My name is Miguel Abascal. I was born in Mexico City and my first 18 years of my life were in Mexico. I did an International Business Management Bachelor and then I went to to do a Master's in Finance. So I will say that I speak numbers better than Spanish sometimes for sure. I come from the Middle East, from Lebanon. I was born and raised there and I had an Engineering degree, a Bachelor degree, I had a Master's degree, I had a PMP certification, I had Business Process Improvement Certification, so all of these were supposed to mean something, plus 10 years of experience. My name is Ferris Ibrahim and I am from Syria. I was working two jobs before I came to Canada and I worked with satellites and mobile devices. Everyone has a dream. Everyone has a story. Every year, 250,000 immigrants and refugees come to Canada. Miguel was on the hunt for better career opportunities. The decision of moving to Canada was one of the most difficult ones that I ever took in my life because at that moment, I was running this company. I was earning the most I ever earned in my life, I had my car, my house, everything. So by moving to Canada or by design to go to Canada, it was a decision of "You know what, I'm going to sell everything and I'm just going to go without knowing what's going to happen." No friends, no family, no nothing. Just "Let's see what happens." Hala left Lebanon in search of safety and stability. I was planning on leaving the second I finished my studies. I know it's not quite stable. Definitely the expectation was the peace of mind, a place to call home. Ferris and his family arrived in Canada less than a year ago, with only two suitcases. When I came, I left my life and everything behind. Everything. Everything. Resettling refugees demonstrates our commitment to Canadians and to the world, that Canada understands that we can and must do more and I am pleased to announce to this house that the first plane carrying Syrian refugees will be arriving in Toronto tomorrow evening at 9:15 p.m. Justin Trudeau is pledging to sponsor 25,000 Syrian refugees if he becomes prime minister in this year's election. A dozen families arrived tonight in Montreal. Do these developments mark a turning point in the migrant crisis? Will the human face on the tragedy spur more countries, including our own, to do more? Before the civil war, Syria was the place Ferris felt was safe for his family. Before the war, Syria was very beautiful. This was before the political unrest. It was very beautiful. I thought I was going to spend my whole life in Syria. I didn't expect for this not to be the case. Leaving Syria was the right decision to make considering the circumstances. It was the right decision to make for the well-being of my family. However, I also wanted to help out my parents. In general, Syria was a very beautiful place. When Miguel arrived in Canada, he was optimistic about his career prospects. I was very excited that I was going to go to Toronto and interesting enough, that plane got delayed like three or four hours. I have this kind of like crazy idea of when I arrive, you know, people are going to be clapping and red carpet and it's like, "Yes, Miguel, we have been waiting for you" like "Why'd it take you so long?" and when I arrived like, it was completely empty. No TTC buses, no nothing. My English at that time, it was like similar to a caveman. It's like "Me hungry, me help" that kind of thing. So from that moment, it was like oh, what's going on? Hala's struggle started right away when she landed in Montreal, when she could not find a place to live. It was hard because as a new person like, moving to Canada, I didn't have a credit record and these people were "You need someone to sponsor you" and like "Here's the full amount for 12-month rent, I just need a place to live" and they didn't accept. So it was just so challenging. "Okay, so how am I supposed to start?" I overestimated my credentials, my experience. I didn't even get one interview call during my one-year stay in Montreal. After some time, you feel that "Okay, is this how it's gonna be? If I don't do something, this is going to be my life in Canada. The problem that Miguel, Hala and Ferris all had in common was credential recognition. Newcomers have the ability to practice their careers in Canada. There are many doctors and engineers who come to Canada but by the age of 35 to 40, they also have kids, which means that they don't have time to regain their credentials to meet the Canadian standard. They have to resort to work such as driving for Uber or at restaurants. They have to take the most readily available job to survive. In my case, I would need five years to re-acquire my electrician credentials. I had to get a job at Shoppers Drug Mart. I have excellent credentials but I am unable to work as an electrician. From being the CEO of a coffee company, to being a customer service rep of Tim Hortons, being assigned and cleaning the washroom because I was a new guy. I was used to having two assistants, I was used to travel, used to so many things and going back to that job at Tim Hortons, it was hard. Like in terms of my confidence, yeah for sure, it went down, down, down. The process of starting a new life in Canada taxed Miguel's mental, emotional and physical health. Within the first year and a half, I regretted it every day and it feels like you're a China cup. Like, it's getting cracked everywhere and yes like, I think my first six, seven months I was completely depressed and I didn't know that I was depressed. I was just like "Oh, I don't want to go out of bed. I don't want to do anything, I feel so bad." Like, when you move to a new country, you don't have that support network. Of course, it's like "Oh, what should I do? Who should I contact? What should I say?" The first two months were very difficult. They involved a lot of sleepless and tearful nights. The first two months were extremely hard because all I could think about was Syria. I didn't tell my children about the war in Syria. Only my oldest daughter was aware of the conflict, my younger children were too young to understand. We went to Lebanon beforehand because it was more ideal at the time to ensure their education remain uninterrupted. Then I told my children that Canada would be better for their learning and my wife was ready to support my decision for the future of my family. Finally, after a year of living in Canada without a single interview, Hala got a job. Just, you know, the feeling that I have a job and the weekend means something now because it was almost a little over a year without a job. So for me, the first time it happens with me throughout my life like, I was like drained and in debt financially, so it was such a relief. After working at Tim Hortons, Miguel worked in construction and restaurants before joining a bridging program called Business Edge at the University of Toronto. He is now a senior analyst at TD Bank but his proudest moment was getting his Canadian Citizenship. It's impressive, like, it was a room full of people, everybody, you know, happy and enthusiastic and they felt like now it was like a big milestone for them. For me, it was like a huge milestone. Like, I always wanted to be citizen of Canada. I always say that I'm a proud Mexican by birth but for sure, a Canadian by heart. I came to Canada on November 4, 2017. I was very scared at first but after I befriended my fellow Canadians, I felt much better. Canadians are very kind and helpful. If I were walking down the street, they would gladly take time to help and guide me. I am very grateful I was able to find work and my coworkers are very supportive. They helped me a lot with translation. I am very happy that my children are attending school and that my wife has peace of mind. Thank God. I am happy with my job at the moment and I am looking forward to learning English and seeing my children progress in life. God willing, my children and I have a good future in this country. Although the reasons that brought Miguel, Hala and Ferris to Canada could not be more different, one thing is certain: they are each finding a home here. For the Ryerson Documentary Unit, I'm Nadia Khansi.