FIRST READING: Canada threatens native English speaker with deportation for not speaking English |
Share this Story : National Post Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr
FIRST READING: Canada threatens native English speaker with deportation for not speaking English
58-year-old Scottish midwife Heather Gilchrist speaks English perfectly. But an automated glitch disagrees
You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.
First Reading is a Canadian politics newsletter curated by the National Post’s own Tristin Hopper. To get an early version sent directly to your inbox, sign up here.
Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.
Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.
Unlimited online access to National Post.
National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.
Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.
Support local journalism.
Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.
Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.
Unlimited online access to National Post.
National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.
Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.
Support local journalism.
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
Access articles from across Canada with one account.
Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.
Enjoy additional articles per month.
Get email updates from your favourite authors.
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
Access articles from across Canada with one account
Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments
Enjoy additional articles per month
Get email updates from your favourite authors
Sign In or Create an Account
FIRST READING: Canada threatens native English speaker with deportation for not speaking English Back to video
Just as Canada’s immigration system is wracked by revelations of unchecked fraud, it seems to have found time to threaten a Scottish midwife with deportation on the grounds she didn’t sufficiently prove she can speak English.
Heather Gilchrist, 58, speaks English as her mother tongue, and even completed the mandatory $330 certification course to prove as much.
This newsletter from NP Comment tackles the topics you care about. (Subscriber-exclusive edition on Fridays)
There was an error, please provide a valid email address.
By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.
A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.
The next issue of Platformed will soon be in your inbox.
We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again
Interested in more newsletters? Browse here.
But she told the National Post a technical glitch prevented the certification from reaching immigration authorities, resulting in the surprise withdrawal of her work permit earlier this month.
A March 14 letter from an IRCC case officer told her they weren’t satisfied she could speak English, that her legal status had been withdrawn, and that she had 90 days to leave the country.
“If you do not leave Canada voluntarily, enforcement action may be taken against you,” it reads.
“I had just literally come off an on-call shift,” said Gilchrist, who has been working as a registered midwife in Victoria, B.C., since September.
A 10-year veteran of midwifery in the U.K., Gilchrist first came to Canada in October 2024, and obtained certification as a B.C. midwife after completing a bridging program at the University of British Columbia.
“I have hundreds of babies behind me, and I’m good at what I do,” said Gilchrist, who estimated that she’s spent $60,000 on the costs of moving to Canada and obtaining Canadian certification.
What’s suddenly put all of it in jeopardy is one of the most infamous components of the Canadian immigration process, at least for immigrants from Anglophone countries.
NDP frontrunner proposes mass amnesties, waves of new asylum-seekers
Canada’s borders are wide open
Advertisement 1Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.document.addEventListener(`DOMContentLoaded`,function(){let template=document.getElementById(`oop-ad-template`);if(template&&!template.dataset.adInjected){let clone=template.content.cloneNode(!0);template.replaceWith(clone),template.parentElement&&(template.parentElement.dataset.adInjected=`true`)}});
Most Canadian immigration streams require proof of a completed CELPIP (Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program). It’s a roughly three-hour test requiring the applicant to prove that they can read and understand English, and there is no exemption for the thousands of Canadian immigrants each year who speak it as a native tongue.
“It’s three and a half hours of your life you’re never getting back,” said Gilchrist.
Gilchrist did indeed pass her CELPIP with flying colours. But in the online application for a post-graduate work permit, she says there was no prompt to submit it. As such, she assumed it was unnecessary, or that the test centre who administered her CELPIP had already forwarded the results to IRCC.
And Gilchrist wouldn’t be the first to say as much. Online immigration forums are filled with complaints from fellow post-graduate applicants saying that their permits were rejected due to technical difficulties in submitting a completed CELPIP.
Air Canada cockpit voice recorder reveals what happened in lead up to LaGuardia crash Canada
Air Canada cockpit voice recorder reveals what happened in lead up to LaGuardia crash
Gold heist ringleader pleads guilty to theft of $22M in gold and cash from Toronto's Pearson airport Canada
Gold heist ringleader pleads guilty to theft of $22M in gold and cash from Toronto's Pearson airport
Advertisement 2Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.document.addEventListener(`DOMContentLoaded`,function(){let template=document.getElementById(`oop-ad-template`);if(template&&!template.dataset.adInjected){let clone=template.content.cloneNode(!0);template.replaceWith(clone),template.parentElement&&(template.parentElement.dataset.adInjected=`true`)}});
Who's to blame for Air Canada crash at LaGuardia Airport? Here's what we know so far Canada
Who's to blame for Air Canada crash at LaGuardia Airport? Here's what we know so far
Fraser says he considered notwithstanding clause after court struck down child porn penalties Canadian Politics
Fraser says he considered notwithstanding clause after court struck down child porn penalties
Chris Selley: The notwithstanding clause is the bulwark against a Canadian 'Trump moment' NP Comment
Chris Selley: The notwithstanding clause is the bulwark against a Canadian 'Trump moment'
“My PGWP was refused on March 10 due to missing language proficiency test result. I did attach the document but apparently it wasn’t shown in my application,” reads an anonymous March 18 post on a public Facebook group for post-graduate applicants.
A recent post on the website JustLaw details the experience of an immigrant in exactly Gilchrist’s situation: The sudden loss of work and residency status because of missing CELPIP results. “I did not see a clear option to upload language test documentation, so I was unaware that the score report had not been included in my application,” it reads.
