For many immigrants, mental health is neglected while they navigate their new life – CBC

In CBC Windsor’s Halfway to Home series, immigrants share their grief and mental health journey

Apr 28, 2023

When he moved to Windsor from the U.K. with his family in December 2019, Salman Gul was looking forward to starting fresh with a new job and new home.

The father of five was waiting for his work permit when COVID-19 hit three months later. Pandemic lockdowns forced him to wait 15 more months.

“You can imagine I was worried about the bills and my future in Canada,” said Gul, a truck driver who owned his own transportation logistics company back in England.

“It started to trigger elements of mental health issues,” he said. “Things like mild depression and anxiety that would hit the peak as a result of a panic attack.”

In episode five of CBC Windsor’s Halfway to Home, we spoke with Gul and Riham Al-Saadi, a social worker and University of Windsor instructor who was a teen in 2001 when she and her family immigrated from Saudi Arabia.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/halfway-to-home-immigration-stories-1.6825061