2023-09-28 16:00:00
Future nurses recruited abroad to fill the ranks of the Quebec health network are struggling to find accommodation as they prepare to come to Quebec.
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“No one warned us it was going to be this difficult when they came to pick us up. The government must have alternatives! I can’t afford to live in a hotel,” says a 33-year-old nurse from Marrakech. He asked to keep his identity secret so as not to interfere with his search for housing in Quebec.
Since he got his work visa a month ago, he has been looking for an apartment, in vain. The pressure is starting to be more and more important because he will be packing his bags in Montreal on October 5.
“Rents are incredible in Montreal! I see $1200 studios in pitiful condition. I’m preparing to struggle a bit and perhaps have to sleep with people in the meantime,” adds the man who has been a nurse for more than ten years.
In Montreal, these future nurses, recruited abroad by the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI), are among the last cohorts to arrive in Quebec. Before joining the health network, they must follow a refresher program from the Order of Nurses of Quebec (OIIQ) to have their skills recognized and thus obtain their practice permit.
“I come to improve my skills and help Quebecers, I am ready to work a lot for that. But with the shortage of housing, I wonder if I am really making the right choice to come,” asks the thirty-year-old Moroccan.
Great challenge
With the CITIM (Key for the integration of immigrants into the workplace), Alexendra Tremblay, director of services for the organization, is responsible for helping future nurses following this program find accommodation.
“For some, it’s possible to share accommodation, but we also have a lot of families, so we have to find different accommodation for everyone,” she explains.
“We expected it to be very difficult, but this is a much bigger challenge than we expected,” she continues.
Simon Lamoureux, from the Carrefour d’aide aux newcomers (CANA), agrees.
“Time is running out for those who arrive in October,” he says.
Most of the time, owners refuse future nurses because they cannot conduct a credit check, maintain Mr. Lamoureux and M.me Tremblay.
“We have a lot of refusals because people are still abroad,” says M.me Tremblay.
“Often we have to explain to owners what the program is and sometimes that helps to unblock things a little,” adds Mr. Lamoureux, who nonetheless remains confident.
In the hotel
To prevent them from ending up on the street upon their arrival, the CITIM tries in particular to have partnerships with hotels in order to have prices on rooms while the candidates can have accommodation.
“We prepare for this eventuality and we warn participants that they may need temporary accommodation, even if it is not ideal,” maintains M.me Tremblay, who encourages future nurses to first come alone before bringing their families.
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