Still Awaiting Reunion: Refugee Stuck After Six Years, Seeks Family Members

Still Awaiting Reunion: Refugee Stuck After Six Years, Seeks Family Members

Rodney, a former Haitian cop turned refugee in Montreal, laments the years he's missed with his family. Six years has passed since he last saw his children - from a baby to a near-adult and a young adult - as he nervously awaits permanent residency in Canada.

After three grueling years and escaping the United States to avoid deportation, Rodney was finally recognized as a refugee by Canada. Emails and threats of arson drove him to leave Haiti in 2019. His wife and kids are now fending for themselves in a camp in Petionville without access to basic necessities like water and electricity.

Rodney's rented apartment sits empty in Montreal North, with only a few portraits trying to brighten the white walls and an unused children's room. The endless wait has dragged on due to the escalating delays in granting permanent residence, which now stand at a minimum of 45 months for individuals and 50 months for dependents, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Quebec's annual refugee intake cap of 3,500, as dictated by the Canada-Quebec Agreement, has contributed to these delays.

Quebec isn't the only province suffering from immigration bottlenecks. Presently, Quebec has 42,000 applications in the pipeline, leading to a projected waiting period of 12 years to clear the backlog. This has sparked concerns among advocates like Stephanie Valois, co-president of the Quebec Association of Immigration Lawyers, who argue that such waits are unreasonable and can negatively impact parent-child bonds.

The urgency is especially high for children like Rodney's. In hope of expediting matters, Rodney has reached out to IRCC regarding his family's situation and the threats they face, but has yet to hear a response. With no administrative support, he's struggling to fully integrate into Quebec life, aching for the missing part of himself.

Rodney's family had their temporary stay permit application denied last week, dashing their hopes. The hardest part for him is the uncertainty: "Will it be another year, two years? We don't know."

The state's slow processing times are a significant concern for Rodney's family, especially his children. As Valois points out, a wealth of studies emphasize the impact on the parent-child relationship. "Who could accept being separated from their children for that long?"

While Canada doesn't provide explicit refugee-specific PR processing times, Quebec's lengthy family sponsorship times hint at systemic delays in their immigration system that could potentially affect other streams, including refugees. Until he can reunite with his family, Rodney imagines their long-awaited reunion, vowing to make up for lost time.

Written by Sarah Champagne

Additional Readings- Family reunification in immigration, "less controversial than thought"- 1% of permanent immigrants is too much for Quebec, according to the Bloc- Even longer waiting lists for immigrant files in Quebec- A comparison of family sponsorship PR times outside Quebec: In comparison to Quebec's high spousal/common-law sponsorship (36 months)[1] and other provinces' unstated timelines, Dutch permanent residence processing for spouses prepared by government agencies takes a mere 3 months, while New Zealand grants it in under 8 months, reflecting more efficient processing systems[3].

Sources Cited:

[1] Government of Canada. (n.d.). Table 2: Processing times for spouses and partners. Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/family-sponsorship/family-class/spouses/table-2-processing-times-spouses-partners.html[2] Government of Canada. (2025, March). IRCC Immigration and Refugee Protection Manual: Operational instructions. Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/immigration-refugee-protection/irpm/table-5-1-1-processing-times-spouses-partners.html[3] Government of the Netherlands. (n.d.). Foreign national spouses. Retrieved from https://ind.nl/en/naturalisation/Pages/foreign-national-spouses.aspxImmigration New Zealand. (n.d.). Partner of a resident. Retrieved from https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/apply-for-a-visa/about-visa/partner-of-a-resident/

1. Rodney, now a refugee in Montreal, spends his days in a rented apartment filled with portraits and an unused children's room, as he yearns for permanent residency in Canada.
2. The endless wait for permanent residency in Canada has been dragging on due to the escalating delays in granting it, as revealed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), with 45 months for individuals and 50 months for dependents.
3. Quebec isn't alone in dealing with immigration bottlenecks, as the province has 42,000 applications in the pipeline and a projected waiting period of 12 years to clear the backlog, which has raised concerns among advocates like Stephanie Valois.
4. Rodney has contacted IRCC regarding his family's situation and the threats they face, but has yet to receive a response, leaving him struggling to fully integrate into Quebec life.
5. Valois argues that such long waits can negatively impact parent-child bonds, especially for children like Rodney's, and there's a wealth of studies highlighting this impact on the parent-child relationship.
6. Until he can be reunited with his family, Rodney continues to imagine their long-awaited reunion, vowing to make up for lost time, and understanding the urgency in family reunification in immigration.

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