Immigrants have been waiting for more than two years for their application for permanent residence to be approved by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Their friends, who have yet submitted their application after them, see their immigration files closed much faster.
“We sometimes have cases, one or two, which progress really more slowly, which are blocked, without us really knowing why”, confirmed Mr.e Natacha Mignon, immigration lawyer at the firm Immetis.
Even if she is not represented by the firm Immetis, Estelle Louineau, French by origin, recognizes herself in this portrait. The environmental analyst arrived in Quebec in 2016 as part of a double degree agreement with Polytechnique Montreal. A two-year post-graduation work permit enabled her to be hired by the International Reference Center on the Life Cycle of Products, Processes and Services (CIRAIG) at the end of her studies.
With this work came the desire to settle in Montreal. “I felt great in Quebec, I find that the attitude of people in public spaces is much more open [qu’en France]. I feel more secure, ”explained to Press Estelle Louineau.
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
Estelle Louineau is an environmental analyst at the International Reference Center for the Life Cycle of Products, Processes and Services (CIRAIG).
In June 2019, she obtained her Quebec selection certificate. Then, she submitted her application for permanent residence to the Quebec Skilled Worker Program. She received an acknowledgment from IRCC on July 15, 2019.
Radio silence since.
We are 28 months later. Estelle Louineau’s case has neither progressed nor even been assigned to an immigration officer, according to information she obtained from IRCC.
“The processing time of a request varies depending on several factors, such as the type of request submitted, the speed and accuracy with which requesters respond to requests for additional information. […], the ease with which IRCC can verify the information provided, and the complexity of the request, ”explained Isabelle Dubois, communications analyst for IRCC by email.
Estelle Louineau’s file is, however, complete, he was assured. His numerous appeals to the ministry, to his federal deputy Marc Miller and to the French consulate did not help matters.
“I am told that there is no problem, that the file is not lost. But nothing explains or justifies the fact that it does not move forward, as similar cases of 2020 are being dealt with and come to an end. And I can’t do anything! », Denounces Estelle Louineau. Discouraged, she launched a heartfelt cry on Facebook in the form of an open letter on October 25.
Disparity in deadlines
The fact that situations such as the pandemic or the Afghan refugee crisis have amplified the delays, Estelle Louineau can understand. What bothers her is the disparity in the processing times for applications.
“All my friends who sent their files after me [trois personnes différentes] received their permanent residence, ”she notes.
Files submitted in 2019 and before seem to have been forgotten in bureaucratic limbo, according to numerous testimonies published on the Facebook group Where are our permanent residence files-Quebec, which has 7,800 members. It is a page where people give in particular the dates of their immigration procedures.
“Despite the specific and difficult conditions associated with the pandemic, IRCC continued to process Quebec skilled worker cases fairly and by date of receipt. [du dossier], as far as possible, ”assured Isabelle Dubois in response to the request for information from Press. Applications from people who are physically in Quebec were also treated as a priority, because of health measures, she also detailed.
Too many files
Clément Podevin, also French, is one of the lucky ones who saw their application for permanent residence quickly succeed. Head of terminus for the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), he arrived in Quebec in 2018. He applied for permanent residence in July 2020 and received his positive response on October 16, i.e. just under 15 months later.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Clement Podevin
“We knew it was [comme] the lottery. There is no logic on how requests are handled [de résidence permanente] », Says Clément Podevin. If he is happy with the unfolding of his process, he is saddened for his compatriots.
It’s appalling to see that there are people who say they’ve been waiting for 42 months!
Clement Podevin
The situation is not likely to improve, since there are too many files of qualified workers for the immigration thresholds provided by Quebec, also notes Isabelle Dubois. The IRCC inventory includes 51,000 qualified worker files for 24,200 places in 2021, she said.
A feeling of injustice and discouragement dominates among people who have waited a long time without news.
“I was encouraged to build my life in Quebec, to start my professional career there, and now that I have a job that I love and that I want to keep, they are putting sticks in my wheels, deplores Estelle Louineau. . If Canada does not want us, if it does not encourage us to settle here, we will move elsewhere. ”