<div>For 17 years, I have called Canada home. I came here on a full scholarship, completed my PhD, contributed as a teaching and research associate, worked as an artist in residence, and shared my music and writing with communities across Edmonton, Calgary, and beyond.
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<div>And yet — after all of this — I remain without permanent residency. Canada’s immigration system has rejected me again and again, reducing my labour and artistry to “non-recognized” work. What that means in real terms is precarity: no safety net, no stable income, and now the very real threat of eviction.
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<div>This fall, I am launching my memoir: Writing in the Wound: Acculturation, Trauma, and Music. It tells the story of migration, systemic exclusion, and survival through art. But while I share this work with the world, I still have to fight for something as basic as keeping a roof over my head.
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<div>Here is my article in Canadian Dimension for what I have gone through: <a href="https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/canadas-immigration-system-and-the-erasure-of-artistic-labour" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/canadas-immigration-system-and-the-erasure-of-artistic-labour" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/canadas-immigration-system-and-the-erasure-of-artistic-labour</a></a>
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<div>I also shared my story recently at Action Dignity's Labour Day event, where it received hugs and tears. These stories will be part of my upcoming book: Writing in the Wound. 
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<div>This fall, I am launching my memoir: Writing in the Wound: Acculturation, Trauma, and Music.
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<div>I have written this book with love and care, giving space and voice to my trauma of living in immigration precarity and being vulnerable to academic workplace bullying, appropriation, and erasure of my research contributions — and more.
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<div>It is not just a book. It is testimony. It is resilience. And it is a call for recognition and dignity for those of us who live in the cracks of Canada’s systems. 
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<div>If you are reading this, I urge you to share my story with a friend and contribute.
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<div>Every share expands the circle of people who might care. Every contribution, no matter the size, brings me closer to stability and dignity.
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<div>Thank you for your contribution. It means the world to me — the result of my blood, sweat, and tears is this book, and your support helps me keep going.
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Li Zeng

Helen Corbett

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