Years have passed, yet a refugee continues his wait for the return of his long-lost children.
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"Kicking off the clock of his missed years," laments Rodney, an ex-cop from Port-au-Prince. It's been six years since he last laid eyes on his kids. The youngest was still a baby, another was on the brink of teenagehood, and his eldest was stepping into adulthood. But instead of witnessing their growth firsthand, this Haitian father found himself watching their lives unfold through the screen of his phone. His hope for a reunion is hanging by the threads of endless waits for permanent residence.
Now known by a pseudonym to safeguard his family still in Haiti, Rodney sought refuge in Canada after surviving a three-year battle, eventually gaining recognition as a refugee.
"See you burn," the menacing message that set his escape plans in motion back in 2019. Fleeing initially to the States, Rodney found solace in the Roxham Road path - a choice motivated by his fear of Trump's immigration policies.
protected in Canada by Ottawa, he applied for permanent residence for the entire family, anticipating it would be a mere formality. "I rented an expansive apartment, expecting them to arrive soon," explains Rodney. In his nearly empty four-and-a-half apartment in Montreal North, a few portraits of "his dearest" try to brighten the white walls. The children's room remains untouched, with the bed still unmade.
The apartment might remain vacant for some time yet.
The delays in obtaining permanent residence have only grown, prolonging his wait from 41 months last November to a minimum of 45 months for individuals settling in Quebec, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). For dependents, the wait balloons to 50 months.
While Quebec shoulders the blame for these lengthy delays, according to an IRCC spokesperson, the crux lies in the immigration thresholds established by Quebec under the Canada-Quebec Agreement. The province caps the number of annually admitted refugees at a mere 3,500.
As of now, with 42,000 applications in the pipeline, it would take a discouraging 12 years to clear this backlog, according to data obtained by our site. Quebec lacks the authority to set quotas, says Stephanie Valois, co-president of the Quebec Association of Immigration Lawyers. In an astounding twist, Article 20 of the Canada-Quebec Agreement states that Quebec's consent is not required for a person recognized as a refugee who's already in Quebec to be granted the right of establishment.
Overshadowed by his video game console in the spick-and-span living room, Rodney waits for his chance to make up for lost time. "I have to keep my thoughts occupied."
His family continues to endure hardships in Haiti, having been forced to relocate multiple times due to increasingly dangerous circumstances. His wife was recently targeted by a kidnapping attempt, while the children have been absent from school for 1½ years and his epileptic son faces frequent medication shortages. "I can't sleep," Rodney confesses.
In his desperation, Rodney has reached out to IRCC about his family's perilous situation and submitted medical reports outlining his own high blood pressure issues, caused by chronic stress and trauma. Yet, his pleas remain unanswered. Frustrated, he's even knocked on his MP's door, all in vain. "I don't know what to do anymore," he sighs, "I'm struggling to integrate fully here in Quebec because I'm missing a vital part of my life."
The reuniting of this family becomes a matter of urgency, especially for the children. As Valois puts it, "All the studies show it. The impact on the parent-child bond couldn't be clearer. Who could accept being separated from their children for so long?"
Recently, Rodney's family received another crushing blow - their application for a temporary stay permit, which would have allowed his wife and three children to wait for their papers in Quebec, was denied. "It squelched our hope," Rodney laments. The hardest part, he admits, is the uncertainty. "Will it be another year, two years? We don't know."
Valois doubts the the family of a recognized refugee shouldn't be forced to wait so long for family members to join them in Quebec. As she points out, "We know they'll be able to come eventually. It's just a matter of time. So why make them wait?"
- Rodney, a French-speaking man from Haiti, has been living in Quebec under protection after being recognized as a refugee.
- Despite having applied for permanent residence for his entire family, Rodney faces an unlikely long wait, with queues for dependents ballooning to 50 months.
- The backlog of applications, currently standing at 42,000, could take up to 12 years to clear, according to data obtained by general-news sources.
- Resolving the family reunification issue for individuals like Rodney has become a matter of political importance, especially considering the significant impact such separations have on the parent-child bond.
