Amid a staff shortage in daycares, a French-born early childhood educator is stuck at home due to long delays at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Nine months after submitting her work permit application, Célia Paget, who had come to study in Quebec to complete her training with autistic children, cannot accept the job offers she receives because she has not heard from the federal government.
“Everywhere in the newspapers, we see that unqualified people are being hired, but I am qualified, and even qualified from Quebec, and I cannot work because I do not yet have a permit. [d’Immigration Canada]”It’s frustrating,” she laments.
After obtaining an educator’s diploma in France, Célia Paget arrived in Quebec two years ago to study in a 2-year programe cycle at UQAM. “I came to specialize in autism because, in France, we don’t have the same level of knowledge as in Quebec in this field,” she says. “The goal was to obtain a work permit at the end of my studies to be able to work in a CPE [centre de la petite enfance] and also in private clinic or CIUSSS [Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux] to be able to have both my caps active.”
Shortly before her study permit expired in December 2023, the French woman in her early 20s applied for a post-graduation work permit — a paper application sent by mail, because she was having problems with the website — to work as a special needs teacher. The processing time was 17 days, she says.
Left without news
About two months later, with no news of her file, she says she called the number for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada almost every week. On the phone, she always got the same answer: she was asked to be patient. “They told me it was a document that took a long time to be issued.”
After more than 6 months of waiting, she returned from a trip to France to see her family, and still had no news. The office of her MP, whom she had contacted this summer for help, finally informed her that IRCC had still not opened her file as of July 27. “They justified this waiting time by a backlog. I don’t know what that means,” she said.
“When I call IRCC, I ask them if they lost my file and they say no, apparently it says “paid”, but I don’t see it on my bank statement. So, my file is active, but I’ve been waiting 9 months today.”
Paper related delays
Contacted by The DutyImmigration Canada has confirmed that Celia Paget’s application is indeed still being processed, since agents are now processing paper applications received in November 2023, i.e. applications received ten months ago.
The department also added that paper applications take longer to process than online applications. “The instructions on our website indicate that the client must apply online unless it is not possible to do so. We only offer priority processing to those who have a valid reason to apply on paper,” said an IRCC spokesperson.
Mme Paget said he tried to apply online but was unsuccessful. “The documents to [envoyer] with Adobe, I couldn’t save them, it gave an error message,” she explains. She says she has never seen or been informed that the delays were longer for paper applications. “If most people apply online, there should be fewer paper files. So why [les agents] “Do they take so long to process them? It’s weird,” she says. “I know people [ayant déposé en ligne] who received their permits in a month and others who have been waiting for 10 months. I don’t think it’s a question of paper or online applications. It’s a lack of organization.”
In the meantime, Mme Paget laments being prevented from working, even though after an internship she was offered the opportunity to support parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. “People ask me when I can start working. I try to answer, but… it’s complicated because I don’t know.”
Her situation is “difficult” financially, she adds. Not to mention that “the days are long.” “It affects your morale. You never know what to expect,” she says. “If the application is rejected, I will have to return to France.”