Systemic problems blamed for immigration backlogs
Delays affecting child adoption
Systemic problems plaguing Canada Immigration has created a backlog of immigrants, including delaying adoptions from the Democratic Republic of Congo by couples from across the country, including Alberta, Green party leader Elizabeth May says.
May said 85 per cent of the complaints handled by her constituency office in British Columbia are immigration-related, and are difficult to resolve.
“It is part of a whole shift of immigration policy that has occurred over a number of years,” the MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands, said. “(Government’s) priority went from processing applications for family reunification to people with money and a certain skill set.
“(Canada Immigration) needs to revisit the idea. Either they lack resources or personnel, or have been instructed to just say no. It’s a terrible situation, and it is just heartbreaking.”
May recently wrote to Immigration Minister Chris Alexander, joining a list of Opposition members who have asked him to intervene on behalf of adopted Congolese children who have been prevented from joining their Canadian families by a bureaucratic snag.
In short, Congolese officials are demanding that Canada provide visas for the children to receive exit letters — at the same time Canadian officials are demanding exit letters from the Congolese government before they will grant the children visas.
“It is kind of a cart-and-horse situation, and I don’t think it is a justifiable reason to hold up the process,” said Scott Bell, an immigration lawyer representing an Alberta couple. Josh and Cindy Nichol of Mean ook completed their son Christopher’s adoption nearly 18 months ago but remain unable to retrieve him from the Congo. “Once a visa is issued, the children will be in a greatly improved situation to get an exit letter.
“It seems like a pretty clear task that needs to be done.”
Ten other Canadian families are also waiting for visas for Congolese children whose adoptions became legal more than a year ago.
Canada Immigration officials deny that a change in policy has led to any backlogs, and say there has been no change in the number of officers processing intercountry adoption files.
“Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s mandate has not changed,” Jean-Bruno Villeneuve, a department spokesman, said. “The number of inter-country adoptions C.I.C. processes annually is not in any way related to our economic immigration or family-class immigration levels. Inter-country adoption is a complex, lengthy process and processing times are related to the complexity of the application.”
Codie Taylor, a spokesperson for Immigration Minister Alexander, said processing times to reunify families are improving and that backlogs are being reduced. She called Opposition critics’ claims on immigration matters not credible.
“We have no lessons to take from Opposition parties that have consistently voted against our investments to strengthen the integrity of our immigration system while also improving wait times and client service,” Taylor said.
In recent months, Alexander has received letters from May, NDP MPs Lysanne Blanchette-Lamothe of Quebec and Jasbir Sandhu of Surrey North, and Alberta Wildrose Party leader Danielle Smith. Sandhu also broached the subject during Question Period on Oct. 9.
“I just think it is one of those unfortunate situations where there is a bureaucratic Catch-22,” Smith said. “It seems like a common-sense solution would bring a lot of joy to peoples’ lives.
“It would be wonderful if (Canada Immigration) could resolve this through a quick change in policy.”
Edmonton Strathcona MP Linda Duncan said the NDP has continuously raised concerns about cuts made to immigration services, and at delays in helping reunify families.
“These are really tough kinds of cases,” Duncan said. “We want proper screening, but on the other hand want things to move at a reasonable pace when children are in a dire situation and there are people wanting to help them. This government needs to step up to the plate and fast-track cases.”