-
JN Joniad is Born
JN Joniad was born in 1994 in the Rakhine state of Myanmar. He had a happy childhood with his big family and loved going to school. However, he always knew that he was different from the others, because other students bullied him and called him "kalar," which meant "illegal immigrant" in Rakhine. He faced daily discrimination and persecution by other people at a young age, and everyone had to live in fear of death, which was a push factor. -
Security Forces Raid Rohingya Homes
In 2012, when anti-Rohingya violence erupted in the Rakhine state, security forces regularly raided Rohingya homes and dragged away anyone they found inside. They specifically targeted the young and educated, whom they viewed as a threat to their authority. The Myanmar government continually denied that JN's people were ethnic Rohingya; they instead believed that they were from Bengali, implying that they were illegal immigrants, and therefore stateless. This was a push factor. -
JN Joniad Leaves Myanmar
In 2012, JN was studying physics at Sittwe University when he decided to leave Myanmar. He traveled to Bangladesh by a small paddleboat on a terrifying journey. To avoid being another refugee at a camp, he moved to India and then China. At each place, he was at risk of being arrested and imprisoned. -
JN Joniad Attempts to Move to India
JN thought he could rebuild his life in Australia, which had signed the UN 1591 convention for refugees and asylum seekers, so he risked his life when he was shot at when he crossed the border into Thailand in 2013. He then fled to Malaysia and then Indonesia. However, he did not make it to Australia, as he got arrested while trying to get on a boat and was sent back to Indonesia.
He was locked up in a hotel room for three months and was then transferred to a detention center in south Sulawesi. -
JN Joniad Spends His Life in a Limbo
One and a half years later, JN was transferred again to a community shelter in Makassar, Indonesia.
He spent years living in a limbo, hoping that he could find a home where he could live freely. JN loved writing and wanted to aspire to journalism, but he was threatened by immigration officers with deportation or detention for life if he did not stop writing. -
JN Joniad Becomes a Part of Canada
JN Joniad thought of Canada as a country that gave him not only a home, but also a legal existence. This was a pull factor.
In early 2020, many years later, JN's application to come to Canada as a refugee was approved.
In September 2021, after two weeks of quarantine because of the pandemic, he was finally able to take a long morning walk along Toronto’s lakeshore, breathing in the air of freedom.
Canada brought JN a sense of freedom and validated belonging, which was a pull factor. -
JN Joniad Opens His First Bank Account
Later that day, JN's sponsors took him to a bank where he opened his very first account, which he hadn’t been allowed to do in Myanmar. Five people sponsored JN's application for asylum, and they now feel like family to him. This was an example of inclusion in Canada. -
JN Joniad Becomes A Canadian Permanent Resident
JN's health card and photo ID was sent to him, and each documentation felt like a validation that he belonged in Canada. This was an example of inclusion in Canada.
In April, he finally received his permanent resident card; Canada gave him a home and a legal existence, allowing him to study, work, access health care, and eventually be able to vote when he becomes a Canadian citizen. This was another example of inclusion in Canada, as well as a pull factor.