Lived Experiences of Skilled Indian Women Immigrants (SIWI) Navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic: Immigration Trajectories to Canada

The present study aims to explore the challenges faced by Skilled Indian Women Immigrants (SIWI) when navigating COVID-19 pandemic and their use of agency to handle it. We argue for linking the pre-and post-migration lived experiences of aspiring and actual female immigrants to better understand how they used their everyday agency to handle restrictions in daily life intersected with uncertainty in immigration processes. The sample consisted of first-generation Indian women(29) immigrants to Canada who moved before or after the border closure and aspiring immigrants(10). Narratives about their lived experiences were collected using in depth interviews guided by two separate sets of structured guidelines. The findings suggest that SIWIs went through fear of losing their job, unemployment, networking difficulties, delays in receiving Permanent Residency and other visas, access to resources, and difficulty in compliance with Covid19 protocols. Mental health challenges included feelings of loneliness and anxiety about the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). Their everyday agency included upgrading skills, seeking therapeutic support, using digital platforms to connect with others, and seeking government support, and support from VISA consultancies, connections through social media platforms catering to Canadian immigrants. We recommend that the universities and colleges need to take more responsibility to support international students by offering robust programs, including cultural learning and job search training, to aid the success of international graduates after their studies. We suggest the policy makers provide equal access to the settlement services for all immigrant groups, including international graduates and that these immigrants should also receive ample information about how to access the settlement services.