Midwife Faces Deportation Due to Paperwork Glitch

0:00It's March 24th, Vancouver news today starts now, AI-powered and ready. I'm Cory with the story. A 58-year-old Scottish midwife named Heather Gilchrist faces deportation from Canada after a paperwork glitch derailed her work permit. Trained in the UK with 10 years of experience and qualified through a University of British Columbia bridging program, she started working with a Victoria Collective last September. But immigration, refugees, and citizenship Canada rejected her application on March 14th because she hadn't attached her English language test. Results, even though English is her first language, the issues stemmed from confusing guidelines on the government website, which didn't prompt applicants to upload the test in the main checklist. Gilchrist uploaded her results within an hour of the rejection notice, but officials said she must start the entire process over. This triggered explorations on her other permits, forcing her to stop practicing immediately. The fallout has hit hard amid Victoria's midwife shortage, disrupting care for expected

1:03mothers who counted on her support. As a self-employed professional, Gilchrist now has no income and feels heartbroken about breaking promises to her patients. She moved to Vancouver Island last October, fell in love with the area and quickly gained hospital privileges, but bureaucracy stands in the way. Gilchrist isn't alone, as a change.org petition urges the immigration minister to reverse similar refusals for international graduates facing the same. Upload, problem. Local MP will grease and health minister Josie Osborne have reached out, but say they lack authority to override federal decisions, though provincial. Officials are pushing federal contacts for help. With no clear resolution yet, Gilchrist could leave Canada in days unless a workaround emerges, highlighting hurdles for skilled health workers BC. Desperately needs.