The future is unknown for Dhruv Patel.
“It’s been a constant battle with (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) in regards to obtaining some type of insight as to where this application is heading or what agents are reviewing,” he said.
He has been trying to get his wife to Winnipeg on a spousal sponsorship for 15 months now, but said there has been no progress and very limited communication from the federal government.
“It is really tough to stay here,” he said. “The long-distance relationship, the costs associated with going back home… it is not feasible.”
Endless challenges seem to be surfacing for immigrants to Canada, like Patel’s spouse.
This has been most recently experienced in the country’s rocky relationship with India, and the federal announcement promising to reduce acceptance of new permanent residents by 21 per cent by next year.
On Oct. 24, Marc Miller, Canada’s immigration minster defended the reduction, saying, “These changes will make immigration work for our country so that everyone has access to the quality jobs, homes and supports they need to thrive. We have listened to Canadians, and we will continue to protect the integrity of our system and grow our population responsibly.”
Tony Siwicki, owner of Silver Heights Restaurant & Lounge, said many of his staff are subject to the woes Patel has been facing in immigration processes.
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“I have two kitchen crew — two girls from India — that have been with me since 2021. They were now forced to be off work since July, and it is now almost November, and they still have no idea when they’re allowed to return to work,” he said.
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“Both have rent, both have bills to pay, and both can’t make any money. I’m always asking them, ‘When can you come back?’ and they still say, ‘It’s still in processing,’” referring to their permanent residency (PR) application.
He said he also has a Mexican server that is out of work due to an application being processed, and two Nigerians who are trying to get their proof of residency.
“They’ve been here for a long time, and it’s any day now that they might be told that they can’t be working anymore,” he said.
Shaun Jeffrey, CEO of the Manitoba Food and Restaurants Association, noted it’s a hit the teetering industry just can’t afford.
“The culinary in industry in those rural parts of Manitoba are really, really impacted and require, you know, temporary foreign workers to maintain their business,” he said. “This was a decision that was made without any consultation… and unfortunately those decisions make significant challenges in our industry and are going to cause some businesses to cease to exist.”
But Patel said it’s also a hit many who want to see their loved ones can’t dig out of their wallets.
“There’s people out there who have been avoided for two and a half years, three years (and) there is no sign of that permanent residence application moving. Out of necessity, what a lot of individuals do, is they withdraw the complete application, lose out on the funds, and then resubmit a fresh application and go from there. And for some it works, and for some it doesn’t work,” he said.
“How many people are going to have the money to apply for a (Temporary Resident Visa) or spousal sponsorship multiple times? They’re not because they’re not $100 or $200. They’re thousands of dollars.”
With his wife’s PR application sitting the way it is, he said it may come down to leaving the country altogether. The uncertainty is just too high.
“Up until maybe two years ago, I never thought that was a possibility,” he said. “The people’s applications that are being approved, congratulations. Good on you guys. But it’s like a lucky draw. It’s like you either hit the bingo or you don’t,”
But he said he won’t easily give up trying to reunite with his wife in Canada, where he has been for the past 26 years.
