A British midwife, who relocated to Canada seeking a new beginning following the passing of her spouse, now faces possible deportation to the UK due to an English language test issue.
Heather Gilchrist, a certified midwife residing in Victoria, British Columbia, finds her professional and personal life in disarray after Canadian immigration authorities claimed she neglected to include her language test in her residency application.
Gilchrist, originally from Perthshire and fluent in English, asserts that she completed the required test last July but encountered no option to submit her results.
Furthermore, she mentions that the application checklist did not reference the necessity of the language test at all.
This oversight has resulted in the cancellation of her work permit, potentially leading to her expulsion from Canada, as Gilchrist explained to CityNews.
Educated at the University of Glasgow, Gilchrist has established a thriving career, having trained twice as many midwives in Scotland as those currently registered in British Columbia. Despite this, immigration officials have seemingly disregarded her extensive experience.
‘It just doesn’t make any sense, and I just need someone to lift their head and understand that it can’t be this faceless system,’ she told the outlet.
‘You have someone as qualified as myself, and you’re pushing them out the door.’
Heather Gilchrist could be deported back to the UK from Canada because of an English language test error on her immigration application
She moved to Canada after her husband died, starting a new life in a new country
The ‘How to Apply’ web page on the government’s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) site for post-graduate work permits has since added a note that tells people how the test must be uploaded upon application submission, but that was only added in December.
The disclaimer wasn’t there when a number of people applied and were later denied because they did not include their results, like Gilchrist.
The issue became so dire that a Change.org petition pushing to end the ‘unfair PGWP refusals by IRCC,’ and to reinstate applicants who were rejected over the language test, has been launched online.
As of Monday afternoon, more than 1,487 people signed the petition.
Because of her denial, Gilchrist had to immediately stop practicing, leaving her life in limbo.
‘You are going to have me leave, and yet you seem so proud of the people you’re attracting,’ she said as the news of her citizenship ordeal came after the Ministry of Health announced its progress in recruiting health professionals from America.
Gilchrist added: ‘I’m already here, and now I have to leave? Doesn’t make any sense.’
She said midwives often get overlooked, especially when compared to nurses and doctors.
The Midwives Collective, a maternity clinic Gilchrist works for, has since taken to social media, urging the public to send a letter asking federal immigration officials to reinstate her visa (Pictured: Gilchrist with her co-workers)
‘We’re not like doctors or nurses where there’s a red carpet to welcome you in,’ Gilchrist said. ‘Midwives fall through the cracks a little.’
The IRCC told the outlet that people who have been denied can apply again for reconsideration, and that they are working on making the language test uploads more understandable.
But Gilchrist has already shelled out $60,000 to start her new life in B.C. and can’t afford to wait and see what will happen next for her and her patients.
‘That phrase about throwing the baby out with the bathwater seems more relevant than ever as a midwife, because that’s what’s happening right now,’ she stated.
The Midwives Collective, a maternity clinic Gilchrist works for, has since taken to social media, urging the public to send a letter asking federal immigration officials to reinstate her visa.
Gilchrist has already shelled out $60,000 to start her new life in B.C. and can’t afford to wait and see what will happen next for her and her patients
‘One of our amazing midwives, Heather Gilchrist, had her work visa immediately revoked and may have to leave the country after a bureaucratic government bungle,’ the group wrote on Facebook.
‘Heather is an experienced, exceptional midwife- please help us get the word out to pressure federal immigration to re-instate her visa. Please send the linked letter in the URL in our bio (and comments) and share this widely. Her full story can be watched in the news clip in our bio. Thank you!’
Gilchrist has tried contacting the Ministry herself to figure out the next steps, but she has not heard back, she said.
‘What do I do? How do I… where do I go from here? It’s just not a good reflection of how I feel about being in Canada. Sorry,’ she continued.
The Daily Mail contacted the Ministry of Health for comment.
