My wife and I continue to wait to find out when we can finally be together. We have been living in limbo without any updates from the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) since December. Without knowing the status of her application to finally come join me in Canada, we have no idea how much longer we will have to wait to start the life we have dreamed of together.

While apart for so long, the process is lonely and difficult to bear. I know many others are in similar, or worse, positions as well - I’ve heard from people waiting over 3 years. People are forced to wait without any idea about the status of their application. Most of us are not even able to see each other. Traveling to our home countries is expensive and the temporary entry-visas our loved ones have applied for have been rejected.  

As of May, Canada had a backlog of more than 2.7 million immigration applications, up from 1.8 million in March.

These are not just numbers. They are individuals waiting —in the dark— to start a new life. I bet every one of these 2.7 million people wake up every day wondering when they will receive news about their application, and lose sleep at night wondering if their application will be accepted.

We are petitioning Minister of Immigration Sean Fraser and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and all the concerned authorities.  Please sign to join us to ask that they: 

Clear the backlog which continues to grow and now has over 2.7 million people waiting;

Expedite visa applications and issue Temporary Resident Permits (TRPs) to facilitate family reunifications as soon as possible; 

Provide transparency and updates about the processing time that people should expect. At the very least, people deserve to be able to ask questions, receive answers, and know how long they will be expected to wait.

IRCC is not available to be reached on their contact number or any online platform. They are slow and unresponsive, while people’s lives depend on their answers. In the meantime, Canadian immigrants are suffering from being separated from their loved ones. Families and loved ones are struggling to cope with the mental torment of being separated for so long. Many immigrants are already considering leaving Canada permanently and many potential immigrants are disregarding Canada as their country of choice to migrate to precisely due to this reason.

Canada has always been a haven for Immigrants and people trying to escape hardships or violence in their home countries. Canadians have consistently welcomed immigrants and refugees with open arms.

Please join me in calling on Sean Fraser to ensure that the IRCC treats people applying to come to Canada with a level of basic respect and decency.