Cultural Differences Between Canada And Iceland

Approximately 250 000 people from various areas around the world enter Canada each year, as opposed to the 2000 that go to Iceland. People migrate seeking a better life and for more opportunities. Not all places can provide what people want or even need. Comparison will be made between Canada and Iceland, including the number of immigrants received every year. Canada has a drastically larger number of immigrants than Iceland. Many reasons contribute to this increased amount of immigrants, including Canada providing universal health care, access to education, and having decent weather. On the other hand, Iceland has very few hospitals for the average citizen, a lack of diversity, and unbearably cold winters. In addition, migration, whether

it be from country to country or from city to city, has always existed and is even essential to some countries. Many factors are at work deciding whether or not a person can or will migrate. Push and pull factors may solely make the decision for people to move, but they must overcome barriers before migration is possible.

Barriers to Migration
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines barrier as “-something material that blocks or is intended to block passage.” A barrier is meant to be an obstacle or a block, that stops or slows movement. Barriers are things that will discourage migration, and change the hopes of migrants. Barriers are not only physical, but can also be mental in many cases. For instance, one’s unwillingness to leave one’s family is a common barrier. Physical barriers can include mountain ranges to pieces of paper. Barriers stop a person, and many times it is not even possible to overcome them.
November 8th, 2016. The date Donald J. Trump was elected president of the United States. As part of his campaign promises, Trump has put down a plan to ban immigration from “terror-prone regions” such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. Trump is throwing down a massive political barrier for those unfortunately living in those areas. Political barriers, or commonly referred to as legal barriers are barriers stopping migration because of laws and lack of documentation, such as a visa. A visa is a document provided by one’s current country that grants permission to enter another. To even apply for one, it could cost around $200 USD. Many people in the less developed countries, such as Pakistan, would not be able to afford the visa to enter legally, forcing them to have to illegally enter the desired country. Thus, they are branded as “aliens” by the government but regulars refer to these people as illegal immigrants. Becoming an illegal immigrant is going to cause many more problems in the new country, such as increased financial burdens, shelters, food and education. Illegal immigrants are probably entering the country with very little to no money. With no money, one will not be able to afford food nor will one be able to purchase proper shelter. Entering a country illegally will mean the immigrant has no documentation, granting them no access to healthcare or any source of government benefits. In the end, everything just revolves around money.
Transportation, food, shelter and documents. The common trait between them is money; these items are all bought with money. A financial barrier is when one does not have enough money or resources to get to the location, whether it be transportation or supply costs. According to TripAdvisor, the average airplane ticket from Asia to Canada is around $600 CAD. An average Afghan citizen makes around $300 CAD a month. Subtracting living expenses for essentials, such as food, clothing and shelter, would leave them with a very minimal amount of money. It would take months of hard labor before an airplane ticket could be purchased. Imagine trying to migrate with one’s entire family with $300 CAD a month. Even with money for a ticket, a visa will still be needed. After getting the ticket and a visa, the mental barrier is next, knowing one cannot bring everyone one knows or cares about. Not everyone wants to leave everything and everyone he or she has known.
Loneliness is a common thing, many new immigrants experience. Going into unfamiliar lands, often not even knowing the language is very stressful on the mind. With no one to guide you, no one to talk to, and no one to share your thoughts with it will most definitely cause loneliness. This loneliness will discourage the immigrant from even putting all their effort in striving in this new life. This is all part of what an emotional barrier is. Before even leaving their country, a person will most definitely think about their family. If they know they can’t bring the people they care about most, it will reduce your willingness to move. Not only is loneliness the only part of the emotional barrier, frustration is also included. The whole migration/immigration process is hard. Having to wait on the government for permission, not knowing what lays ahead. People become extremely attached to those closest to them and even their homes. Having to leave all that would make anyone emotional. Besides the mental challenges people face during migration, they also have to face the physical barriers.
The physical barrier, may yet be the hardest barrier to overcome. A physical barrier is the one tangible barrier. The barrier you can see and feel, that’s what makes it the hardest to overcome. Physical barriers could range from the mountains to the sea. Not only is a physical barrier natural made, it could even be a large wall. Physical barriers also include disabilities and sickness. The farther you plan to move away from home, the more physical barriers you will encounter and the harder it is to pass. The cost of travel will increase as you have to overcome more barriers. Mountain ranges give rough terrain that decreases mobility of vehicles and animals. Desert’s with the lack of water causing extra supplies to be needed, slowing travel time. Rough seas that create trouble for even the most skilled sailors. Illegally immigrating, these physical barriers are a nightmare. It would be hard especially for those disabled, such as the blind, the crippled, or the sick. But if you do so legally, the travel would be easy. Access to aircrafts and supplies. Though getting the documents and permission to do it legally is a barrier itself. As an example; the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf of Mexico is the large body of water south of Florida, USA and north of Cuba. Hundreds try to cross into the US illegally by the sea, but end up dying amidst the rough seas and dangerous aquatic animals. Legally it would of been a safe trip, but many different barriers would of been needed to overcome. Now what could of made these people risk their lives to leave their homes? They all wanted to pursue a better life.

