Tri\u00adstin Hop\u00adper<\/p>\n\n\n\n
25 Mar 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just as Canada\u2019s immig\u00adra\u00adtion sys\u00adtem is wracked by rev\u00adel\u00ada\u00adtions of unchecked fraud, it seems to have found time to threaten a Scot\u00adtish mid\u00adwife with deport\u00ada\u00adtion on the grounds she didn\u2019t suf\u00adfi\u00adciently prove she can speak Eng\u00adlish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heather Gil\u00adchrist, 58, speaks Eng\u00adlish as her mother tongue, and even com\u00adpleted the man\u00addat\u00adory $330 cer\u00adti\u00adfic\u00ada\u00adtion course to prove as much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But she told National Post a tech\u00adnical glitch pre\u00adven\u00adted the cer\u00adti\u00adfic\u00ada\u00adtion from reach\u00ading immig\u00adra\u00adtion author\u00adit\u00adies, res\u00adult\u00ading in the sur\u00adprise with\u00addrawal of her work per\u00admit earlier this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A March 14 let\u00adter from an IRCC case officer told her they weren\u2019t sat\u00adis\u00adfied she could speak Eng\u00adlish, that her legal status had been with\u00addrawn, and that she had 90 days to leave the coun\u00adtry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you do not leave Canada vol\u00adun\u00adtar\u00adily, enforce\u00adment action may be taken against you,\u201d it reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI had just lit\u00ader\u00adally come off an on-call shift,\u201d said Gil\u00adchrist, who has been work\u00ading as a registered mid\u00adwife in Vic\u00adtoria, B.C., since Septem\u00adber.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A 10-year vet\u00aderan of mid\u00adwifery in the U.K., Gil\u00adchrist first came to Canada in Octo\u00adber 2024, and obtained cer\u00adti\u00adfic\u00ada\u00adtion as a B.C. mid\u00adwife after com\u00adplet\u00ading a bridging pro\u00adgram at the Uni\u00adversity of Brit\u00adish Columbia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have hun\u00addreds of babies behind me, and I\u2019m good at what I do,\u201d said Gil\u00adchrist, who estim\u00adated that she\u2019s spent $60,000 on the costs of mov\u00ading to Canada and obtain\u00ading Cana\u00addian cer\u00adti\u00adfic\u00ada\u00adtion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What\u2019s sud\u00addenly put all of it in jeop\u00adardy is one of the most infam\u00adous com\u00adpon\u00adents of the Cana\u00addian immig\u00adra\u00adtion pro\u00adcess, at least for immig\u00adrants from Anglo\u00adphone coun\u00adtries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most Cana\u00addian immig\u00adra\u00adtion streams require proof of a com\u00adpleted CELPIP (Cana\u00addian Eng\u00adlish Lan\u00adguage<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pro\u00adfi\u00adciency Index Pro\u00adgram). It\u2019s a roughly three-hour test requir\u00ading the applic\u00adant to prove that they can read and under\u00adstand Eng\u00adlish, and there is no exemp\u00adtion for the thou\u00adsands of Cana\u00addian immig\u00adrants each year who speak it as a nat\u00adive tongue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s three-and-a-half hours of your life you\u2019re never get\u00adting back,\u201d said Gil\u00adchrist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gil\u00adchrist did indeed pass her CELPIP with fly\u00ading col\u00adours. But in the online applic\u00ada\u00adtion for a post-gradu\u00adate work per\u00admit, she says there was no prompt to sub\u00admit it. As such, she assumed it was unne\u00adces\u00adsary, or that the test centre who admin\u00adistered her CELPIP had already for\u00adwar\u00added the res\u00adults to IRCC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And Gil\u00adchrist wouldn\u2019t be the first to say as much. Online immig\u00adra\u00adtion for\u00adums are filled with com\u00adplaints from fel\u00adlow post-gradu\u00adate applic\u00adants say\u00ading that their per\u00admits were rejec\u00adted due to tech\u00adnical dif\u00adfi\u00adculties in sub\u00admit\u00adting a com\u00adpleted CELPIP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy PGWP was refused on March 10 due to miss\u00ading lan\u00adguage pro\u00adfi\u00adciency