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When Brother Bilal’s case arrived, he had -$300 in the bank, and a monthly deficit of ~$2800. Along with his financial stresses, he also had a wife suffering from breast cancer and four children to care for. Bilal and his children were permanent residents of Canada, and since arriving, they had been suffering from separation anxiety from their mother. Fortunately, she was able to reunite with them on a visitor visa. Although they had reunited after a long time, they soon found out they may be separated again due to their mother’s illness. To make things worse, the sick mother of four was not even covered for medical care, since she was in Canada on a visitor visa. Bilal soon found himself struggling to keep up with everyday expenses and his wife’s cancer treatment.

With World Refugee Day having come to past, it is important to not let this remembrance of refugees to past as well. Many refugees that are struggling to start their lives here in Canada. Today’s blog post has intended to highlight facts about the refugees here in Canada.

Abrar had just clocked out of work and was heading home during the early stretches of the morning. It had been a long night; he was tired and hungry, but had one thing on his mind: to see his children’s faces and send them off to school. Finances were a bit tight lately, but he was doing fine. He was out there working days, working nights, working overtime. Life here did not come cheap, but it was worth it.

Did you know that right here in Canada at least 10% of children live in poverty? That’s about 546,000 children living in poverty, right here in Canada. Did you know that asylum seekers in Canada are not eligible for any benefits but are also not allowed to work? Did you know that nearly 900,000 Canadians are assisted by food banks each month. 38% of those helped by food banks are children and youth. As many as 200,000 Canadians will experience homelessness each year, according to a recent report from the Canadian Homelessness Research Network. On any given night, about 30,000 Canadians are homeless. Did you know that waitlists for affordable housing range anywhere from 3-10 years?

Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakaatuhu,The general public at large has been outraged recently by the loss of life to migrants trying to flee for a better life in the West. Many governments are announcing increases in quotas for allowing greater numbers of refugees into their countries, following public pressure and media focus. The Canadian government has officially agreed to welcome 11,300 Syrians and has thus far accepted about 2,350. The Liberal Party of Canada and the New Democratic Party have announced that they will increase these numbers dramatically and allow for a much larger number of refugees and asylum seeker to enter within a few years.

The NZF alhumdulilah has helped my family and I in so many ways. I feel there are no words that could ever show my gratitude. A couple of years after I converted to islam I then married. Shortly after I married I fell pregnant. He became very abusive. Due to the abuse I had no choice but to leave for my safety and for the safety of my children and unborn baby.

A refugee family, where the mother is the only provider and caregiver for her two sons with medical conditions. As Durra awaits her husband's approval to the country, she’s struggling and on the verge of a breakdown. Her only source of income is what government programs assist her with. Her immediate struggle is having to stay at home and take of her sons and not work. They are all alone with no support system.

Alif has no refugee status and his foot condition requires medical care, both of which prevent him from working. As of September 12, 2014, they were evicted from their home because they couldn't keep up with their rent. Alif’s health got worse in a short amount of time, and doctors were recommending amputation, but he opted out for a natural treatment instead. Jobless, homeless, and with poor health conditions, what originally was a way out of their own country to safety and security became a huge burden of one worry after the other.