Some Syrian‑Canadians are returning to help rebuild, even as jobs and safety remain uncertain
After Assad’s collapse, many Syrian‑Canadians are travelling back to rebuild homes and businesses, but work, family decisions and safety concerns complicate returns.
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By Torontoer Staff
When Bashar al‑Assad’s regime fell in December, a new calculus began for Syrians living in Canada. Some have stayed. Others are travelling back to Syria to reconnect with family, repair damaged property and try to contribute to reconstruction. For many, jobs and the uncertainty of daily life in Syria remain major obstacles.
Mahmoud Hannof, who goes by Mike and became a Canadian citizen in 2021, visited his native Homs this year after fleeing the city as a teenager. He demolished the husk of his old home and has started building a sweets shop that his uncle will run, while keeping his car‑sales job in London, Ont. His choice reflects the mixed strategies returning Syrians are adopting, tying lives in two countries together.
Who is going back
Return decisions are shaped by age, family status, gender and professional opportunities. Some recent arrivals who grew up in Syria say their emotional ties and local networks make returning attractive. Others, especially families with Canadian‑born children, are reluctant to uproot lives they have built in Canada.
Celine Kasem, a Syrian‑Canadian activist who recently moved back to Damascus, frames the return as a contribution to national recovery. She says the country needs the education and experience of the diaspora to rebuild after 14 years of war.
The country is not going to be rebuilt without our tools, our education, our experience and our energy. After 14 years of war, the people in Syria are exhausted, and now it’s our turn to pay back their sacrifice and participate in the rebuilding of the country.
Celine Kasem
Work, family and practical hurdles
A recurring barrier is employment. Many returnees report few job openings that match their skills, or pay so little that families cannot rely on them. Ahmad Khanji, who split his time last year between Damascus and Toronto, says he would move back permanently if he could find decent work.
Household priorities also vary. Amer Maamari, who arrived in Canada with his pregnant wife in 2015, says his wife opposes returning because she does not want to risk their children’s future. Their kids are Canadian citizens, and the youngest does not speak Arabic.
The oldest one speaks some Arabic, but not the youngest, who was born here. My wife doesn’t want to go back. She said that she’s not going to sacrifice my kids’ future by going there.
Amer Maamari
Within some Syrian‑Canadian circles, men express greater willingness to return than women. Maamari estimates roughly 80 per cent of men are interested in going back, compared with about 20 per cent of women. Concerns about rights, work and social freedoms shape those numbers.
Safety and daily life on the ground
Accounts from Damascus and Homs describe a country still scarred by conflict, but with pockets of normalcy. People report mixed experiences: a sense of security in day‑to‑day life for some, alongside continued violence, sectarian tensions and an expanded Israeli presence in the south.
I do feel safe as a woman in Syria; I feel like I can walk home at night, I can go out with my friends. In the summer, we were swimming and all of that, it’s been very safe in my experience.
Celine Kasem
Others point to the unpredictability of security and the uneven pace of reconstruction. Even when neighbourhoods become accessible, damaged infrastructure, disrupted services and limited formal employment slow recovery.
Belonging, identity and the pull of home
For many returnees, the decision is about more than economics. Parents who fled violence speak of a longing to belong to a place they remember, and to restore ties severed by displacement. That sense of belonging can clash with the practical advantages of life in Canada.
Canada did for my kids what Syria did for my great‑grandfather, and that really touched my heart. When we couldn’t go back to Syria, Canada opened her heart, and received us with thousands of other Syrians.
Tambi Kasem
At the same time, some newcomers say life in Canada can feel anonymous. "Here in Canada, we are just a number; there is too much competition," one returnee said, adding that being known in their home community makes practical and social support easier.
- Key drivers of return: family ties, property reconstruction, professional opportunities
- Major barriers: lack of stable jobs, concerns about safety, family reluctance
- Common strategies: splitting time between Canada and Syria, starting small businesses, relying on local networks
What rebuilding will take
Returnees and activists say rebuilding will require more than money. Skills, governance, inclusive planning and coordination with international partners are all needed to restore services and revive local economies. Many in the diaspora want to be part of that process, but not at the expense of family security and long‑term prospects for their children.
For now, patterns of return are pragmatic and piecemeal. Some Syrians with Canadian citizenship are testing the waters, investing in small enterprises and keeping jobs in Canada. Others are making permanent moves when family circumstances and economic conditions allow. The balance between belonging and livelihood will determine how many come back to stay.
Mahmoud Hannof summed up the tension plainly after reuniting with relatives in Homs: he said he was born there and feels he belongs, but he also keeps ties to Canada. Many like him are returning not because Syria is perfectly safe, but because they want to be part of what comes next.
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