Canadian Midwife Faces Deportation Over Language Exam Dispute

A British midwife who relocated to Canada in pursuit of a new beginning following her husband’s passing now faces the threat of deportation due to an issue with an English language test.

Heather Gilchrist, who practices as a registered midwife in Victoria, British Columbia, finds her career and life in turmoil after Canadian immigration authorities claimed she did not upload her language test results with her application.

Gilchrist, originally from Perthshire and a fluent English speaker, insists she completed the language test last July but encountered no option to submit the results online.

Furthermore, she notes that the application checklist made no reference to the requirement of the test.

As a result of this oversight, her work permit has been revoked, placing her at risk of being deported back to the UK, Gilchrist explained in an interview with CityNews.

Gilchrist, who had originally studied at the University of Glasgow, said she has built a highly successful practice, training twice as many midwives in Scotland as are currently registered in BC over the years, yet immigration officials have not taken her experience into account.

‘It just doesn’t make any sense, and I just need someone to lift their head and understand that it can’t be this faceless system,’ she told the outlet. 

‘You have someone as qualified as myself, and you’re pushing them out the door.’ 

Heather Gilchrist could be deported back to the UK from Canada because of an English language test error on her immigration application

She moved to Canada after her husband died, starting a new life in a new country 

The ‘How to Apply’ web page on the government’s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) site for post-graduate work permits has since added a note that tells people how the test must be uploaded upon application submission, but that was only added in December. 

The disclaimer wasn’t there when a number of people applied and were later denied because they did not include their results, like Gilchrist. 

The issue became so dire that a Change.org petition pushing to end the ‘unfair PGWP refusals by IRCC,’ and to reinstate applicants who were rejected over the language test, has been launched online. 

As of Monday afternoon, more than 1,487 people have signed the petition. 

Because of her denial, Gilchrist had to immediately stop practicing, leaving her life in limbo. 

‘You are going to have me leave, and yet you seem so proud of the people you’re attracting,’ she said as the news of her citizenship ordeal came after the Ministry of Health announced its progress in recruiting health professionals from America. 

Gilchrist added: ‘I’m already here, and now I have to leave? Doesn’t make any sense.’ 

She said midwives often get overlooked, especially when compared to nurses and doctors.  

The Midwives Collective, a maternity clinic Gilchrist works for, has since taken to social media, urging the public to send a letter asking federal immigration officials to reinstate her visa (Pictured: Gilchrist with her co-workers) 

‘We’re not like doctors or nurses where there’s a red carpet to welcome you in,’ Gilchrist said. ‘Midwives fall through the cracks a little.’ 

The IRCC told the outlet that people who have been denied can apply again for reconsideration, and that they are working on making the language test uploads more understandable. 

But Gilchrist has already shelled out $60,000 to start her new life in BC and can’t afford to wait and see what will happen next for her and her patients. 

‘That phrase about throwing the baby out with the bathwater seems more relevant than ever as a midwife, because that’s what’s happening right now,’ she stated.  

The Midwives Collective, a maternity clinic Gilchrist works for, has since taken to social media, urging the public to send a letter asking federal immigration officials to reinstate her visa. 

Gilchrist has already shelled out $60,000 to start her new life in BC and can’t afford to wait and see what will happen next for her and her patients

‘One of our amazing midwives, Heather Gilchrist, had her work visa immediately revoked and may have to leave the country after a bureaucratic government bungle,’ the group wrote on Facebook. 

‘Heather is an experienced, exceptional midwife – please help us get the word out to pressure federal immigration to re-instate her visa. Please send the linked letter in the URL in our bio (and comments) and share this widely. Her full story can be watched in the news clip in our bio. Thank you!’ 

Gilchrist has tried contacting the Ministry herself to figure out the next steps, but she has not heard back, she said. 

‘What do I do? How do I… where do I go from here? It’s just not a good reflection of how I feel about being in Canada. Sorry,’ she continued. 

The Daily Mail contacted the Ministry of Health and IRCC for comment.