I am writing to you to echo the concerns I’ve been hearing from families who are experiencing long delays for spousal sponsorship applications and urge for your government to adjust the program to allow conditions for spouses to obtain temporary resident visas as part of the spousal sponsorship application process.
Immigration is an exercise in nation building, and I have always seen family reunification as a pivotal component of Canada’s immigration system. During the last 5 years as the NDP Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, I have heard far too many heart wrenching stories of how families are kept apart due to long delays in processing. Indeed, the issue of long delays in processing for permanent residence applications is a longstanding one and I share the concerns experienced by families who remain separated while they wait on the spousal sponsorship application process, which has worsened under COVID-19.
Daily Hive: Canadian woman left in limbo after CRA accidentally declares her dead
When June “Juna” Miller filed her taxes in spring, she expected a refund, but instead, she was declared legally dead.
A few weeks later, she attempted to log in to her CRA account. It didn’t work, and she called the agency.
“The woman on the phone said, ‘Well, you’re deceased.’ I said, ‘What are you talking about? You’re speaking to me!'” Miller explained.
What followed was a month-long ordeal that cost her her pension, Social Insurance Number, and sense of stability.
“It took them five seconds to say I was dead… without even asking for a death certificate,” she said. “Now I’m being told it could take six months to prove I’m alive. That makes no sense to me.”
But with her account frozen and no payments coming in, she was suddenly without any source of income.
Her Social Insurance Number had been cancelled, making it impossible to access her bank account or even apply for temporary work to stay afloat.
Even Service Canada wasn’t much help, Miller claimed.
She recalls one interaction with an agent who questioned why she kept insisting she was alive, while another refused to proceed because her name didn’t match across various documents.
When Miller attempted to order a copy of her marriage certificate to fulfill the requirement, her request was denied because her ID had already been flagged as invalid.
Vancouver East MP Jenny Kwan stepped in as well, formally raising Miller’s case with the federal government.
Miller provided Daily Hive a copy of the letter dated June 30, in which Kwan wrote directly to Minister François-Philippe Champagne, asking that CRA fix the mistake immediately, restore her pension, and ensure all missed payments were sent without delay.
Resurrection, at last
On June 30, Miller received the call she’d been waiting for.
“CRA just called and I have been resurrected,” she told Daily Hive. “They’re sending an apology letter in the mail.”