Canadian immigration 'ongoing battle' for Manitoba man and restaurants – Winnipeg
The future is unknown for Dhruv Patel.
“It's been a constant battle (with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) in terms of getting some sort of understanding of where this application is going or which review agents,” he said.
He has been trying to get his wife to Winnipeg with spousal support for 15 months now, but he said there has been no progress and limited communication from the federal government.
“It's really hard to live here,” he said. “Long-distance relationships, costs associated with returning home … impossible.”
Endless challenges seem to befall immigrants in Canada, like Patel's partner.
This comes in the wake of the country's rocky relationship with India, and a government announcement promising to cut admissions of new permanent residents by 21 percent next year.
On October 24, Marc Miller, Canada's immigration minister defended the cuts, saying, “These changes will make it easier for immigrants to work for our country so everyone can get the quality jobs, homes and support they need to succeed. We have listened to Canadians, and we will continue to protect the integrity of our system and grow our population responsibly. “
Tony Siwicki, the owner of Silver Heights Restaurant & Lounge, said that most of his employees are dealing with the ordeal that Patel faced in the immigration process.
“I have two kitchen workers – two girls from India – who have been with me since 2021. Now they have been forced to be unemployed since July, and now it will be the end of November, and they don't know when they will be allowed back to work,” he said.
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“They both have rent, they both have bills to pay, and they both can't make money. I always ask them, 'When can you come back?' and they still say, 'Under processing,'” referring to their application for permanent residency (PR).
He said he also has a Mexican server that is down due to an application being processed, as well as two Nigerians trying to get proof of residency.
“They have been here for a long time, and any day now they may be told that they can no longer work,” he said.
Shaun Jeffrey, CEO of the Manitoba Food and Restaurants Association, noted that the transportation industry cannot afford it.
“Industries in the industry in those rural areas of Manitoba have been really affected and they need, you know, temporary foreign workers to take care of their business,” he said. “This was a decision that was made without consultation … and unfortunately those decisions create major challenges for our industry and will cause other businesses to cease to exist.”
But Patel said it is also a hit song for many who want to see their loved ones without being able to take out their bags.
“There are people who have been avoided for two and a half years, three years (and) there are no signs that the application for permanent residence is going away. Out of necessity, what many people do, is to cancel a complete application, lose money, then resubmit a new application and go from there. And for some it works, for others it doesn't,” he said.
“How many people will have the money to apply (Temporary Resident Visa) or spousal sponsorship multiple times? It's not because it's not $100 or $200. It's thousands of dollars.”
Since his wife's PR request is still as it is, he said it may come to the point that he will leave the country completely. Uncertainty is very high.
“Until maybe two years ago, I never thought that was possible,” he said. “People's requests that are approved, I congratulate you. Good night guys. But it's like a lucky draw. It's like you hit bingo or you don't,”
But he said he will not give up easily trying to reunite with his wife in Canada, where he has been for 26 years.
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