From Karachi to Calgary: One Pakistani Family's Canadian Immigration Journey

This story was shared by a family who wished to remain anonymous and has been shared with their permission.

The Decision That Changed Everything

In late 2021, Ahmed (then 38) and Sana (35) sat at their kitchen table in Karachi, weighing a decision that had consumed their conversations for nearly two years: should they leave everything they knew and apply to immigrate to Canada?

Ahmed was a software engineer with 12 years of experience. Sana was a qualified physiotherapist. Their two children, Zaid (10) and Maryam (7), were thriving in school. Life in Karachi was comfortable. But the question they kept returning to was: "Is comfortable enough?"

The answer, ultimately, was no.

Researching the Process: Six Months of Late Nights

"I read everything I could find about Express Entry," Ahmed told us. "YouTube videos, immigration forums, Facebook groups, the official IRCC website. I became completely obsessed with understanding the system."

Canada's Express Entry uses a points system called the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) to rank candidates. The higher your score, the better your chances of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence.

Ahmed calculated their joint profile score at around 471 points. Their IELTS results came back strong: Ahmed scored 8.0 overall, Sana achieved 7.5.

The Paperwork Mountain

Creating an Express Entry profile online was straightforward. What followed was not.

The document checklist for Permanent Residency was formidable: police clearance certificates from every country they had lived in, Educational Credential Assessments (ECA) through WES, employment reference letters in very specific formats, medical examinations, and certified English translations of all documents.

"The WES evaluation alone took three months," Ahmed said. "One document was returned because it was not on official institutional letterhead. Small things cause very big delays."

Their Invitation to Apply arrived in March 2022. They had 60 days to submit a complete application while both working full-time and managing two school-age children.

"We had a colour-coded spreadsheet for every document and every deadline," Sana recalled. "Ahmed checked it every single morning before work."

The Wait

They submitted their full PR application in April 2022. IRCC's published target processing time was 6 months. For this family, it took 11 months.

"Those months were emotionally exhausting," Ahmed admits. "You tell yourself to stop checking the tracker every day. But you cannot stop."

PR Approved

In March 2023, Ahmed's phone buzzed during a meeting. The email subject line read: "Your Permanent Residence Application — Decision Made."

"My hands were shaking," he says. "I could not open the email for five full minutes. I was terrified it was a rejection." It was not. "I called Sana immediately. She started crying. The children started jumping around the room."

Arrival: October 2023

They chose Calgary, Alberta — lower cost of living than Toronto, a strong tech job market, and a sizeable South Asian community.

Ahmed found a software development role within six weeks through LinkedIn. Sana began the process of having her physiotherapy credentials recognized in Alberta — a process that took an additional 8 months.

"The cold was a genuine shock," Sana laughs. "We arrived in October. That first winter hit minus 30 degrees Celsius. Nothing in Karachi prepares you for that."

Two and a Half Years On: The Honest Reflection

"Canada is everything we hoped and harder than we expected," Ahmed says thoughtfully. "The opportunities are real. The healthcare and schools are everything we imagined. But the loneliness in those first months — the distance from parents and your whole social world — that is also very real."

Zaid, now 13, confidently calls himself Canadian. Sana's physiotherapy license has been approved and she works at a private clinic. Ahmed received a promotion and leads a team of seven developers.

"If someone asks me should we immigrate to Canada, I tell them: come prepared, come with patience. But if you ask me whether we regret the decision — not for a single day."

Key Lessons From Their Journey

• Start IELTS preparation early. Language scores are the single biggest factor in your CRS score.
• Begin your WES evaluation immediately. It takes months and delays everything downstream.
• Join Canada immigration communities online. Real-world knowledge is invaluable beyond the IRCC website.
• Research your province thoroughly before arrival — healthcare waiting periods, credential recognition, and job markets vary significantly.
• Have at least 6 months of living expenses ready before you board the plane.
• Invest in community from day one. The isolation of early immigrant life is real — seek your community actively.

Final Word

Immigration is not a quick fix — it is a transformation. Ahmed and Sana's story is one of thousands: families making enormous sacrifices in pursuit of stability and a better future for their children. Their journey was hard. It was worth it.