As most of us know, many countries have immigration programs especially in North America; through these programs they are attracting hundreds of thousands of immigrants yearly, those immigrants most likely don’t speak (Write and read) the language of their destinations in a proper level to adjust with the new country.

I will tell you my story about immigration from Middle East to North America where English is the formal language there (My English was good when I came). Next step after landing was finding a house for me and my family, and some kind of registration in the immigration department. Few days after that I have started the process of finding a job (I had bachelor degree in civil engineering back home).

Unfortunately it was hard to work as civil engineer because I don’t have experience in North America, besides I need some tests to register my self as professional civil engineer which I don’t have time to do it since I need instant income to afford my family. I have forgotten to mention that I built another career back home which is web development and marketing.

I started the job search journey avoiding to apply to any job that I feel it may need superior language skills (More income always) and same time avoiding to apply to labor jobs (Minimum wags) it was some how like walking in a field of mines. Finally I found my first job as a programmer in a small company, I was happy that programming uses even different language from English or my mother language, but after about 2 month the boss change my position to the internet marketing department I didn’t say anything but I don’t know why I am back to something that I have tried to avoid, since internet marketing needs not just good language skills, it needs a promotional language which is very hard for me to speak or write after just few month in this country, I told that to my boss but he insisted and he found that I can do the technical part of that job very good and he can help me in the part that needs to write some promotional stuff.

I did well in the new department but I suffered of misspelling stuff and some bad grammar in my phrases or while I speak where my boss always there to pick on me and remind me about the painful realty for me that I am not a native speaker, I am sure he knows that I am good in this jog but he always try to take advantage on me through this issue. I can remember something like when he wants to say how are you he says it like “How is you”, I know he was kidding me but this joke implies in my point of view some kind of discrimination, and let me tell you why:

People with disabilities have the right to work and you can see them working every where even in banks, so if you find a teller in a bank with some kind of disability in one hand and do the job slower than other tellers, is it good to tell her/him come on hurry they should find somebody else to do that not you? Definitely not, you will respect the well of this person to overtake his disability and try to be an effective member in his community, and it is same for immigrants, those people who left their home land and the people who they love looking for better life for them or their children or escaping from threats or instable situations in their country.

Those people are here with full well to be active members in the community, they are trying to adjust their culture with the new one, they are trying to improve their language skills, but all that need time and in this time they need some understanding and respect from the people around them about that, and especially their employers.

For me I feel now like I have “not native speaker” syndrome, it is something that always strike on my mind and spoil my life, and if I will not be able to be cured of this syndrome, getting back homer will be a potential idea for me.