The Covid 19 pandemic has impacted everyone across Canada. I am writing to you today with my concerns about the desperate need for support for migrant workers and temporary residents during this COVID-19 pandemic. While it is welcomed that the government has put in place the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) as income support for eligible individuals including migrant workers; unfortunately, the reality for many in this country is that they s5ll cannot access it. In particular, I would like to flag to your attention the countless migrant workers and temporary residents across the country who are in dire need.
With the current CERB requirements, those applying must have a valid Social Insurance Number (SIN). This is a problem as many migrants do not have a valid SIN for a variety of reasons. It has come to my attention that the study permit for Alina Przybly, an international student from Toronto expired in January. Notwithstanding the fact that her employer closed the restaurant that she was working at because of the pandemic, due to processing delays at IRCC, she is unable to have her study permit extended. This has caused her SIN to expire. Without a valid SIN number, she is ineligible for CERB. Ms. Przybly is now in a dire situation through no fault of her own.
A Scottish-born midwife, who was ordered to stop working in British Columbia and threatened with deportation, has returned home, highlighting what advocates say is a case of a foreign-trained health care worker getting entangled in bureaucratic errors amid a shortage in the province.
Heather Gilchrist, who worked at The Midwives Collective in Victoria for about six months, left for Glasgow, Scotland, on Saturday after she was unable to get clearance from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to remain in the country. Ms. Gilchrist completed the Internationally Educated Midwives Bridging Program through the University of British Columbia, which helps graduates transition to working in Canada.
She was told her work permit was not approved because she failed to upload an English proficiency test, according to politicians and families who have supported her. Later, immigration officials erroneously told her the UBC program did not lead to a certificate, diploma or degree, the supporters said. Ms. Gilchrist could not be reached Wednesday for comment.
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At the end of last month, two of Ms. Collins’s former parliamentary colleagues, Gord Johns and Jenny Kwan, wrote to Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab about Ms. Gilchrist’s situation.
The letter, dated March 28, detailed how IRCC initially rejected Ms. Gilchrist’s postgraduate work permit because results from an English exam were not uploaded. It said an online portal did not provide a prompt and that Ms. Gilchrist provided a copy of her results to the department but didn’t hear back.
The letter from the NDP MPs also described how the IRCC reviewed Ms. Gilchrist’s file again, but it was refused a second time because the IRCC claimed the UBC program does not lead to a certificate, diploma or degree. Ms. Kwan and Mr. Johns wrote that the program provided confirmation that graduates are eligible for a work permit upon its completion.
