André Lefort fell in love with a Colombian woman he met on a dating website in 2014. Nine years and a pandemic later, he and his partner decided to break up and move on with their lives. in Quebec.
Posted at 5:00 am.
But your project is blocked. Processing times for including your foreign spouse are exploding in Quebec. They last 27 months, twice as long as in other Canadian provinces.
For what ? Because Quebec limits the number of permanent immigrants it wants to accept through family reunification. The quota for 2023 is 10,500 out of a total of 52,500 permanent immigrants.
While the federal government, which administers permanent residence, has the capacity to process files, it cannot exceed “the number of 10,500.”
All the people who feel abandoned, it’s not Canada’s fault. It is Quebec that sets its own standards.
Bahoz Dara Aziz, press secretary to Immigration Minister Marc Miller
Result: Since there are more applications for family reunification than available places, the number of families waiting for a decision on family reunification is increasing. According to data provided to La Presse by Quebec’s Ministry of Immigration, Francisization and Integration (MIFI), it reached 38,800.
Emotional impact
“I have a permanent position at Hydro-Québec. I make a good living. I am able to support my wife,” says Mr. Lefort, 64, who married Doris Ribero Gualdron, 60, on March 20, 2022.
It’s already been a year since the couple submitted their sponsorship application. Ms. Ribero Gualdron received her Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ) in March 2023. “We can’t talk to any agent,” complains Mr. Lefort. Nobody can tell me how many months I have left. »
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ANDRÉ LEFORT
André Lefort and his wife Doris Ribero Gualdron
And during that time, processing times for Quebec have increased: 12 months in fall 2022, 16 months at the beginning of the year, 24 months in June, then 27 months in October.
Behind these statistics are difficult family situations and real emotional impacts. Contrary to popular belief, most people who apply for family reunification do not seek to bring their parents or grandparents with them. More than 84% of inquiries relate to spouses and children.
“27 months of waiting when it comes to your children, your wife or your partner is a very, very long time and it really poses a problem for these people who shouldn’t be penalized in terms of the delays because they “in Quebec,” explains lawyer Laurence Trempe, co-president of the Association of Immigration Lawyers of Quebec.
give birth “via messenger”.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Mylène Ronco and her two sons Nolan, 4 years old, and Lévi, 17 months old
André Lefort is therefore not the only one who has to deal with the caps imposed by Quebec. This also applies to Mylène Ronco, a Montrealer who is married to a Colombian, Luis Eduardo Rhenals, with whom she has two children. His funding application was submitted in April 2022.
“I moved to Colombia in 2017 because I wanted to experience new adventures, and that’s how we met,” she explains.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY FAMILY
Mylène Ronco and Luis Eduardo Rhenals on their wedding day in December 2021. In the middle is their son Nolan.
The couple had their first child in 2019. A second child followed in 2022, after two years of separation due to the pandemic.
Ms. Ronco gave birth to her child alone in Quebec both times, with her husband’s virtual presence “via Messenger.”
It is still very cruel to convince yourself that you are spending these moments, which are the most important moments of your life, at a distance.
Mylene Ronco
The family has lived together for 13 months. Ms. Ronco returned to Quebec with her two sons on October 20, at the end of her maternity leave. Her husband stayed behind due to lack of a visa.
“I took 18 months of maternity leave, including six months without pay, because the deadline to bring my husband to Quebec was 16 months,” she explains. I thought we could get back together. I didn’t want to break up the family again because we would be torn apart every time we left. I still travel several times a year to visit my husband when I’m in Canada. »
But processing times “suddenly” increased to 25 months, Ms. Ronco said. “It still unsettled us, it caused a lot of stress. It is not easy. »
“He wants his mother”
Joane Alexandre, a Haitian woman whose husband is a Quebecer of Haitian descent, experiences a similar situation. The couple have been together for 14 years and have a 6-year-old son who has been living with his father in Laval for two years due to the humanitarian crisis in Haiti. Your sponsorship request is from June 2022.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY FAMILY
Joane Alexandre and her son, then 4 years old
“I have already received my Quebec selection certificate. I did the medical exam and biometrics. But we haven’t had any news since March. I sent the police certificate. We didn’t even receive a message. Nothing at all. “It doesn’t move,” complains Ms. Alexandre, who says she was the victim of an attempted kidnapping from her home in January. “The file is locked. We applied for a visa but received nothing. Our child is not adapting, he is stressed, he wants to go back to Haiti, he wants his mother. »
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Ralph Alcide and his son
Her husband, Ralph Alcide, a Canadian citizen of many years, works in the construction industry in the Montreal area. He has to leave the house at 4 a.m. every morning.
“It’s a very difficult situation, especially with my son, who always asks me about his mother,” he admits. Did his mother abandon him? Why can’t we visit her? Why can’t she come to us? I have to take care of all this and his school. I often have difficulty finding someone to help me. Sometimes I have to give up my working days, I have no other choice. »
Learn more
52.2% Proportion of people sponsored in Quebec who knew French at the time of selection.
Source: Quebec Ministry of Immigration, Frenchization and Integration