Trapped in the bureaucracy of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), two fathers struggle to see their children, who have remained in their country of origin. During this time, other requests are processed before theirs.
What there is to know
- A Turkish refugee has been waiting ten months for a travel document to visit his sick son.
- The average time to obtain this document is 20 working days.
- IRCC gives priority to applications made after that of this father.
- In addition, two Belgian teenagers, whose father lives in Quebec, will not obtain Canadian citizenship because of IRCC processing times.
“If I had known it was going to take a year, I would have told my boy,” denounces Özgür Deniz Deger. This Turkish psychiatrist and political refugee has been waiting approximately 310 days for the Canadian government to issue him a refugee travel document.
It is 15 times longer than the normal time. Indeed, this document is supposed to be issued in 20 working days, according to the IRCC website.
Since the easing of sanitary measures and the increase in the number of requests for travel documents, IRCC has fallen behind, acknowledged by email the IRCC communications adviser Mary Rose.
“Refugee travel document applications submitted since October 3, 2022 are currently being processed within the 20 business day service standard,” she said. Mr. Deger sent his request three months earlier, on July 7, 2022.
Those [comme M. Deger] who submitted an application before October 3, 2022 and who urgently need their travel document should send a request for information on the status of their application already submitted and report their urgent need specifying the reason, rather than presenting a new request.
Mary Rose, IRCC Communications Advisor
In other words, even though he has been waiting for almost a year, Mr. Deger’s request is not being processed as a priority by the Department.
It is not for lack of having repeatedly contacted IRCC for nearly a year. Nor for having offered to send proof that his case was urgent, affirms Mr. Deger, emails in support.
This father fled Turkey in 2021, leaving behind a career, friends, family and, above all, his 10-year-old son.
Since then, the mental health of the boy – who lives with his ex-wife – has deteriorated. The child needs to see his father, concludes a Turkish psychiatric report consulted by The Press.
Unable to return to Turkey for obvious reasons, Mr Deger hopes to spend time with his son in Germany, where he can visit without a visa. But to leave Canada, he needs this travel document.
He hoped to be able to leave last summer. He doesn’t know if he will be able to hug his son this summer.
The guilt
“Every day, we make a video call. Every day, my son is sad, he cries. And each time, I feel guilty,” says Deger. His eyes cloud over: “It’s frustrating, discouraging, and it makes me sad. If we make promises to our children, we have to keep them. »
At the end of 2022, overwhelmed, Mr. Deger asked for help from the federal office in his riding of Ahuntsic-Cartierville, in Montreal. It is that of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly.
In January – seven months after he sent his request – IRCC informed him by letter that the photos had arrived damaged. Mr. Deger sent some new ones. Nothing has moved.
Two months later, surprise: he was asked for proof that his case was urgent. The very proof he had offered to provide from the very beginning.
“Why did they wait nine months to ask me? he asks himself.
Delays throughout the process
The explosion of delays at IRCC also has effects on obtaining Canadian citizenship.
Thomas Philippe, a Belgian, arrived in Quebec in 2015 with his spouse at the time and their two children, now teenagers.
After the couple separated, the children returned to live in Belgium with their mother. The plan was for them to return to Quebec for several weeks in the summer. The whole family had Canadian permanent residency.
They were also candidates for Canadian citizenship, provided they remained in the country for at least three years in the five years before obtaining it.
In 2020, Mr. Philippe applied for citizenship for himself and his two sons. The average wait time for a citizenship application is 21 months, according to the IRCC website.
But 28 months later, the father is still unanswered. During this time, her children lost their permanent resident status. The news came as the family was planning vacations this summer.
Mr. Philippe had to send in an application to waive permanent residence (and citizenship) for his two boys. While this form is being processed – it could take months – the children cannot travel to Canada.
“I’m overwhelmed,” exclaims this resident of Saint-Jérôme, in the Laurentians. “For me, it was an investment from the heart. I wanted my boys to have the chance to choose between two countries. In the end, what I did for them was useless, because of the delays. »
Accuracy :
In a previous version of this text, we indicated that Mr. Deger made his request on June 7, 2021. It is rather July 7. Our apologies.