A Quebec woman who has been waiting for her husband’s arrival in the country for more than a year through a sponsorship program is thinking of leaving Quebec after having resigned herself to having an abortion and not wanting to raise her child alone while the processing times pass. Of his sickness. The file continues to grow.
Laurianne Lachapelle explains in an interview with TVA Nouvelles that after marrying a Guatemalan in January 2022, she submitted an application in August of the same year as part of the sponsorship program for a spouse or common-law partner living abroad.
The period initially estimated at 13 months was extended a year later until it reached at least 24 months.
According to data published by the Journal de Montréal in July, nearly 37,000 sponsorship files previously approved by Quebec are pending processing, while the admission target is approximately 10,600 per year.
“We are divided,” he maintains. It’s not just the numbers, it’s the humans behind it and it’s heartbreaking. The moments of life cannot be lived together. There are mothers who cannot experience their children’s childhood and that seems unacceptable to me.”
Having recently become pregnant and faced with long delays announced, Ms. Lachapelle made the difficult decision to have an abortion, as she did not wish to raise her child alone.
“It was not my choice because if my husband had had the opportunity to come to Quebec, our family would have started now,” she said. I couldn’t imagine going through my pregnancy alone. It’s something we want to experience together. I still think about it every day and it hurts. “Those were two horrible choices I had.”
Questioned about the delays in immigration during the question time on September 20 by the deputy of Saint-Henri-Sainte-Anne, Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, the Minister of Immigration, Francisation and Integration, Christine Fréchette, answers that it is being created a parliamentary commission that deals with, among other things, this issue.
“During the period from January 1, 2020 to June 30, 2023, family reunification represented more than 24% of immigrants admitted to Quebec. As of June 30, 2023, in the family reunification category, the number of admissions was 6,853 people, that is, 66% of the expected figure.
“I will not comment on particular cases,” he adds. In the government we also look at the global nature of the problems, the global nature of the situations and that is why the numbers matter.”
For Lachapelle, the Minister’s response had the effect of a “shock”.
“I discovered that he lacked humanity,” he shares. I’m a numbers girl. I just want to say that the government figures are terrible. 6,500 applications were accepted, so only 15% of all applications in Quebec obtained permanent residence.
“The rest are broken families,” he continues. They are 85% human and 85% failures.”
In the event of no change, Laurianne Lachapelle would resign herself to leaving Quebec and could potentially move to Ontario.
“I really want to stay in Quebec,” he says. I so want to live my life in Quebec, I so want to live here with all my heart. “If things don’t change, I will have to go through anguish and I will do it because my family is the most important thing to me.”
In July, the minister’s office told the Journal de Montréal that it was working “closely” with the federal government on possible solutions that would allow these delays to be quickly reduced.
The Minister’s office did not respond to our questions about the progress of these discussions and the status of the situation regarding deadlines.
