Stuck in limbo waiting to come to Canada
Family kept apart by pandemic is united, but youth still isolated
When Maria Luiza and her mother were four hours away from leaving Australia on a flight bound to Prince Edward Island, the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Borders closed. Australia, along with the world, went into lockdown.
One year later, the two finally boarded that flight from the blistering heat to the snow-covered streets of P.E.I., but the challenges behind them were only the tip of the iceberg.
“My mother and I were on our way to Prince Edward Island to reunite with my dad. He had his permanent resident visa in Canada and was there working. We hadn’t seen him in three years by the time we arrived in March 2021,” says Luiza, 18.
The separation had been difficult on the family, including bouncing from home to home while staying with friends for an extra, unplanned year in Australia.
“We had relocated to Australia from Brazil and were only meant to be there for one year,” explains Luiza.
“My dad had sent off our permanent residence visa applications before we arrived in Canada, so my mother could work, and I could potentially go to school. So, we were moving to have a better life with more opportunities.”
The process should have taken around 18 months. They had no idea they’d still be waiting 24 months later.
According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the backlog remained at 1.8 million persons as of Feb. 1.
The worst part, she says, is that they are not covered for health-care services.
“Only my father has a P.E.I. health card because of his visa. We do not have insurance that covers my mother and me, so it is a burden we are carrying on our shoulders while we wait in limbo,” Luiza says.
TOLL ON TEENS
The pandemic has brought challenges to people of all ages, isolating grandparents and young children, including overwhelming parents.
But for teens who are trapped at home, the pandemic has taken a huge mental toll.
They spend hours on social media, which can be a doubleedged sword, becoming indispensable and more dangerous.
For Luiza, social media has become the hub of where things are happening, as well as a black hole of constant scrolling and growing insecurities.
“Currently, I am completely isolated. I have no friends in Canada. So, I talk to my friends from Australia or Brazil on social media,” she says.
“But to be online all the time and not seeing people face to face is very hard. It is tiring to be on the screen and trying to reconnect with everyone, and social media can be a very negative place.”
According to a study by the University of Calgary published in the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics, new findings involving 80,000 youth worldwide show that depression and anxiety symptoms have doubled compared to prepandemic times.
The study found that “older adolescents and girls experienced the highest levels of depression and anxiety.”
Luiza, who once had a brimming social life, surrounded by school friends, family and plenty of activities, is now trying to navigate a vast change — one of disconnect.
“It has not been easy to adjust. I cannot go to school or work until my permanent residence visa arrives. Before the pandemic, the plan was for my family to connect with Islanders, feel a part of the community, and travel elsewhere in Canada,” she says.
“But I have spent so much time alone that I am now anxious to put myself out there as the restrictions loosen. I miss having friends, but it is daunting to meet people. I feel pressured to fit in. Also, I am quite shy when meeting new people, so it is twice as hard,” she says.
DON’T WORRY
Luiza believes, though, there’s a silver lining to the pandemic, despite the challenges and uncertainties.
The isolation has allowed her to think more about who she wants to be and is supposed to be without posing or putting up a front. These moments are unfiltered.
“I spend a lot more time with my family and greatly appreciate all that they do for me,” she says.
“And weirdly, through the pandemic, I came to know myself. I no longer pretend to appease someone, so there is self-awareness and confidence in that, and I have gained patience and compassion.”
She offers some wisdom: “If people can take one thing away from my story, it would be not to worry so much.”
You can catch up on your education, she adds, and work is not everything.
“Family, however, is the most important. And unfortunately, there will be negative people online — it can be a toxic environment, especially as we have seen in the pandemic — but good people do exist,” she says.
“Surround yourself with good people, as I hope to do when I can.”
Still, she’s looking forward to the new opportunities that come along with reopening after the two-year-long pandemic.
“I look forward to getting to know people my age on this Island,” she says. “It is a scary thought to put yourself out there, but I hope to make friends and once again feel a part of the community.”