The Langley LIP Immigrant Advisory

I am very interested in the settling process for new immigrants, as I am aware of the many challenges they can face. In the past, I was involved in the community with ISSofBC by being a mentor to new immigrants, showing them around the area or helping to find different resources in the city. I have also helped interpreting through other organizations.

In my job as a property manager, I have had the opportunity to house many immigrant families and I can see first hand, how they are willing to make a life and integrate in the new place, but how easily the situation can change and become frustrating as reality hits.

In my case, the challenges we faced were mostly in finding agencies that could help us or guide us as we came to set up a business in the area. Any assistance we needed we found in Vancouver, but it would have been important to find support in the area we chose to live.

My vision for Langley in respect to immigration, is that the community continues to welcome newcomers and offer even more opportunities to learn the language, while looking for work.

My passion is working, supporting and advocating for people with disabilities and their families. Since 2012 I have worked at Langley Secondary School as an SEA. I am a Resource Parent with FSI (Family Support Institute) as a volunteer.

When I moved to Langley in 2004, I felt so welcome by my neighbours and the community that I decided to call this city my home.

I did need to advocate for my son who was diagnosed with Autism in 2004. I am still advocating and learning about services for him now that he is becoming an adult.

A challenge that I see in my field is that it is often hard for new Canadians to access the services for their special needs family members.  It takes more time for them to be able to get support if they just arrive to Canada.

My vision for Langley is for our students who just arrive to Canada to be able to get the services and assessments they need on time without the need to wait longer than normal.  For our students who struggle with the language, they need access to extra support. And to make sure special-needs adults are able to access all the services that they deserve.

I am currently a speaker and panelist for Immigrant Services Society of BC and a speaker for WorkBC. In both organizations I attend career talks in various industries providing newcomers with the knowledge and guidance on how to kickstart their professional careers in Canada. I speak at events on career development, networking, job search, and human resources. Volunteering through these platforms has allowed me to connect with numerous individuals and support them in achieving their objectives. I believe volunteering has had a huge contribution in helping immigrants and refugees build new lives in Canada.

Apart from the above, Khush is also a Business Mentor at Simon Fraser University. As a Business Mentor for Beedie School of Business at SFU, it has been my goal to share information with SFU students about different career paths, as well as provide guidance, feedback, and motivational support. I help students explore careers, set  goals, develop contacts, and identify resources in their chosen industries.

Volunteering to be a part of the Immigrant Advisory Committee allows me to bring in my knowledge, skills and experience from my other community involvement. It is also aligned with my overall purpose and passion for personal and professional growth and overcoming the roadblocks that would be encountered by newcomers.

I am very interested in this Advisory as I have a true passion for helping newcomers achieve their goals. Being a part of a council that will identify immigrant needs and service gaps and help fill them is exactly what I am looking to do. I am very interested in working cohesively with other members and strategically putting together a plan of action; a plan of action that is created to provide immigrants a smooth transition and welcoming arrival.

Creating a council that supports welcoming and inclusive communities where newcomers are connected and have opportunities to participate economically, socially, politically, and culturally is exactly aligned with my mission and objective.

My vision for Langley would be to see continued growth in terms of immigrants who have decided to call Langley their home. My vision would be to develop a welcoming and inclusive community where both long-term residents and newcomers feel a sense of belonging and attachment. I would like to explore different ideas to help newcomers settle in their new community. Building awareness among organizations in the benefits the new immigrants have provided us economically.

I am Mark Castillo. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in the Philippines in 2005. I obtained my nursing experience in the Philippines (1year) and Dubai (5years). I wasn’t really happy with what I was doing as a nurse and so I decided to move from Dubai. I chose Canada because my only other option was Denmark and I thought that learning a new language would be difficult. As an immigrant, I found myself unemployed for a couple of weeks and it was really challenging not just to make ends meet but because I was also paying for a property in the Philippines.

I moved to Langley more than a year ago because this is where we have always wanted to live in.  I and my partner have been working here for several years now and we find Langley small and quaint compared to where we used to live before. It has the city vibe and the fresh breath of the country as well.

In the future, I would like to see Langley maintain its peace and quiet (compared to other cities in Greater Vancouver) but also progress in terms of transportation and infrastructure.

My name is Mary Wang and my country of origin is China. I speak Mandarin and I arrived in Langley in 2016. I chose Canada as my home as I thought it would be a better place to live with my husband and three children. My occupational background is as a legal aid for the community.

I love Langley because it was easy to move into, the people here were friendly and I encountered barely any problems.

My vision for Langley is that Chinese immigrants should have a safe place to go to if they need to move and have a welcoming and friendly community to find. They also should find useful resources that can help protect them and give them a sense of safety while having police that can help solve problems quickly and effectively.

I have been an educator for 18 years. We wanted to immigrate to Canada to be closer to family and friends, for improved overall quality of life, for the abundant beautiful natural resources and outdoor lifestyle. We hoped to live, study and work in diverse and inclusive communities.

As Langley is amongst the fastest-growing communities in BC, I hope we can continuously welcome, support, include and learn from immigrants from all over the world. Having new amenities, recreation centers, affordable housing, better access to healthcare and education and the new Surrey to Langley Sky Train extension could make Langley a great location for young families and working professionals who desire the work/life balance.

I majored in pharmaceutical studies. In China, I worked in the field of work-related injury insurance, similar to WorkSafeBC. Right now I’m a pharmacy assistant. For most new immigrants, it is our dream to return to our professional work field. But we also know that the language barrier, degree credential, different work culture and other things always hold our steps. If we can evaluate ourselves properly from the basic- level work, when we decide to return to our field we should overcome all the challenges with all efforts.