Sitting on his sofa, his eyes watering, Manon Tombi searches for his words. The sobbing voice, this Montrealer of French origin, with a soft Marseille accent, however refuses to dive.
I don’t have time to cry, otherwise everything falls aparthe confessed to his little house at Pointe-aux-Trembles.
This 31 -year -old young mother is still living in hell. Mourning. Administrative nightmare. And crying would be legitimate. Logical. But he resists.
Arriving in Quebec in 2011, Manon Tombi headed straight for a dream scenario. An almost perfect immigration. An ideal life.
A graduate of the University of Montreal in political science, he met his future wife, also French, in Quebec. In the summer of 2020, she gave birth to Marie-Rose, their second child, and then the couple patiently waited for her permanent residence. A happiness, finally, to come out in September.
A victim of leukemia who has not been diagnosed, Nicolas died at Notre-Dame Hospital. We thought he had COVID, but the antibiotic had no effect. He is getting worse. The ambulance arrived on Wednesday and he never returnedhe recalled.
the coup de grace from Immigration Canada
A few months later, Manon contacted Immigration Canada. I wanted to call them, update our file, let them know that my husband died., he says. But nothing goes according to plan.
An agent told me over the phone that there was no procedure in this casehe says.
But the shock, brutal, happened shortly after, in the spring of 2021, when he learned of a letter sent by this same ministry. A new tragedy.
Immigration Canada informs him that his permanent residence file is farm. Nicolas is the main applicant, there is no eligibility for spousecan we read in this document.
A chief plaintiff must be placed on file. It’s the lottery, it’s him or me. For us, nothing changed at that timehe explained.
This is the coup de grace. I’ve just gotten rid of all this heritage stuff and I’m 10,000 leagues away from hoping for it.regret this project coordinator in the field of communication.
” You’re trying to recover from bereavement, to live again as best you can, then there’s endless legal confusion, with Immigration Canada, bringing you back here. “
Even though he speaks French, is qualified and already working in Quebec, Manon should finally Start again. And face severe administrative pitfalls.
His certificate of choice in Quebec has expired, he is also forced to start the provincial stage again. His work permit, meanwhile, has expired.
Like his son, who was born in France, so lost his rights of access to Quebec health insurance. I did everything, I called my MP’s office, but no one could help me. I’m trying to explain my case to RAMQ. I was in a gray area and in the indicated status. But there is no guarantee whatsoever.
” Now, for immigration, I don’t. However, I work, I pay my taxes, my son plays baseball and I still have a survivor’s pension. “
How does he feel? It’s stressful“he said, his hands shaking. What do I do if my child needs to be hospitalized? Or me? I could not even leave the territory.
But out of the question, he claims, to cross the Atlantic again. Everyone thought we would return our suitcases, but our lives are here. We have a house, a mortgage, friends here. I built everything in Quebec and my daughter is Canadian.
The situation absurd
From now on, Manon Tombi will probably have to wait a long time before getting his permanent residence. Processing times for skilled workers in Quebec, which were estimated at 28 months at the beginning of the year, climbed to 31 months, according to data available on the Immigration Canada website.
In his eyes, this ministry was never Look [son] case. I feel like I don’t have to deal with people, who can just hide my name in the original file and cross out my husband’s name. I do not understandhe repeats, still unable to believe.
This is completely absurdassures Stéphanie Valois, president of the Quebec Association of Immigration Lawyers (AQAADI).
” Immigration Canada must show more common sense and compassion. “
This is pure bureaucracy, he added. There are exceptional circumstances, like this one, where the department must be flexible.
A feeling shared by Le Québec c’est nous aussi. This is a symptom of an inflexible systemjudge Claire Launey, the spokesperson of this organization that helps immigrants.
” People are not numbers. You have to show humanity. “
Unfortunately, this is not surprising, he believes. Immigration Canada forgot that behind a file, there is family and consequences. The model used by this ministry must evolve. It is no longer suitable for the people who already live here, who have their own lives here.
Standing in front of his staircase, Manon Tombi made one last request, aloud. I don’t really know what awaits me, but I hope that one day it will all stop.
Source: Radio-Canada
