Recent Change Made by Immigration Department Welcomed

By Neil Armstrong

Photo contributed      Danae Peart welcomes the recent change made by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) making it easier for foreign nationals to apply for temporary and permanent resident status within Canada

The move by the federal government to make it easier for foreign nationals, including Caribbean immigrants, to apply for temporary and permanent resident status within Canada has been welcomed by some Jamaicans in Ontario but they identified related issues that need to be addressed.

On December 3, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said foreign nationals applying from within Canada for temporary or permanent residence or to extend or renew their visitor visa or work or study permit, will need to have their fingerprints and photo taken and can do so at any of the 58 designated Service Canada locations across the country. 
 
“This means individuals will now save time and money by being able to give their biometrics within Canada,” it said in a statement. 
 
Danae Peart, who came to Canada as an international student from Jamaica and then became a permanent resident and citizen, says this decision comes twenty years after her immigration journey.

“I welcome the decision and I’m hoping that multiple individuals after me will be able to experience that ease,” says Peart.

She remembers a couple years when she could not go home to Jamaica to visit.

“The word was if the original visa had expired you would not have a document to re-enter Canada even though you were on a study permit and a work permit. They were permits allowing you to stay in the country, not allowing you a travel document.”

She noted that if an individual is able to get their travel document while here because of the access to biometrics that is a major help.

 “I literally for two years did not move, did not travel, because I was waiting to again go through another process and change status and get documentation that allowed me to travel.”

She said unfortunately over the years it has been very tiresome to get the biometrics from Jamaica.

When Peart applied for residency, she had to apply to the head office in Jamaica for her fingerprint to be verified so she appreciates the value in cutting out the wait time.

“While you’re going through the immigration process you’re going against deadlines – sometimes 60 days, sometimes 90 days.”

Meanwhile, Ancillia*, who also came as an international student, to pursue studies at a college in Ontario, says there are challenges related to some of these permits and the process.

She said an advisor made it seem that once she was finished her studies and got her post-grad work permit it would be an automatic path to getting her permanent resident status when she applied.

This, however, was not the case as she was sitting in the permanent residence pool for two years and nothing happened.

Her undergraduate and graduate degrees were assessed by an agency, WES, and they were equivalent to Canadian standard.

Although she did a post-graduate diploma here she still had to pay to do an English test “to show that I can speak and write English fluently.”

Expiry of this English certificate can result in a person being bumped from the pool of people waiting for permanent residency and this is what happened to her.

When Ancillia enquired about having the certificate renewed she was told that she would have to redo the test.

She said tuition fees for international students double or triple those for permanent residents and citizens and after investing so much money there are “all of these different hurdles.”

Ancillia also notes that post-grad work permits are not renewable and as a result she could not continue in a job she held. 

She thinks international study is a moneymaking venture for everyone involved – governments, colleges and all the institutions that offer English test accreditation.

She has to keep paying to extend her temporary status and she cannot secure a job because she does not have a work permit.

Ancillia said Canada is encouraging people to come here and study but it does not work for everyone, especially those not in their 20s and early 30s. 

 “It’s just a very frustrating process and it really needs to be reassessed, especially this stupid English thing. How does that make sense and you’re coming from an English-speaking Commonwealth country.”

She says people are not being enlightened about the underlying difficulties that they can face when they take that route.

Peart thinks the requirement of the English proficiency test is an opportunity for advocacy from the Jamaican government.

Photo contributed     Adaoma Patterson, president of the Jamaican Canadian Association

In the aftermath of the recent federal election, Adaoma Patterson, president of the Jamaican Canadian Association, said the organization was interested in all federal political parties providing greater supports for international students.

“Recent reports and our consultations identify the struggle many international students are facing and the difficulty in gaining permanent residency once they complete their studies. Funding specific services that address mental health, settlement and integration while removing onerous rules for temporary and permanent residence are important investments,” she said.

Ancillia* is an alias

[This story has been published in the North American Weekly Gleaner, December 19-January 1, 2020.]