André Lefort fell in love with a Colombian woman, whom he met on a dating site in 2014. Nine years and a pandemic later, he and his partner decided to call it quits and move on with their lives. in Quebec.
But their project is blocked. Processing times for bringing in your foreign spouse are exploding in Quebec. They are 27 months, twice as long as in other Canadian provinces.
For what ? Because Quebec limits the number of permanent immigrants it wishes to welcome in the family reunification component. The quota for the year 2023 is 10,500, out of a total of 52,500 permanent immigrants.
The federal government, which administers permanent residence, has the capacity to process files, but it cannot go “beyond the number of 10,500”.
All the people who feel abandoned, it’s not Canada’s fault. It is Quebec that sets its own levels.
Bahoz Dara Aziz, press secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Marc Miller
Result: as requests for reunification outnumber available places, the number of families waiting for a decision on family reunification increases. It reached 38,800, according to data provided to The Press by the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration of Quebec (MIFI).
Emotional impacts
“I have a permanent job at Hydro-Québec. I earn a good living. I am capable of supporting my wife,” says Mr. Lefort, 64, who married Doris Ribero Gualdron, 60, on March 20, 2022.
It’s already been a year since the couple submitted their sponsorship application. Mme Ribero Gualdron received his Quebec selection certificate (CSQ) in March 2023. “We cannot speak to any agent,” laments Mr. Lefort. No one can tell me how many months I have left. »
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ANDRÉ LEFORT
André Lefort and his wife, Doris Ribero Gualdron
And during this time, processing times have increased for Quebec: 12 months in fall 2022, 16 months at the start of the year, 24 months in June, then 27 months in October.
Behind this statistic, there are difficult family situations and real emotional impacts. Because, contrary to popular belief, the majority of people who apply for family reunification are not looking to bring their parents or grandparents. More than 84% of requests relate to spouses and children.
“Twenty-seven months of waiting, when it’s your children, your wife or your partner, is very, very long, and it really creates a problem for these people who should not be disadvantaged, in terms of concerns the delays, because they are in Quebec,” declares lawyer Laurence Trempe, co-president of the Association of Immigration Lawyers of Quebec.
Give birth “via Messenger”
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Mylène Ronco and her two boys, Nolan, 4 years old, and Lévi, 17 months
André Lefort is therefore not the only one to have to deal with the ceilings imposed by Quebec. This is also the case for Mylène Ronco, a Montrealer married to a Colombian, Luis Eduardo Rhenals, with whom she has two children. His sponsorship application was submitted in April 2022.
“In 2017, I went to live in Colombia, because I wanted to experience new adventures, and that’s how we met,” she explains.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE FAMILY
Mylène Ronco and Luis Eduardo Rhenals, on their wedding day, in December 2021. In the center, their son Nolan.
The couple had a first child in 2019. Then a second, in 2022, after two years of separation, caused by the pandemic.
Mme Ronco gave birth, alone, in Quebec, both times, with the virtual presence of her husband “via Messenger”.
It’s still very cruel to tell yourself that these moments, which are the most important moments of your life, you spend at a distance.
Mylène Ronco
The family has lived together for the past 13 months. Mme Ronco returned to Quebec on October 20, at the end of her maternity leave, with her two sons. Her husband stayed behind due to lack of a visa.
“I took 18 months of maternity leave, including six months without pay, because the deadline to bring my husband to Quebec was 16 months,” she explains. I thought we were going to be able to come back together. I didn’t want to split up the family again because we’re always torn apart every time we leave. I still travel several times a year to see my husband, when I’m in Canada. »
But processing times increased to 25 months “all of a sudden,” says Mme Ronco. “It still left us with uncertainty, it caused a lot of stress. It is not easy. »
“He wants his mom”
Joane Alexandre, a Haitian whose husband is a Quebecer of Haitian origin, experiences a similar situation. The couple, together for 14 years, have a 6-year-old son, who has been living with his father in Laval for two years due to the humanitarian crisis in Haiti. Their sponsorship request dates back to June 2022.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE FAMILY
Joane Alexandre and her son, then aged 4
“I have already received my Quebec selection certificate. I did the medical examination and biometrics. But since March, we haven’t had any news. I sent the police certificate. We didn’t even receive a message. Nothing at all. It’s not moving,” laments Mme Alexandre, who says she suffered an attempted kidnapping from her home in January. “The file is blocked. We applied for a visa, but we received nothing. Our child is not adapting, he is stressed, he wants to return to Haiti, he wants his mother. »
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Ralph Alcide and his son
Her husband, Ralph Alcide, who has held Canadian citizenship for many years, works in the construction industry in the Montreal region. He has to leave home at 4 a.m. every morning.
“It’s a very difficult situation, especially with my son who always asks me for his mother,” he confides. Did his mother abandon him? Why can’t we go see her? Why can’t she come see us? I have to deal with all that, plus his school. I often have difficulty finding someone to help me. Sometimes I have to miss my work days, I have no choice. »
Learn more
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- 52.2%
- Proportion of people sponsored in Quebec who know French at the time of selection.
Source: Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration of Quebec