"I'm moving for my future": From Nepal to Canada

Aayush Pokharel will soon be graduating from his diploma programme in Canada, and so his search for a full-time job has already started. He’ll have three years to work in the country before leaving or applying for permanent residency. For now he says he wants to come back to Nepal.

Aayush was one of more than 20,000 young Nepalis officially studying in Canada in 2023, according to one report. That’s almost triple the 7,680 students in 2022, making Canada one of the most popular destinations for Nepali students. That is changing fast though: word had already got out about Canada’s increasingly expensive housing and scarcity of jobs for students. Then late last year the government announced that it was more than doubling the financial requirement for international students. It has also cut the number of work permits that will be available to graduating students. And this week it announced it is limiting the number of hours that international students can work per week, off campus.

Aayush says he won’t be affected by any of the announced changes. He tells me that he went to Canada, really, to kickstart his career, and thinks he is still on track to do that. Studies are the easy part, he says, making ends meet otherwise is tough. It means, for example, trying to resist the temptations that would leave him financially bound to Canada, like having to make regular payments on a car loan, or a mortgage. After all, Aayush did promise his father that he’d return to Nepal after five years.

A couple of notes before we start. First, if you’re a student thinking of going to Canada please confirm any information that you hear in this conversation – it is opinion only, not verified fact. Second, you might have noticed that most of the interviews in this new season of the show were done in person, which is reflected in the great sound quality. This one was not — we recorded online – so it doesn’t quite match that level, but I don’t think you’ll have any problems hearing us. Let me know if you do.

Please listen now to my conversation with Aayush Pokharel. 

Resources

Rising Nepal article on Nepali students in Canada

Government of Canada press release describing some recent changes

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Music by audionautix.com.

Thank you to Himal Media in Patan Dhoka for the use of their studio.

