Refugee PSW wants to help but is shut out of essential workers' residency program

After filling in the gaps for personal support workers by working with agencies in Hamilton during the worst of the pandemic, Jane, a failed refugee claimant from Uganda fleeing oppression for her sexual orientation, was eager to learn about the federal government's new pathway to permanent residence for healthcare workers. 

The program was introduced in April to keep skilled workers in Canada, part of a broader goal of accepting 401,000 new permanent residents this year.

But out of 20,000 spaces designated for healthcare workers, only 5,466 people had applied as of Oct. 21. Migrant rights advocates say that's because the parameters of the program are too restrictive, and there are many more immigrant healthcare workers who would love to apply but don't qualify. 

Jane, who identifies as a lesbian, came here in 2017, fleeing a homophobic and abusive relationship and a family that had disowned her due to her sexual orientation. In her home country, the law prohibits sex acts "against the order of nature," punishable by imprisonment, and many LGBTQ+ people remain closeted out of fear of social and physical reprisal. 

She made a refugee claim in Canada but was denied, leaving her to work and live without official immigration status.

Throughout the pandemic, Jane worked as an in-home personal support worker in the Hamilton area, and caught COVID-19 on the job.

"Very many PSWs were exposed to COVID," Jane, who didn't want her last name published because she fears deportation, told CBC Hamilton this week.

"I really risked my life going ahead to help another person. I've always loved to serve the community."

When she heard of the temporary resident to permanent resident pathway, with 20,000 spots designated for healthcare workers, she was elated, but her hopes dissolved when she learned it wasn't open to undocumented people or refugee claimants.

"It's just so sad," said Jane, who can no longer apply for new work now that her SIN number has expired, but feels she also can't return to Uganda. She is currently living with friends in Ontario, but has left Hamilton.

"I wish they would call one-on-one and hear our views [and] reconsider, as long as you worked and helped someone during the pandemic… I have prayed each day that maybe I would be reconsidered."

The temporary resident to permanent resident pathway has spaces for a total of 90,000 people with "work experience in Canada in an essential occupation or the health or health services field," or those who recently graduated from a Canadian post-secondary institution. While there are an unlimited number of spaces available for French-speaking applicants, the program limits for English-speakers have been exceeded for both recent graduates and essential workers outside the healthcare field. 

Alexander Cohen, press secretary with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), told CBC Hamilton the program is "the most inclusive and innovative programs ever launched by IRCC. Its size, speed and scope are unprecedented."

However, the program is set to expire Nov. 5 with more than 14,000 empty spaces in the healthcare section.