Pascal Sud and Meisha Smith had made plans earlier this year for the birth of their first child. The decision was straightforward at the time: Smith would deliver their baby in Jamaica, her home country, with the support of her family, and then they would all return to Montreal together after three months. The expectation was that their daughter, Sofianne, would receive her citizenship certificate in four to six weeks, allowing her to travel back to Canada. However, more than eight months later, they are still waiting.
While Sud has resumed his work in Montreal, Smith and Sofianne remain in Jamaica. Sud expressed his frustration at being apart from his family, missing out on key moments in Sofianne’s life. They are among many affected by the backlog of citizenship applications at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), partly due to the surge in applications following the change in federal law allowing individuals with a Canadian ancestor to apply for citizenship.
As of the latest update on September 3, IRCC reported 136,000 pending applications, with the processing time for a citizenship certificate now extended to 33 months. This delay means that Sofianne may not be able to enter Canada until she is over three years old. In an attempt to expedite Sofianne’s travel, Sud applied for a visitor’s visa using her Jamaican passport, but the application was rejected, with IRCC insisting that she must enter Canada on a Canadian passport.
The backlog is also impacting others, with thousands of individuals, including many Americans, obtaining Canadian citizenship certificates under the new law. This surge in applications has resulted in significant processing delays, prompting concerns about the efficiency of the system. While IRCC acknowledges the challenges posed by the backlog, efforts are being made to enhance processing efficiency and address the increasing demand.
Critics, including Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner and NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan, have raised concerns about the delays and called for improved staffing and resources at IRCC to address the backlog. Families like Robert Woodrich’s, who have been waiting for nearly 600 days for their children’s citizenship certificates, are struggling with uncertainty and delays in reuniting with their extended family in Canada.
The situation highlights the need for a more streamlined and efficient process to handle the influx of citizenship applications and alleviate the challenges faced by families waiting to be reunited in Canada.