Transcript

Aayush Pokharel, welcome to Nepal now: 0:10

On the move. Hi Marty, good morning from Canada and thank you for having me in your podcast. I'm very happy that you're here. I know you're in London, not London, England, the London; you're in London, Ontario, Canada, a city that I lived in briefly in the 2000s and I'm sitting in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal obviously. So I'm happy that we're doing this, we're temporarily in each other's countries which is great. So I don't know much about you, I know that you're in London, you haven't been there long about a year and a half and you're studying. So we're going to get into all of that but first before we talk about the current in the future, tell me a little bit about your past where you were born, where you went to school, that kind of thing. I was born in a small, then, then, like at that time it was a small city, now it's a bigger municipality. So I was born in Biratnagar, Nepal and then I studied in VKVM which is like Balkali and Bidia Mandir, it's in Biratnagar. So like after grade four, I shifted to Kathmandu and I went to Daffodil Public School and then I did my cell C from there and I went to Uniglo, Higher Secondary School from high school and after that I went to Bangalore, India for my mechanical engineering degree and then COVID hit and I went back, I did my last semester from Nepal, like the online thing, everything and then it's been like one and a half year, I'm here in London until you can. Okay, okay, that's great. So it fills in a few gaps. So did your family move to Kathmandu or just you to study? Another whole family moved. Like I have one brother, father, mother and a grand mom. So like we all we moved to Kathmandu. I think it's in 2013, I guess. Okay, okay, and just in case people don't know, Biratnagar is in south eastern Nepal, one of the biggest cities in the country after Kathmandu and SLC also if you don't know is school leaving certificate which is grade 10 pass and it's now called SEE, right? Yeah. Okay, great. So and then Bangalore. So what, why did you go to Bangalore? Because like I wanted to be a mechanical engineer from grade 8 and then I searched for the colleges and there are very few colleges in Nepal who provides the mechanical engineering degree and I thought that it's easier to go like to Bangalore or India and do the mechanical engineering because you know we need to give exams and then if you don't like be selected in the program and I had to make a one-year gap. So that's why I thought like it's easier out there so that I went in India. Okay, I didn't realize that mechanical engineering was quite hard to study here. Like there's a lack of programs. I didn't know that because only a few colleges the university is provided. So why mechanical engineering? What is it that you said from grade 8? What is it that got you excited about mechanical? Like I was in my mama, we say mama, so like it's in Jhapa, Chandragadi. Okay, your uncle's house. Yeah. And then I was casually changing like the channels on the TV. So like I found a channel called Discovery, Discovery Torbo, which is more about cars and then repair and then modification and everything like that. And I thought like this is for me, like I wanted to do that. I wanted to do that. So I went and studied mechanical engineering later on. Okay, okay. And do you still kind of dream about those same sort of things? Like is that where you're even even the course that I'm taking now it's called auto body repair techniques and it's more about repairing the vehicle and all. So like I'm into designing and the repair thing and like yeah. Interesting. Okay, okay. So then you finished a degree, like the degree you were doing in Bangalore, you finished it in Kathmandu online because of COVID. So that's like a first degree, like a bachelor's degree. And then what took you to all the way to Canada? It's a long way to go. Yeah. So like Canada, I didn't come here for studies. I came here for my future. So like if you see the job opportunity in Nepal, like we have very few industries and the companies that are there is more like the service and the sale of the product. We don't have the company that are into manufacturing and all. And the growth is limited. Like you can be a manager, the CEO and the head and charge everything, but like you cannot grow into like you can jump into companies and companies and companies. So like for that reason, I thought like it's not worth it for my career and for for my future to live in Nepal for this time. Like for certain time, it's not worth it so that I can build myself and then I can excel in my life. So that's why I left. I see, I see. So you got you got to Canada, were you looking to start to find a job right away? Was that the plan? The first thing that I did was like it is very hard to find a job in Canada like the smaller job and the big job even in the restaurant and in the Walmart and like that those kinds of job, it's very tough to get because there are too much, the students are like too much here. So like the first thing I did, I applied online. We have like sides like indeed and then Walmarts and no fields. So like I went into their sites and I applied for the job and I don't know why because I think that my CV was not that interesting enough for them. So like they were not calling me for interviews and all. So then later then after a month of applying into the online sites, I went to give my CV in person like restaurant to restaurant or the shop to shop and then finally I got my job in a fast food restaurant after a month that I came here. And those times are that way tough. Those times were tough. Okay and then so it took a month which I guess was not what you were expecting but sounds okay like to find a job is not too too long and then are you still working at that job or you've moved on from that? No I switched into another restaurant now because like they were not paying a good amount for me and then I switched because my friends were working in the restaurant that I'm not working now and they put a reference and they like put me in. So now it's good because I'm working with my friends and the most important thing in Canada I think it's referral. So you can refer the person that you want to like make work and for that to happen we need a strong networking. So like that is also a next thing that we need here. Right okay okay so you've been there since September 2022. 2022 and so how are you feeling about your original plan? Do you feel like you're moving in the right direction or do you feel like you got completely sidetracked? No I think like times have been tough but like back in the mind I have the dream I have the things to achieve and I think I'm in a right track right now because like I know what to do watch my next step. So like I think I have not moved out of the track but like I am running behind the tracks. And while you're working are you also taking classes or? Oh yes I work and take classes like it's hectic though like I have classes on every day and I have labs which I can't leave and the RCC have made a new rule that you need to be present in your class and they will ask the teacher for that internship so like you need to be on the class and then I work this week I work for five days so like five days work five days college and that's how it is. That's a lot so you're working later you're working like evenings nights that kind of thing or yeah so like Wednesday I have college starting from 10 and I have work starting from five so like I go out of the house at eight catch a bus go to the school and rest for some time