Immigration rules hamper health-care recruitment, nurse says after permanent residency application rejected
CBC
A nurse in Winnipeg says Canada's immigration system is undercutting efforts to address a shortage of health-care workers, after his application for permanent residency was rejected based on a technicality.
Matt Ushakov said he was shocked when he got a letter last month saying his application had been refused because he didn't list his job duties, and therefore provided "insufficient evidence" he worked as a nurse.
A letter from Shared Health, Manitoba's provincial health agency, included as part of Ushakov's application package states he was hired at St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg in January 2024, and is a permanent employee. The letter said his job title was "registered nurse."
His rejection from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said there was "insufficient evidence" of his job duties in his application.
"I think for a lot of people, there is no confusion when it comes to what a registered nurse does within hospital grounds," said Ushakov, 25.
"As far as the immigration services, it looks like they're looking for a detailed description of what we do."
Ushakov is originally from Russia, but went to high school in British Columbia and studied nursing at the University of Manitoba.
His work permit is set to expire in October. He said his plan is to apply for another permit so he can stay in Canada long enough to reapply for permanent residency — a process that can take several months and for which he would have to pay fees.
The current fee to process a permanent residency application alone is $950.
"If instead of refusing my application outright, the officer would have just requested additional documents … by now, I would have probably had my permanent residency," Ushakov said.
"Instead, I have to go through all these hoops. And it's very stressful."
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said in a statement Ushakov's application was rejected because "the reviewing officer was not satisfied they met the skilled work experience requirement" for the type of application he made.
Officers with the department "assess each application on a case-by-case basis against program requirements" and criteria set out in legislation, the statement from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada communications adviser Jeffrey MacDonald said.
A request to reconsider Ushakov's application was received earlier this month and a review is pending, the statement said.
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