Immigration policy must account for the contributions of artists, scholars, and community builders whose work does not fit neatly into economic categories but whose impact is undeniable. Photo courtesy the Migrant Rights Network.

In 2008, I arrived in Edmonton with a dream: to contribute to Canada through music, teaching, and scholarship. Seventeen years later, I have given this country my most creative years—yet I remain structurally excluded, without permanent residency or citizenship.

This is not an individual failure. It is the outcome of an immigration system that exploits international students and artists, welcoming their labour and creativity while denying them belonging.

Artists are often told their contributions are “intangible.” But in Canada, artistic labour sustains culture, strengthens communities, and generates economic impact. For nearly two decades, I have performed across the country—from citizenship ceremonies in Calgary to community-engaged sound art in Edmonton to international festivals that brought recognition back to Alberta. My compositions have been recognized nationally and internationally. I have taught students at Canadian universities, developed new platforms for cross-cultural understanding, and created projects addressing climate change, Islamophobia, and displacement.

And yet, when I applied for permanent residency, my roles were classified as “clerical work.” The hours of rehearsals, performances, publications, and mentorship were erased in a single bureaucratic stroke. The Canadian immigration system does not know how to account for artistic labour, so it chooses not to count it at all.

In many policy debates, the failure of highly skilled migrants to secure permanent residency is explained away by........

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