sometimes and then go to work and be back here around 11ish. Oh that's a long day. Yeah. So most of these friends you're talking about are they students working as well in the similar situation? Ah yes like they were my friends from back in Nepal so like we have a whole house and only the friends live like we have five friends and we we we took the whole house and then we lived in the same house and we work in the same like restaurant and we go to the same school. Yeah wow well that's nice so you're with your with friends like all the time. I feel like I've never far away from my family because of my friends so like that's also another thing that is needed in the foreign country. Yeah and are you cooking nappali food all the time or all the time like week day and night. And you're all guys? Yeah and you know how to cook. Yeah this country trained me in a way to cook food because back in Nepal I used to cook once a month not even once a month and now it's like morning evening every time. Now you have no choice right? No choice. Yeah there's no one else to cook for you. Yeah. So your friends are did they get there before you or after you are you know where are they in terms of their progression? So like two of my friends they were here six months before me and three of us we came together and like even they finished school six eight months back I think so like they're in their work permit but they're looking for a job right now. Right okay so when you applying get accepted into a school and you finish your studies automatically you can work for a certain period of time is it still that way? Yes like if you take one year post graduate diploma you get one year of work permit and if you take two courses of the same thing like post graduate diploma you get three years of the work permit. So you're doing one of those? I'm about diploma course. I get three years of work permit. No 22 April 2023 I took one course and from September 2023 to like now I'm doing another course. I see I see and then the hope is that after your work permit you can get permanent residency is that it? Yes that's the goal. Okay now I know that the Canadian government just now is really really tightening the the accessibility for international students they cut it way way down for the coming year I think but this won't affect you right? Ah no no like the students that are here in Canada the rules won't affect to them like those who are coming in September this year the rules are applied to those students. Hey so some students who already got accepted won't be able to come do you think? Ah like if we talk about the private schools and if they are enrolled they are admitted in the private schools, private colleges and they are coming in September they won't be able to get the post graduate like PZWP the work permit that will be getting after the course because they made a new rule that private colleges won't be allowed to give the work permit. Okay but the public the public institutions hasn't changed. No for the work permit. I see I see and I think Ontario is cutting off like 50 50 percent of the students this year. Yeah because a huge number yeah you're talking about the students like when I got admitted here I was enrolled in a course called Practical Animations of Mechanical Engineering and we had three sections and I met a friend last night and then those six and Zare increased to seven just you can imagine how much students are coming in. I think like I haven't lived in Canada well I lived there until 2016 and came here when I know just the change in universities when I go back sometimes I take a part-time course or something it's changed so much you see so many international students but you're not worried about any of this. Oh no even the students those have applied before January 15th they are good after January 15th they need to have the attestation later. Okay so you're you're in Canada you're working you're studying you're going to have your probably your work permit that's the plan so you have three years of working time and during that time you want to find a job in your area as a mechanical engineer that's the plan right? Yes and then okay let's say you do that where do you see yourself in five years or ten years? Like the plan here is to like stay for a while again the experience and I want to start something in my country like I have promised my brother when I left like he motivated me to come out of the Nepal like he told me that there is nothing here and even I researched it and I found nothing in Nepal so like we had a plan that you go study I'll be here in Nepal I'll look after the things here I'll look after the the issues and the what do you call that the problem and we will find a solution and we'll start something here so like even I'm into designing so I I want to be a mechanical design engineer in future and after that my plan is to shift back to Nepal like after the PR that's the plan okay is this older brother? Yes is my older brother is three years? How many brothers how many brothers and sisters do you have? Just one I have one brother he is three year older than me and we studied in the same college like university back in Bangalore like he's a garden for me like that go to version you know right right right it gives you all your advice and yeah okay okay and do you know people who have done what you what your plan is like do you know people who have followed that same track go abroad study and wanting to go back and they go back and then they they set up a successful business has that happened to anyone you know? the person I know no because I have not seen anybody because like you know when you move out of the country you get compressed like you are in a room and you it's locked because like if I buy a phone I need to pay it on the the interest that I need to pay and then if I buy a car the install me I need to pay and the mortgage is an all and everything like they bind you to go out so my plan is like to get out of those things to get out of the room and move back to Nebel like now I think like that but I don't know it's just in my head but in near future I think I will make it possible so you don't want to tie yourself down with any big financial commitments right now but okay that's great personally I'm happy to hear that you want to come back to Nepal because of course you know better than I know that so many people are leaving the country right I heard this incredible figure the other day I mean these are these are people going out to work right so the so-called labor migrants in a month 71,000 people got a letter permitting them to go right and then another figure I saw in a year last fiscal year 45,000 students got a letter to leave the country and I'm sure it's going to be as many or more this year yeah so that's a lot of people living in the country in a way the government is lacking and we are lacking in Nepal because like we don't have anything to work like the roommate that I live with he's a gold medalist and he left Nepal the government could have easily told him to stay like give him a position and what not and they let us go that's the problem and we don't have anything to like stay because there is nothing to research and there is no industries so you're your friend gold medalist you said you mean like an academic gold medalist he's not an athlete okay okay so obviously you must think that he has like a bright super bright future ahead of all right lots of potential he is like three years he's my brother's friend actually like he when I was enrolled in the university like Bangalore he was my super senior so like even he