Midwife Faces Deportation Over Language Test Mix-Up

0:00On March 23rd, a British midwife in Canada faces deportation back to the United Kingdom after a mix-up with her work permit application. Heather Gilchrist, based in Victoria, British Columbia, moved there for a fresh start following her husband's death. Immigration officials canceled her permit because she did not upload results from an English language test she had already passed. Gilchrist speaks fluent English as her native language, and at the time she applied last July, the government website offered no instructions on how to submit the test. The required upload note only appeared on the site in December after many applicants like her faced an aisles. Her situation has sparked outrage among supporters who see it as a bureaucratic oversight ignoring her expertise. She has trained far more midwives than are currently registered in British Columbia and built a thriving practice, yet now she must halt her work, leaving patients in limbo. A petition calling for her re-instatement has gathered over 1,487 signatures.

1:00Her clinic has rallied publicly, urging people to contact immigration officials for a visa fix. Gilchrist spent $60,000 establishing her life there and feels overloaded compared to other health professionals like doctors and nurses. Immigration authorities say denied applicants can seek reconsideration and that they are improving the upload process. For now, Gilchrist waits without response from officials, highlighting cracks in the system for skilled workers already contributing.