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What is Surrey LIP?
Research & Resources
Our Projects
News & Events
Living in Surrey
- Surrey Services Map
Contact

Surrey Advisory Committee

Amplifying the voice of immigrants and refugees.

The Immigrant Advisory Roundtable brings together the voice and input of Surrey immigrants and refugees to the Surrey LIP Council’s research and planning processes.

Wafa Al-jabiri

Country of origin: Iraq
Year of arrival to Canada: 2013
Languages(s) speaks: Arabic
Education: B.Sc.
Occupation: Community Development (volunteering in Canada)

Community Involvement:
I volunteered in the Library Champions Project. As a Library Champion, I arranged and presented a session for Arabic speaking women to educate them about library services.Also I worked with many community services agencies, and, in the past year, I volunteered about 100 hours or more.

Interest in the Advisory:
I became interested in the Advisory Roundtable because I believe that Surrey is a good place to live in, and I want to help to make it even better.

Immigrant challenges:
My biggest settlement challenge was coming to Canada with kids. In the first few months, an immigrant has to fill a lot of forms and visit many governmental offices. , If you have kids it is difficult to do all these things, particularly in a summer break.

Vision for Surrey:
To be provided
Joined Surrey IAR: 2014

Mohammad Ali

Country of origin: Jordan
Year of arrival to Canada: 2014
Languages(s) speaks: Arabic
Education: B.Sc., Mathematics & Computer Science
Occupation: Business Consultant (Jordan)

Community Involvement:
I was involved in the Surrey Library Champions Project. I am also a Volunteer Instructor for computer classes run by DiverseCity.

Interest in the Advisory:
It is a good opportunity to be of a great help to other immigrants, like myself, by providing insights into our needs and concerns to the City of Surrey teams who are planning the future of the city. In addition, this opportunity will help me grow my social network.

Immigrant challenges:
My biggest settlement challenge was finding my first job. It seems that organizations prefer candidates with “Canadian Experience” which most of the immigrants do not have.

Vision for Surrey:
My vision of the welcoming and inclusive Surrey is a future home that provides all inhabitants with the caring they deserve, and the new comers, in particular, with effective and efficient settlement services with special focus on employment and adaptation.
Joined Surrey IAR: 2014. Co-Chair – Jan 2015 – Nov 2018

Faisal Durrani

Country of origin: Pakistan
Year of arrival to Canada: 2008
Languages(s) speaks: Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi
Education: MBA, Finance
Occupation: Financial Advisor (Canada)

Community Involvement:
I was an active member of the Surrey Welcoming Spaces project. We visited private & public facilities in Surrey to evaluate how welcoming they are.

Interest in the Advisory:
I like talking to newcomers and I believe that my diverse back ground and experience is so recent that it would definitely add the value for the newcomers who are not that aware about Government and non-Government agencies which can help them settle down in Surrey.

Immigrant challenges:
One of the biggest challenges for immigrants in Canada is finding their first right job. In Canada if the immigrant does not have Canadian degree or certificate, it would be difficult to get a job.

Vision for Surrey:
My vision of the welcoming and inclusive Surrey is where newly-arrived immigrants feel welcomed and when they feel that they are effective right away.
Joined Surrey IAR: 2014

Drastant Mehta

Co-Chair

Drastant Mehta

Country of origin: India
Year of arrival to Canada: 2013
Languages(s) speaks: Gugarati, Hindi and four more languages
Education: B.Sc., Computer Engineering
Occupation: IT Systems Analyst; Market Intelligence Manager (Canada)

Community Involvement:
I volunteer with Covenant House and member of Vedic Hindu cultural society Surrey, and Gujarati Society of BC.

Interest in the Advisory:
I would be very pleased getting this opportunity of giving back to the community by sharing my experiences on improving integration process for new immigrants. Given my multicultural background and exposure to lifestyles in Kenya and India I think I would be able to help address some challenges faced by new immigrants.

Immigrant challenges:
Biggest challenge for immigrants is finding the right resources and support centers at right times. It took me quite a bit of time to find the services that would address my needs. Also I struggled to get information about cultural community gatherings and details to connect to locals at that level.

Vision for Surrey:
With our collective efforts we make integration to Surrey so effortless that people from any corner of the world would love to call Surrey their home.
Joined Surrey IAR: 2014. Co-Chair, since January 2015

Khaleda Banu

Country of origin: Bangladesh
Year of arrival to Canada: 1989
Languages(s) speaks: Hindi, Urdu
Education: MA in History (USA)
Occupation: Office Manager (Canada)

Community Involvement:
I have worked in various community organizations for several years ranging from cultural group, wellness society and climate advocacy group.

Interest in the Advisory:
Most of my volunteer experience has been outside of Surrey although I have lived in Surrey for over 20 years. I became interested in the Advisory Roundtable because it was a great opportunity to gain experience and social network through the City of Surrey.

Immigrant challenges:
One of the biggest challenges for immigrants in Canada is finding a job in one’s area of expertise or training. The problem usually arises due to the non-recognition of the educational qualification. Most ‘foreign’ degree holding immigrants end up doing jobs where their education or training never gets utilized.

Vision for Surrey:
My vision of the welcoming and inclusive Surrey is to create a place where people feel at home and not a second class citizen. Without a sense of belonging no one can participate and take ownership of the place or city one lives and works.
Joined Surrey IAR: 2014

Simar Pabla

Co-Chair

Simar Pabla

Country of origin: India
Year of arrival to Canada: 2006
Languages(s) speaks: English, Hindi, Punjabi
Education: Master’s Degree in Computer Science and Certified Career Development Practitioner
Occupation: Career Counsellor/Case Management Specialist

Community Involvement:
I am actively involved with many community services agencies, for over 10 years, in helping and supporting residents of our Surrey community. I am passionate about guiding and mentoring the immigrants and the refugees in their employment and settlement journey.

Interest in the Advisory:
Being an Immigrant myself, I can relate with the feelings and frustration one has to face when moving to a new place/new country. All immigrants come to a new city with great optimism and a strong desire to integrate. Being part of Surrey LIP IAR Council member, I want to guide and support immigrants in their settlement and integration process which will in turn provide them a sense of belonging and will make our Surrey a better place to live in. This platform will give me an opportunity to give back to my community by sharing my experiences.

Immigrant challenges:
The biggest challenge that an immigrant face is finding a job in their field of expertise due to either lack of Canadian experience or lack of credential recognition.

Vision for Surrey:
My vision for Surrey is to have the integration process so smooth that all immigrants and refugees find our Surrey to be most welcoming and inclusive place to live in.
Joined Surrey IAR: 2018. Co-Chair, since November 2018

Surrey LIP is managed by DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society.

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