motivates me to find a job and like look for a job even I have two months into my studies like after two months I'm getting what do you call the graduated and from this day like from a month back I'm searching for a job because you don't find a job easily even in your field so like it's very tough so and even there are so many certification course you need to do and then because here everything is certification right it's tough so how do your parents and the bigger family feel about you leaving I was working in a like people in Nepal know Cypriot it's sales and service for Tata Motors and I used to work as an intern as a service engineer and they would have eventually converted me into into a service engineer and all I was in my training itself and my father says every day it's like every time I call him he says this things could have been better here and he he's like even if you stayed here it could have been better but like it's better for him right and I'm not being selfish but you have to be selfish sometimes for your career and I told him that I'll go there I'll earn some experience I'll earn some knowledge and skills and then I'll come back and I have asked him give me five years time and then I'll come back to you okay you haven't been back here in Nepal since you left when will you come back like for a visit I wanted to come back in this July I think because my brother is getting married but the situation is I need to find a job I need to like be settled here those are the small sacrifices that I need to do to excel in my life so like I told him that I might or might not come but like I try my heart to be there but I don't think I'll be be going there yeah that's too bad that's a big big event you're going to miss yeah it's a big event yeah and if you don't mind me asking what about money like how difficult is this financially for you and your family is it like a really big kind of sacrifice for the family for you to be there or not so bad it's not so bad because like I had collected some money from the school fees and all and I couldn't do it myself on my own like on my own and they helped me with it and it's not like that difficult but it's somehow difficult because we are middle-class family so like it's not too much money and all and when you were planning to go to Canada and you were doing all of your paperwork and online work and were you able to do all of that yourself or did you pay one of these so-called consultants to do a lot of the applications and that kind of thing how did that work like I I went into a consultancy and like I paid some amount but I had the school in mine I had the course in mine and like I did everything they just filed my application I did the C-reports and all the processing things I don't know because I was not that confident enough to face the rejection so that's why I took that help I see okay okay yeah that's a huge business now also right with the number of students going overseas then the number of these consultancy is just you know ballooning like crazy but I think because of the cap their business are going down now because the student they are not so intrigued by the situation in Canada enough it's not that bad but like they don't want to come here and the minimum pay is minimum it's better to go to Australia than come to Canada so like many of people are shifting there hey that's interesting you should say because one of the reasons why I'm focusing on migration now with this podcast is I meet a lot of people you know at a shop or a party or in the taxi and then they find out I'm from Canada and I would say in the past year there have been more people than ever who have said to me oh my cousin is going to Canada or my uncle lives in Canada or there seem to be like more and more connections between the pollen Canada at first came in 2005 right so almost 20 years so I can see the evolution over time but you're saying that for students it's kind of losing the shine yeah because like it was easier to come to Canada because of the diploma course and if you come here for masters you need to have like 3.2 above GPA and which is not enough for everybody and because of the diploma course many people are coming in and that's the reason they had to put the student cap to cut off the student you can get a PR after three four years because it's not that tough that was the appealing thing and now it's there are too much student a less job so like you told that the market is ballooning here right okay and tell me something else you know we talked a little bit about you living with your friends and you know you're all from Nepal you know each other from before you studied together sounds like you get along quite well so I'm thinking for you to be in a new country a completely different culture it's a bit different because you are in a new country but you're still living with all of your friends and cooking nappali and do you feel like there's some sort of culture shock or just like an adjustment that you have to make or not really because of your situation even if there was not a situation like me there are so many immigrants yet like we love Indian food and Indian culture right and we even on the TVs we see the Indian movies and all so there are many Indians here and then many nappali is here Nepalese here and so like it's not that much and even I'm living with my friends like we don't miss Nepal right now and even the momos and the food that we really miss we cook it and we eat it together like the culture shock is not there for me right okay are there any nappali restaurants there or Indian we have few nappali restaurants and a lot of Indian restaurants and the authentic restaurants in the Nepal direction I have seen is two okay I use this has been very interesting is there something else you want to talk to me about like I want to say something for the student that are coming in I took my first course which was practical elements of mechanical engineering and on my second semester we had a capstone project in that project you need to form a group and then you need to do the project so like I had one friend with me and we we started doing the project and we failed in that subject because like I was responsible for the machining thing with the lathe and all so I was into machining and he was into documenting everything and he didn't properly documented the thing and the professor failed us because of those things and whenever you fail you need to take the course as a part-time student and you cannot work as a part-time student like you can learn two things from the from this from my experience find a good partner in your project and the second thing is like don't fail because it'll it'll eat your brain up I think so you're not going to work with our partner again I guess I totally want the face I'm not going to work please leave me alone makes sense yeah you don't want to fail again yeah so I did my project the next time alone I did it all and you passed yeah I got four out of four very good okay well that's good I'm happy to hear that you you succeeded the second time through and learned the lessons also and generally is it more difficult to do the coursework there or here it's easier it's far more easier like my bachelor's I had two exams in a day and this is like two pages for an exam so like it's too easy the the study thing is easy the surviving thing is hard I think all right I use it was great to meet you and I hope that maybe we can talk again thank you for letting me speak in your podcast and show the thing that I have experienced in my life. Yeah I'm happy to do it okay bye for now bye bye