2024-02-14 20:39:06
A specialist doctor from Gatineau saw his work permit suspended overnight by Immigration Canada, which prevents him from working, even though he is the only full-time child psychiatrist in his region.
“It’s hellish,” laments Dr. Yves Simchowitz. Even if he wants to stay in Canada, a country that his French family chose for pleasure, they will pack up “if it becomes too harassing”.
Dr. Simchowitz works at Pierre-Janet Hospital in Gatineau, where his wife, Christine-Audice Lurat, is also a geriatric psychiatrist. They have a 14 year old son.
In the country for three years, the family renewed their file with Immigration Canada this summer. When they arrived, their French passport was still valid for three years, and their first work permit was therefore for the same duration.
With a new 10-year passport in hand, they applied for new work and residence permits.
Just six months
“I was five years old, my son was five years old, but my wife was only six months old,” the doctor is surprised. She will therefore no longer be able to work at the end of March and will have to reapply.
He sought explanations, in particular from his local MP, the Liberal Greg Fergus. But for Yves Simchowitz, the explanations provided did not hold water.
Photo Agence QMI, Marc DesRosiers
“Initially, we were told that it was because the license from the College of Physicians was only for one year, but it is always renewable each year. Afterwards, it was a one-year employment relationship with the CISSS de l’Outaouais, which is false. Then, they just closed the door,” he laments.
Ultimately, his efforts backfired once morest him and his son. On Monday, their license was canceled. “They punished me,” believes the child psychiatrist.
“By mistake”
As the only explanation, a short message, that The newspaper was able to consult, telling him that “this work permit was issued to you in error” and that it is “no longer valid because it has been canceled”.
He is asked to return his license by mail to Edmonton, so that a new one can be sent to him, without any details.
Coming from abroad, the two doctors have a restrictive permit, renewable each year at the College of Physicians, a frequent situation that has never posed a problem in the past.
Referring to the protection of personal information, Immigration Canada did not want to comment on the matter, stressing that decisions are made “by highly qualified agents.”
• Read also: “We have no status at the moment”: 2,700 patients lose their family doctor because of Immigration Canada
“We greatly need his services”
The CISSS de l’Outaouais requests that the situation of child psychiatrist Yves Simchowitz be quickly resolved by Immigration Canada, because his services are essential for patients in his region.
“There is only Dr. Simchowitz who works full time, with two other part-time doctors, so we have a great need for his services,” emphasizes the director of professional services, Dr. Geneviève Gagnon.
This doctor is responsible for all external services for adolescents in psychiatry as well as all hospital services, she argues.
“It concerns us […] he is an excellent child psychiatrist with a good workload,” continues Ms. Gagnon.
At short notice, fellow psychiatrists had to take turns to take on his tasks.
But out of nine positions available in child psychiatry in Outaouais, only one was filled full time.
The CISSS says it is ready to collaborate fully with Immigration Canada to regularize its file and maintain services.
If nothing changes, service corridors will have to be deployed outside the region, according to Ms. Gagnon, who specifies that “this is not a solution that works for young patients.”
Inhumane and dysfunctional
For the Bloc MP and immigration spokesperson, Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Immigration Canada is the “most dysfunctional” department in Ottawa.
“They don’t learn from their mistakes and don’t do their homework,” he says. Even if there was an error to be corrected in Dr. Simchowitz’s file, he deplores the “completely inhumane” way in which he was treated and the lack of communication.
His local MP, Greg Fergus, expresses his “sincere empathy” and adds that he has limited power to intervene.
Do you have any information to share with us regarding this story?
Write to us at or call us directly at 1 800-63SCOOP.
1707978234
#hellish #Immigration #Canada #prevents #Gatineaus #fulltime #child #psychiatrist #working #reason
