Canada--Emigration and immigration

Creator: Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Acknowledgement letter to Hardial Singh for his letter expressing his desire to bring his wife, Rattan Kaur and his two sons to Canada, undersigned by D. N. McDonell, Department of Citizenship and Immigration, Vancouver, B.C.

Creator: Department of Immigration and Colonization, Canada

Certificate of Registration for Banta Singh by the Department of Immigration and Colonization, Canada, stating his intention to return to Canada by the 23rd of March, 1941.

Creator: Thandi, Ossi Kaur

Creator: Chand, Nirakshik

Ossi Kaur was born in Fraser Mills, BC. Ossi's grandfather came to Canada at the turn of century. He and Ossi's father worked at the mills and lived in a company house on site. When Ossi's family went to India, her father remarried. She and her brother did not return to Canada and stayed back in India. In 1925, she married Sucha Singh after getting a letter from his uncle, Sunder Singh Thandi, asking her to help him immigrate to Canada. While on the boat to Canada, she was pregnant with her first child. The couple settled in Abbotsford, and although she found living in Abbotsford lonely, she grew accustomed to it. She used to work on the family farm, while Sunder's daughters and Harry Singh's daughter used to visit her frequently. This is a full-length interview conducted on July 15, 1996 by Nirakshik Chand at Mrs. Ossi's residence in Abbotsford.

Creator: Thandi, Sunder

Creator: Thandi, Sucha Singh

Creator: Chand, Nirakshik

Interview with Sucha Singh Thandi in which he describes his uncle, Sunder Singh Thandi. Sunder singh Thandi migrated to Canada 1906-1907, He was in his thirties when he decided to move from Punjab, India. He was a farmer and was involved in agricultural sector. He wanted to explore more places, as that time many people were moving to different countries, therefore, he decided to visit Canada with the intentions of returning back to his home country. This interview was recorded on June 14th, 1996.

Creator: Thandi, Sunder

Creator: Thandi, Sucha Singh

Creator: Chand, Nirakshik

Interview with Sucha Singh Thandi describing his uncle, Sunder Singh Thandi. Sunder Singh came to Canada in 1906. In India, he used to buy animals and sell them. He came to Canada for a trip, with a plan to work, make some money, and return home. He got on the boat from Calcutta, and when he arrived, he worked hard and resided in barns or bunkhouses. He was close to the friends he met on the ship because none of them knew English. He moved to Abbotsford and worked at Mill Lake before purchasing a farm of 60 acres. In 1947, he was married and together he and his wife took care of their two foster daughters. During war times, Sucha Singh went to play a central role in the Heritage Sikh temple. He also donated the steel Nishan Sahib. He died in 1953 of throat cancer at the age of 90. This interview was conducted on June 22, 1996 at Abbotsford.

Creator: Thandi, Sucha Singh

Creator: Chand, Nirakshik

Sucha Singh Thandi was 19 years old when he came to Canada. His uncle wanted him to come to Canada to help him with the farm and get more education. Sucha Singh was married before coming to Canada, and it was arranged to marry a woman who had been born in Canada. When the young couple reached Hong Kong, they went to a temple and stayed there for 2 days before travelling to California and taking a train to Canada. He started to work on his uncle's farm before he passed away, but continued to live with his aunt until she passed away. He then started to drive a truck delivering sawdust to farms. This is a full-length interview recorded on June 22, 1996.

Creator: Rai, Gian

Interview with Gian Rai about his immigration to Canada. Gian Rai's grandfather came to Yuba, California where his brother Dalip worked. His father came to the US with a student visa, but started to work. He fled the US after the government was told about him violating the visa terms. Gian Rai was one of the only educated ones in his village, and he became the Sarpanch at the age of 24, making him the youngest Sarpanch in the village. After leaving his village with his siblings and moving to America where they met their father, they took a bus to cross the border to Canada. After arriving, he did not attend university and started to work in a mill despite his student visa. When the government found out about the violation of his visa, his father found a family that helped to find a girl for Gian Rai to get married to, making him a Canadian citizen. Gian Rai describes how he regrets not finishing his studies at the University of British Columbia. This is a full-length interview conducted on June 24,1996.

Creator: Gill, Indar Singh

Interview with Indar Singh Gill about his move from India to Canada. Indar Singh Gill was born on 5th April 1913 In Punjab. He came to Canada on December 12th, 1930 via a steamer ship called "Empress of Japan" with his two brothers. His uncle was already a resident in Canada therefore, he sponsored them here and helped them in their initial days. According to Mr. Gill, farming in India was tough in those days as there was a lack of resources and technologies. Because of these situations, seventeen-year-old Indar Singh decided to move abroad in search of a financially stable life. This is a full-length interview recorded on August 27, 1996.

Creator: Gill, Najar

Creator: Chand, Nirakshik

Mr. Najar Singh Gill was thirty years old when he moved to Canada in 1963 from Punjab. He was a farmer in India and also the first member of his family to come to Canada. Mr. Najar's wife was a Canadian citizen and she sponsored him. He then moved to Canada with his daughter who was only one and a half years old at that time. Further, Mr. Gill knew several friends and acquaintances in Canada who were from the same village, all of whom helped him to start his new life. He first started to work in Mission in a mill and then came to Abbotsford.This is a full-length interview recorded on June 4, 1996, conducted by Nirakshik Chand at Mr. Fateh Chand's residence in Abbotsford.

Creator: Gill, Lucy Tej

Creator: Chand, Nirakshik

Interview with Lucy Tej Gill about her life growing up in Canada. Lucy Tej Gill's father migrated to Canada in 1905 when he was 14. He was sent to Canada by his brother and his wife. In Canada, he was allowed to live with a white couple for a short period. Lucy Tej Gill describes how her father was discriminated against on almost a daily basis. In the 1920s he used to own a car, but in the 1930s he could no longer afford it. He worked in various labour jobs and soon he owned a cattle farm. After getting married in the early 1920s his wife joined him in Canada in 1925. She was one of the first South Asian Canadian women in their neighborhood, but was soon joined by another South Asian Canadian woman from Vancouver who heard about her. Lucy Tej Gill and her siblings used to help at the dairy farm after coming back from Sabers. She and her siblings were the first South Asian Canadians going to school, but found no difficulty in making friends there. It was not until she was in high school that she saw other South Asian Canadians in school. Lucy Tej Gill and her sister used to talk in English to keep secrets, which helped their mother in learning English as well as spelling. Lucy Tej did not speak Punjabi until she got married and had to talk in Punjabi with her in-laws. This is a full length interview which was conducted on June 27, 1996.