test res\u00adult. I did attach the doc\u00adu\u00adment but appar\u00adently it wasn\u2019t shown in my applic\u00ada\u00adtion,\u201d reads an anonym\u00adous March 18 post on a pub\u00adlic Face\u00adbook group for post-gradu\u00adate applic\u00adants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A recent post on the web\u00adsite Justlaw details the exper\u00adi\u00adence of an immig\u00adrant in exactly Gil\u00adchrist\u2019s situ\u00adation: The sud\u00adden loss of work and res\u00adid\u00adency status because of miss\u00ading CELPIP res\u00adults. \u201cI did not see a clear option to upload lan\u00adguage test doc\u00adu\u00adment\u00ada\u00adtion, so I was unaware that the score report had not been included in my applic\u00ada\u00adtion,\u201d it reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Ontario-based immig\u00adra\u00adtion con\u00adsultancy Eff\u00adiz\u00adient Immig\u00adra\u00adtion encountered the prob\u00adlem so often that they pro\u00adfiled it in a Feb. 28 You\u00adtube video. \u201cEven though many applic\u00adants had com\u00adpleted the test before apply\u00ading, the doc\u00adu\u00adment was not uploaded cor\u00adrectly due to unclear instruc\u00adtions,\u201d reads a descrip\u00adtion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Change.org peti\u00adtion call\u00ading out the CELPIP glitch has 1,600 sig\u00adna\u00adtures. It includes images of online IRCC applic\u00ada\u00adtion forms, show\u00ading that lan\u00adguage res\u00adults were not included in a check\u00adlist of required doc\u00adu\u00adment\u00ada\u00adtion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMany affected stu\u00addents had no way to attach the doc\u00adu\u00adment in their applic\u00ada\u00adtion, nor were they given a second chance to sub\u00admit it \u2014 even though the lan\u00adguage test res\u00adults pred\u00adated the applic\u00ada\u00adtion date and were avail\u00adable if reques\u00adted,\u201d reads the peti\u00adtion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As of press time, the prob\u00adlem doesn\u2019t appear to have been fixed. The online form for a post-gradu\u00adate work per\u00admit now fea\u00adtures the warn\u00ading \u201cdue to sys\u00adtem lim\u00adit\u00ada\u00adtions, the doc\u00adu\u00adment check\u00adlist won\u2019t ask you to provide lan\u00adguage test res\u00adults or proof that you gradu\u00adated from an eli\u00adgible field of study.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Applic\u00adants are instead told to upload these doc\u00adu\u00adments as part of a \u201ccli\u00adent inform\u00ada\u00adtion\u201d portal that is sep\u00adar\u00adate from their applic\u00ada\u00adtion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And due to tech\u00adnical dif\u00adfi\u00adculties, the doc\u00adu\u00adments can only be uploaded in the form of a single PDF. Upload\u00ading more than one will auto\u00admat\u00adic\u00adally delete the first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Gil\u00adchrist, she says the whole mis\u00adun\u00adder\u00adstand\u00ading could have been patched up with a simple email from the IRCC; a notice of miss\u00ading doc\u00adu\u00adment\u00ada\u00adtion, which she could have imme\u00addi\u00adately for\u00adwar\u00added in an email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead, after 250 days of silence from the IRCC, the next she heard was that her applic\u00ada\u00adtion had been rejec\u00adted and her res\u00adid\u00adency status had been pulled effect\u00adive imme\u00addi\u00adately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSince you have not provided any doc\u00adu\u00adment\u00ada\u00adtion to demon\u00adstrate the min\u00adimum lan\u00adguage pro\u00adfi\u00adciency, your applic\u00ada\u00adtion is refused,\u201d reads the let\u00adter, signed by \u201cOfficer SV.