Javier Alvarez

During 2023, Canada received over 144,000 asylum applications, mainly from Mexico, Haiti, Turkey, Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. Those arriving through commercial flights usually can use a tourist visa, which paints a more favorable scenario than the United States.                        

Quickly, IRCC transferred thousands of asylum seekers arriving in Quebec, Montreal, or Toronto. The city of Niagara consigns the empty hotel rooms during the off-season and provides financial resources to assist the newcomers during their settlement. Still, the lack of professional opportunities, cultural diversity, adaptations to climate, and the impossibility of having access to fast, cash-paid jobs makes many migrants abandon Canadian welfare and try to cross to the United States through the Niagara River or the vast southeastern forested border.                        

Aghogho Oboh, a multimedia journalist who covered conflict and international affairs, left Nigeria due to political persecution, arriving in Canada in November of 2022 and later being transferred to the Falls. Instead of crossing to the United States, Ahogho chose to stay to rebuild his life and bring his family back together. This year, he decided to start reporting again, producing a podcast series on Niagara’s changing demographic landscape, resilience, and how different civic organizations are supporting the groups of newcomers.