Shana Ollie says she never thought she would stay in Canada without seeing her seriously ill father in the UK – not because of the pandemic, but because of administrative delays in Canadian Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC).
“I talked to a lot of useful people at the IRRC and explained my unique reason for needing my PR card,” she said.
“While everyone was sympathetic and very shocked by how long I waited, they told me they just couldn’t do anything else to help me.
The 24-year-old moved to Canada from Dubai to study confectionery in 2016.
“I was in the middle of my first year in college when we got my father’s diagnosis,” Ollie said. “He was diagnosed with a very rare brain disease called corticobasal degeneration at the age of 51; it is a progressive neurological condition without some treatment.
Her father’s neurologists told the family that “every case is different” and there was no way to say how the disease could affect him, she recalled.
They note that the patient’s life expectancy is usually five to eight years after the onset of symptoms.
“I wanted to be with him, my mother and my sister, but I knew – and they knew – I had to finish my studies before deciding what my next move would be,” she said.
After graduating, “My father always taught me to finish what I started, so that’s what I did,” Ollie said, visiting her family in the UK for 11 months before deciding to return to Canada to pursue her dreams.
Shana Ollie with her family. (Courtesy: Shana Olie)
She is now the kitchen manager at Le Dolci bakery in Toronto, where she specializes in decorating cakes, cupcakes and cookies.
“I’ve always had a passion for baking, especially cake decorating,” she said. “I can honestly say that I love my job and work with amazing women.”
Shortly after her arrival in Canada, the COVID-19 pandemic struck and she has not returned to see her family since.
“At the time, I didn’t think it would be the last time I saw them,” Ollie told CTV News.
“Emotionally, it comes in waves: sadness, guilt and sometimes nothing at all. I think it can be difficult for some people to understand my choice to be away from my family while my father’s condition continues to deteriorate over time. of time. “
She points out that her father insisted that he would never want his health to prevent her from living her life.
“During my time in Toronto, his condition has deteriorated dramatically,” she said. “He has lost the ability to speak, walk and take care of himself.”
Shana Ollie with her family. (Courtesy: Shana Olie)
Fighting current travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ollie applied and became a permanent resident of Canada (PR) in June 2021.
“My PR card is yet to arrive,” she said. “For the past 10 months, I’ve been talking on the phone with the IRCC, trying to track the status of my card, but I’ve just been told to wait.”
The IRCC confirms that a PR card is not required to leave Canada, but is required to re-enter.
“If a person has to travel urgently outside of Canada and their PR card has not yet arrived, they must apply for a Permanent Travel Document (PRTD),” the department said.
“Recognizing that some people may be affected by various delays, such as the closure of visa application centers, the IRCC has made it easier to apply for a PRTD by allowing applicants to apply for a travel document for permanent residence by email.”
However, Ollie says she and her family have studied PRTD and thinks it is too risky to try.
“I will only be able to apply for this after I am out of the country,” she said. “With my full-time job here, it wouldn’t be a viable option for me.”
Ollie says she has repeatedly turned to her local lawmaker and federal immigration minister Sean Fraser for help, but to no avail.
Her hope is to somehow get home to her family sometime in May, adding that for now, her father still recognizes her and listens carefully as she tells him about her day on FaceTime.
“He smiles and laughs a little when my sister and I tell stories about when we grew up, and we like to remind him of our little family jokes,” Ollie said.
“I know he misses me so much and all I want is to be able to hug him and hold his hand before I can.
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