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The let\u00adter came far too late, said Gil\u00adchrist, to apply for a work per\u00admit via a dif\u00adfer\u00adent avenue. As such, she\u2019s had to hand off her vari\u00adous mid\u00adwife cases to co-work\u00aders and enter into a mad scramble to appeal the decision before she faces pos\u00adsible deport\u00ada\u00adtion in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s something majorly wrong here. One hand does not know what the other hand is doing,\u201d said Gil\u00adchrist. \u201cI\u2019m not ask\u00ading for favours, I just want it to be fair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gil\u00adchrist\u2019s case has garnered head\u00adlines in both B.C. and Scot\u00adtish media, but she says that so far, the only response she\u2019s been able to obtain from the IRCC is a form let\u00adter inform\u00ading her that she failed to prove her Eng\u00adlish pro\u00adfi\u00adciency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIRCC under\u00adstands the dis\u00adap\u00adpoint\u00adment that comes with a refused applic\u00ada\u00adtion. However, this office can\u00adnot provide any inform\u00ada\u00adtion or details regard\u00ading the reas\u00adons for a refusal other than the inform\u00ada\u00adtion provided in the refusal let\u00adter,\u201d it reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gil\u00adchrist\u2019s sud\u00adden ejec\u00adtion from B.C. mid\u00adwif\u00ading is awk\u00adwardly occur\u00adring amid a pub\u00adlic push by the B.C. gov\u00adern\u00adment to attract for\u00adeign tal\u00adent into its health sec\u00adtor. In June, B.C. Health Min\u00adis\u00adter Josie Osborne trum\u00adpeted a new pro\u00adgram to fast-track the recruit\u00adment of \u201cinter\u00adna\u00adtional\u201d health pro\u00adfes\u00adsions, includ\u00ading doc\u00adtors from the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSince the cam\u00adpaign began, more than 2,250 doc\u00adtors, nurse prac\u00adti\u00adtion\u00aders, nurses and allied health pro\u00adfes\u00adsion\u00adals have signed up for webinars and expressed interest in work\u00ading in B.C.,\u201d read a state\u00adment at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s also iron\u00adic\u00adally occur\u00adring amid a series of pub\u00adlic scan\u00addals reveal\u00ading the lax\u00adity of IRCC screen\u00ading and pro\u00adcessing. Just on Monday, an Aud\u00aditor Gen\u00aderal\u2019s report found that although more than 150,000 for\u00adeign nation\u00adals may have entered the coun\u00adtry under fraud\u00adu\u00adlent stu\u00addent visas in recent years, only 4,000 of those were ever invest\u00adig\u00adated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gil\u00adchrist said she\u2019s also reached out to Osborne, and to the office of Vic\u00adtoria Lib\u00aderal MP Will Greaves, but to no avail. In the lat\u00adter case, Greaves\u2019 office told her \u201cwe do not have the author\u00adity to over\u00adturn or appeal decisions made by IRCC.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Said Gil\u00adchrist, \u201cit just takes one per\u00adson to say this is out\u00adrageous, and fix it.\u201d (National Post, March 25, 2026)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Scottish mid\u00adwife faces deport\u00ada\u00adtion from Canada over Eng\u00adlish cre\u00adden\u00adtials [From at least 1965, the Laurentian elite’s game plan is to replace Canada’s European founding\/settler people with a Third World majority. Back in Pierre Trudeau’s time, immigration offices in the British Isles and Europe were closed — don’t want too many of THOSE sorts of people. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3500,3499],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadafirst.nfshost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4956"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadafirst.nfshost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadafirst.nfshost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadafirst.nfshost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadafirst.nfshost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4956"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/canadafirst.nfshost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4956\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4960,"href":"https:\/\/canadafirst.nfshost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4956\/revisions\/4960"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadafirst.nfshost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadafirst.nfshost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadafirst.nfshost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}