The Ontario-based immigration consultancy Effizient Immigration encountered the problem so often that they profiled it in a Feb. 28 YouTube video. “Even though many applicants had completed the test before applying, the document was not uploaded correctly due to unclear instructions,” reads a description.
A Change.org petition calling out the CELPIP glitch has 1,600 signatures. It includes images of online IRCC application forms, showing that language results were not included in a checklist of required documentation.
“Many affected students had no way to attach the document in their application, nor were they given a second chance to submit it — even though the language test results predated the application date and were available if requested,” reads the petition.
As of press time, the problem doesn’t appear to have been fixed. The online form for a post-graduate work permit now features the warning “due to system limitations, the document checklist won’t ask you to provide language test results or proof that you graduated from an eligible field of study.”
Applicants are instead told to upload these documents as part of a “client information” portal that is separate from their application.
And due to technical difficulties, the documents can only be uploaded in the form of a single PDF. Uploading more than one will automatically delete the first.
For Gilchrist, she says the whole misunderstanding could have been patched up with a simple email from the IRCC; a notice of missing documentation, which she could have immediately forwarded in an email.
Instead, after 250 days of silence from the IRCC, the next she heard was that her application had been rejected and her residency status had been pulled effective immediately.
“Since you have not provided any documentation to demonstrate the minimum language proficiency, your application is refused,” reads the letter, signed by “Officer SV.”
The letter came far too late, said Gilchrist, to apply for a work permit via a different avenue. As such, she’s had to hand off her various midwife cases to coworkers and enter into a mad scramble to appeal the decision before she faces possible deportation in June.
“There’s something majorly wrong here. One hand does not know what the other hand is doing,” said Gilchrist. “I’m not asking for favours, I just want it to be fair.”
Gilchrist’s case has garnered headlines in both B.C. and Scottish media, but she says that so far, the only response she’s been able to obtain from the IRCC is a form letter informing her that she failed to prove her English proficiency.
“IRCC understands the disappointment that comes with a refused application. However, this office cannot provide any information or details regarding the reasons for a refusal other than the information provided in the refusal letter,” it reads.
Gilchrist’s sudden ejection from B.C. midwifing is awkwardly occurring amidst a public push by the B.C. government to attract foreign talent into its health sector. In June, B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne trumpeted a new program to fast-track the recruitment of “international” health professions, including doctors from the U.S.
“Since the campaign began, more than 2,250 doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses and allied health professionals have signed up for webinars and expressed interest in working in B.C.,” read a statement at the time.
It’s also ironically occurring amidst a series of public scandals revealing the laxity of IRCC screening and processing. Just on Monday, an Auditor General’s report found that although more than 150,000 foreign nationals may have entered the country under fraudulent student visas in recent years, only 4,000 of those were ever investigated.
Gilchrist said she’s also reached out to Osborne, and to the office of Victoria Liberal MP Will Greaves, but to no avail. In the latter case, Greaves’ office told her “we do not have the authority to overturn or appeal decisions made by IRCC.”
Said Gilchrist, “it just takes one person to say this is outrageous, and fix it.”
In what may come to stand as a grim new milestone in the state of Canadian public safety, Toronto has decided to start deploying officers clad in tactical gear to conspicuous locations. As Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw explained in a Tuesday press conference, with regular shooting attacks now being staged against Jewish sites and even the city’s U.S. consulate, a more “visible police presence” was needed to deter violence.
First Reading is a Canadian politics newsletter curated by the National Post’s own Tristin Hopper. To get an early version sent directly to your inbox, sign up here.
Share this Story : National Post Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.
Google’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold turned me into a foldable convert Foodies, sports fans and efficiency-seekers will find many things to love about Google’s latest foldable device 1 hour ago Tech
Google’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold turned me into a foldable convert
Foodies, sports fans and efficiency-seekers will find many things to love about Google’s latest foldable device
Best Amazon Spring Sale deals in Canada: Dyson, Apple and more A curated list of the best Amazon deals worth buying 2 hours ago Deals
Best Amazon Spring Sale deals in Canada: Dyson, Apple and more
A curated list of the best Amazon deals worth buying
Clothing brand COS launches Canadian website Eleven years after launching in Canada, the clothing brand COS has opened its official Canadian online store 17 hours ago Fashion & Beauty
Clothing brand COS launches Canadian website
Eleven years after launching in Canada, the clothing brand COS has opened its official Canadian online store
Advertisement 3Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.document.addEventListener(`DOMContentLoaded`,function(){let template=document.getElementById(`oop-ad-template`);if(template&&!template.dataset.adInjected){let clone=template.content.cloneNode(!0);template.replaceWith(clone),template.parentElement&&(template.parentElement.dataset.adInjected=`true`)}});
Shopping for a rug? An expert answers all your room-by-room questions What you need to consider—and measure—before buying a new area rug. 1 day ago Home Living
Shopping for a rug? An expert answers all your room-by-room questions
What you need to consider—and measure—before buying a new area rug.
We have an exclusive deal on Microsoft 365 Family Get a 1-year Microsoft 365 Family subscription on sale now 1 day ago Deals
We have an exclusive deal on Microsoft 365 Family
Get a 1-year Microsoft 365 Family subscription on sale now