021 Canadian Census, 303,260 Canadians claimed Pakistani ancestry. This accounts for less than 1% of the total Canadian population of 38 million
Another early arrival in Canada is Mohammed Husain Master, who migrated in 1968 after earning an M.Sc. from Karachi University and working for a few years at the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH) in Nilore near Islamabad. He cites his motivation for moving to Canada as a pursuit of higher education and learning. In Canada, he completed an M.Eng. degree and enjoyed a long, successful career at the University of Ottawa. After retirement, he pursued his passion for forest conservation and earned a Master of Forest Conservation degree from the University of Toronto when he was in his 70s.
Master says he did not have much difficulty settling in Canada, as he had previously lived with an American family in California while completing a year of high school there and was accustomed to the North American lifestyle. He is satisfied with his decision to move to Canada and points to the growth of his family to about 50 since his arrival 60 years ago. Master’s advice for newcomers is to work hard, and you will succeed. Never give up; if you fall, get up and try harder.
The Pakistani diaspora in Canada can be divided into three groups based on their migration timeline and life stages. The first cohort, primarily students and young professionals, arrived in the 1950s and 1960s. Next, in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, many immigrated largely for economic reasons, seeking a better quality of life for themselves and their families. Finally, the most recent arrivals over the past three decades are those who retired from careers in public, private, and military service. They moved to Canada to enjoy their retirement, live peacefully, and watch their children and grandchildren grow up here.
A good friend and classmate from my university days moved to Canada with his family in 2002 after graduating in engineering and working for several years as a flight engineer for an airline in Karachi. He was compelled to take an early retirement on medical grounds. He views his immigration application a few years earlier and relocating to Canada with his family as his destiny and the will of the Almighty.
He recalls that settling in was challenging, as his elder son, who graduated from the US and obtained an advanced degree from the UK, was unable to quickly find a job. He is, however, grateful to the Canadian healthcare system for taking good care of his second son’s life-changing medical issues. His advice to newcomers is to arrive here at an early stage of life for better job prospects and integration into the Canadian system.
Many Pakistanis who arrived in the last three decades were expatriates in the Gulf states. They sought to obtain a Canadian visa and citizenship before their time in the Gulf was up, fearing they might have to return to Pakistan. After several years of work in the Gulf, they had enough savings to purchase a home in Canada, settle their families, and return to their well-paying jobs in the Gulf states.
The Canadian economy has experienced fluctuations over the past five decades, creating hardships for all Canadians during economic downturns. This particularly affected new immigrants, who found it challenging to secure jobs, even at an entry-level. The economy entered a recession in the early 1980s, 1990s, 2010, and again in 2020 due to COVID disruptions. New immigrants during these periods faced significant challenges, and some even relocated to the US and the Gulf states when they found job opportunities there.
According to the 2021 Canadian Census, 303,260 Canadians claimed Pakistani ancestry. This accounts for less than 1% of the total Canadian population of 38 million. The community is diverse, originating from all regions of Pakistan, including both immigrants and Canadian-born individuals, and it significantly contributes to Canada's multicultural landscape.
The future for new Pakistani immigrants coming to Canada is bright, particularly for young university graduates in science, emerging technologies, AI, and healthcare services
The majority of the diaspora lives in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), followed by the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. Within the GTA, notable Pakistani communities are located in cities such as Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Milton, and Toronto proper.
Pakistani immigrants who arrived earlier found it relatively easier to integrate into Canada’s secular system while maintaining their religious and cultural identities. In contrast, those who came later brought with them a more extreme interpretation of their religious beliefs and insisted on adhering to them in secular Canada, occasionally creating tensions with their fellow Canadians.
The character of the community has changed over the last six decades. For example, in the 1960s and 1970s, it was hard to find a woman in a hijab in public, as women would typically use a traditional dupatta or scarf to cover their heads if they wished. By the 1990s, this changed, and in the GTA, there is no shortage of women who routinely wear hijabs in public along with men in shalwar and kurta.
Today, most Pakistani-Canadians are well-settled and contribute to the Canadian economy by working in sectors such as science, engineering, technology, and teaching; some even hold entry-level jobs in the service sector. Others are involved in businesses like restaurants, banquet hall rentals, grocery stores, and real estate investments. Many have served and continue to serve in federal and provincial public service and the Canadian Armed Forces with pride and honour.
Contrary to a misguided belief, the secular Canadian government allows all religions to establish and operate their places of worship and practise their faith there peacefully. Numerous masajid and imambarghas can be found in the GTA and other areas with significant populations of Pakistanis and other Muslims. These places and community centres serve as focal points for the community to gather, socialise, and network with one another.
The future for new Pakistani immigrants coming to Canada is bright, particularly for young university graduates in science, emerging technologies, AI, and healthcare services. With their proficiency in technology across various fields and their ability to think creatively to develop innovative solutions, I have no doubt they will excel in their chosen professions and may even elevate the standard set by earlier immigrants.
If I must offer a piece of advice to newcomers, it would be to focus on developing soft skills—communication, teamwork, respect for diverse opinions of colleagues, conflict resolution, understanding workplace culture and ethical standards, and striving to integrate into the system as quickly as possible. Remember: hard work, perseverance, and a bit of luck will help take you where you want to go.