Kenyans have continued to harbour an innate need to travel to Canada and other countries for better opportunities despite unfavourable reports of their counterparts struggling in host countries.
In the latest iteration, Kenyans in their early 20s revealed that they were flying to Canada in search of greener pastures prompted by the tough job market in the country which has made securing employment very difficult.
Speaking on Saturday during the launch of 100 Visas secured by SY Voyage Africa, an agency helping individuals secure documents to travel abroad, one of the beneficiaries, Peter Wahinya Wanyoike, noted that he had tarmacked in Kenya and time was ripe he tried his luck elsewhere.
He added that he had taken the decision after coming to the conclusion that locally, cards were stacked against him. Wanyoike lamented that securing a job in Kenya demands being well connected to powerful individuals, which he does not have despite meeting all the relevant academic requirements.
“My visa was produced in one and a half months. On being conned, I don’t think I have ever been. My main reason for leaving Kenya is work,” he stated at the event
“The young people lack jobs in Kenya because you must have connections to secure a job locally and in some instances, you may fail. I took a step and decided to try something else.”
Another youth who secured a travel visa, Jeffrey Nelson Mutavi, noted that he was flying for work and  to study after experiencing immense challenges trying to secure a job without college education.
“Kenya is our country and we love it but somehow, we lack opportunities mostly for the young men and women as well as those of us who did not go to college,” he stated.
“I am looking to secure a different perspective in life. I am going to Canada to work and study.”
The travel comes months after a number of Kenyans who travelled to the North American country for greener pastures revealed that they are languishing in Canadian streets.
At the tail end of August, Toronto Star reported that tens of Kenyans were left stranded on the streets, a situation exacerbated by the slow printing of visas to facilitate their return to the country.
At the time, it became increasingly clear that their agencies had turned their backs on them but those represented by SY Voyage Africa are hopeful that the situation will be different.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Canada in Ottawa also indicated that besides job seekers, several other migrants apply for asylum after facing threats in their own home countries.
So far Canada has processed over 60,000 applications from asylum seekers since January 2023.
“We’ve seen an increasing amount of asylum seekers arriving in Canada, and it’s not a surprise when we’re seeing an increasing amount of people worldwide and globally asking for asylum and for protection,” explained Azadeh Tamjeedi, a senior legal officer at (UNHCR).
According to Trading Economics, Kenya’s unemployment rate has hit 5.40 per cent representing an unemployment figure of over 1 million Kenyans.
By DERRICK OKUBASU
Source-https://www.kenyans.co.ke/
Kenyans Reveals Why They Are Migrating To Canada and Other Countries