Taking into Consideration the Factors
Let’s take it down to a smaller scope. These barriers so far have been for migration internationally. What about cities? What factors are taken into consideration for choosing a city to live in? According to MoneySense magazines, unemployment rate, price of living, price of homes, household income, crime rate, and health/officers per ‘000, and attractions are the major reasons to deciding the suitability of a city. These factors are what most citizens look at before deciding to move.
Money. Our current day society runs on money, with no money you will get nowhere in life. That’s why unemployment rate is a big factor to look at when choosing a city. The one way to make money is by working. If a city has high unemployment rates, it will mean there are few job opportunities in the city. Few job opportunities would mean no money. A directly related factor to look at is the average household income. If the families made more money it would mean a better lifestyle. Money earning is one of the most important, if not the most important factors for moving because of our dependency on money. Take a look at Detroit. Detroit is one of the major cities of USA, but Detroit also has a very high unemployment rate at 10.2%. Compare Detroit to San Francisco, another major city of USA. But, San Francisco has one of the lowest unemployment rates at 3.3%. According to SFist, San Francisco has been receiving a boom in population growth. While Detroit has lost over half it’s population in the last few years. This is no coincidence. Money earning is a major factor in people’s choice of city. Besides money earning, there is the next important factor. Money usage.
Everyone needs shelter. Whether it’s an apartment, condo, or house. Everyone needs it. But housing is not free. In fact, the price of homes has been increasing every year across many major cities. In deciding a city, the most major concern is where you will live and the cost of it. The average price of homes and average property tax are major factors in how your lifestyle will be. The population tends to lean towards cheaper and more affordable homes as opposed to the skyrocketed prices of some areas. If less money is being paid towards the house and it’s taxes, more can be paid for daily needs/wants and provide a better and more enjoyable lifestyle. Especially families with lower income, the high property taxes in some cities might be too much for them to be able to pay. But shelter is indeed essential. Proper housing gives you warmth in the winter, a room to cover you from rain, and basic protection from criminals. Crime is a thing many people fear.
“Safety is the number one priority.” A saying used as an internet joke on many occasions, but it also has truth to it. Most modern day parents teach their kids about safety the moment they are able to comprehend them. Parents will say things like: “look both ways before crossing the street!” or “don’t follow strangers you’ve never seen before!” There will always be crimes in all the cities, but following tips like these can minimize the chance of something bad happening. Another way of minimizing the chances of something bad happening is by looking at a city's crime severity index, and crime rates. Choosing cities with lower crime is important, especially for families with children. Though smaller a chance, there still may be crime. Fortunately, we have many hospitals and other clinics in the case serious physical harm is done. That’s why amount of healthcare offices is also a factor taken into consideration when choosing a city. More health offices in a city, the higher chance of one being near you during your times of need. Many factors decide how good a city is.

The Push and Pull Factors
Whether it’s city to city(internal) migration or country to country(international) migration, there are always two types of factors that give reasoning for moving. These factors are push and pull factors. Push factors are the reasonings behind why you are leaving your current country or city. Pull factors are the reasons for why a migrant chooses to migrate to where they are. Four key categories of push and pull factors are: social, economical, environmental, and political. Though these may not be the complete reasoning behind migration, the four key categories covers an abundance of the common reasons.
New Zealand was the first country to grant equal voting rights to men, women, and people of all races in 1912.

Not long after, many countries followed these steps. To this day, nearly every single country allows equal voting rights. Though on paper it is true, many people in other countries still discriminate and move against equality. Some countries even restrict true freedom of speech and right to practice different religions. These are considered social factors, though may touch a bit on political factors too. The previous were some major reasons for migrating across countries, but from a smaller point of view, a social factor could be experiences with bullying. A child being bullied to serious and uncontrollable extent would cause the family to migrate to a different city in hope of a fresh start. Take as an example; the Amanda Todd incident. A teenage girl was bullied to the point where she had to move to several different cities. But while all these are push factors and reasons to move, there are also social pull factors. Social pull factors include: diversity in a certain community, safe neighbourhood, freedom to practice religion, and being closer to loved ones. Rights and freedom, a common trait in many people’s reasons for

moving.