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Five years after moving to Canada, the Sault’s Mary Ogenyi-Igoche is now working to help others gain residency and citizenship in this country.
As a regulated Canadian immigration consultant, she established Ubuntu Worldwide Immigration Consulting in October.
RCICs are regulated by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants and make sure that an applicant’s immigration forms and documents are correctly completed and submitted on time to Canada's federal government.
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Ogenyi-Igoche is from Nigeria and settled in Sault Ste. Marie upon moving to Canada in August 2019.
“For me, assisting immigrants is empowering them to navigate complex situations. Immigration is not easy. Sometimes they come here with no family. I feel it’s giving back from one immigrant to another,” she told SooToday.
“Basically a regulated Canadian immigration consultant is trained to guide immigrants, those who intend to come to Canada, through the whole Canadian immigration process.
"You’re moving from one place to another, to a new life and meeting new people. It’s an overwhelming process. It’s more than just the paperwork, but with the right support and information I give them I think it makes the adjustment easier,” Ogenyi-Igoche said.
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Ogenyi-Igoche also guides newcomers looking for work to local resource centres such as Sault Community Career Centre or Employment Solutions.
Prior to opening her own consulting firm, Ogenyi-Igoche worked for Sault Community Career Centre and the City of Sault Ste. Marie’s Local Immigration Partnership.
“I have provided ongoing language support for refugee families as they navigate services within our city. I speak four languages - English, German, Hausa and Idoma - and refugees have needed my support in interpreting from English to Hausa,” she said.
Hausa and Idoma are spoken in Nigeria and other countries in western Africa.
“I have assisted families and students by picking them up at the airport, especially when they arrive on the weekend, late hours or snowy days when transportation isn’t at its best.
"For international students I have assisted with their visas to Sault College or Algoma University and I have helped them to get accommodation within the city and referred them for employment support and other community resources like the YMCA and their cultural groups,” Ogenyi-Igoche said.
Prior to living in Canada, she studied linguistics at the University of Göttingen in Germany.
“I came directly to Sault Ste. Marie to study in the bachelor of social work program at Algoma University. I applied to other places but one thing that stood out to me was the smaller class sizes at Algoma U. There are smaller classes and smaller classrooms. All my life I’d been to big universities and I really wanted to connect with my profs and my classmates, so that’s one of the reasons I chose to come to the Sault,” Ogenyi-Igoche said.
She said she was also intrigued by the history of Canada’s Indigenous people and wanted to learn more.
“Algoma is the site of a former residential school. I never knew about that. That was something that resonated with me. I felt like I could learn more about Indigenous people and their history here in the Sault.”
She graduated from Algoma University in June 2024 and is now a registered social worker in Ontario.
“My mother was there at graduation. I was proud of myself. I went through it and did well in the program. It was a proud moment.
“For the most part it’s been enjoyable studying and living in Sault Ste. Marie,” Ogenyi-Igoche said.
“The community is really welcoming. I’ve made great connections here with the cultural groups, with the Black community. Algoma U has been a huge part of my experience. I really felt welcome there and felt I could be myself. Sault Ste. Marie has really been home for me. I’ve never looked back or regretted coming to the Sault. To immigrate is one thing but to feel that sense of belonging is another thing and I’ve gotten both in the Sault.”
She also completed Immigration and Citizenship Law studies online from Queen’s University in Kingston, then passed the exam to become a registered immigration consultant.
“It’s a way for me to give back,” said the married mother of two children regarding her work with immigrants.
“I didn’t just study immigration and citizenship law at Queen’s University, but I have lived the experience. I know what immigrants face when they come here, what it’s like to navigate the system so I just like being a support for them,” she said.
More information on Ogenyi-Igoche and Ubuntu Worldwide Immigration Consulting can be found on Ubuntu's website.
Ogenyi-Igoche said she has enjoyed walking in Bellevue Park and hiking at Hiawatha Highlands and Robertson Cliffs Lookout in the summer months since moving to the Sault.
As for winter?
“I’m going to learn how to skate. Coming from Africa where it’s so warm, I’ve been nervous to go on ice but I plan to try,” she said with a chuckle.