Immigration in mind: “show reverence to the country you migrate”.

I have come from Canada to the United States and have a slightly different view on immigration and citizenship than many of the Americans have. Canada embraces the idea of multiculturalism whereas the US embraces the idea of the melting pot. But it seems that the melting pot school of thought is giving way to multiculturalism in the US as greater number of business accommodate to non-English speaking people.

The debate seems never ending as to whether the Immigrants to the US need at least a working knowledge of English before they attain citizenship. I personally feel that yes, they need that. Many who are unaware of some basic facts might ask why? The reason is that all of us know that English is the primary language that we speak in both US and Canada. Thus how can one expect an immigrant to get a job, communicate with others and conduct everyday business, if he or she does not have basic knowledge of English? English is also the language that is accepted universally by most of the international businesses.

Currently I live in Nanaimo, B.C., and previously I resided in New Westminster and Burnaby. Vancouver, an ethnically diverse city, has many immigrants, both new and old. Up until a few years ago, Canadians had the liberty of taking their driver’s test in foreign language that they wish to take the test in. However, it was found that the system was flawed as the interpreter would often help the person taking the test very much. And yes, suppose that a police officer pulls a non-English speaking person then in which language will they write the ticket in, Hindi or Russian or Mandarin or any other?

Except in Quebec, road signs are written in English throughout Canada. In Quebec, road signs are written in French, which is a law. So, anyone without the knowledge of English might suffer at every step.

But just because I believe that all the immigrants to the US and Canada must learn the primary language does not mean that I have less respect for the native culture of the immigrants. When dining at an ethnic restaurant or while shopping at one of the night markets in Vancouver, I always try to greet the waiter or the salesperson in the language they are comfortable in. It takes a little effort from my side but makes the person happy and displays respect the vendors rarely come across.

Similarly, I believe that immigrants should show respect towards the culture of the country they visit. This will also help them in achieving their goals and easily settling in their new home.