Sechelt's Dr. Isabelle Hughan has been unable to work for three weeks due to an immigration issue that has left her 1,500 patients waiting in limbo.
Hughan has been working at Upstream Family Medicine since arriving in Canada on a temporary work permit in June 2008.
That temporary work permit expired in the first week of June this year, but Hughan assumed she would be issued a new permit, as all of her paperwork was filed well within the time limit needed for processing. She also applied for permanent residence, but said that paperwork has been taking a very long time to process, so a new temporary permit was needed.
However, two days after her original temporary work permit ran out, she was contacted by Immigration Canada and told she needed updated versions of some paperwork before the new work permit could be processed.
Hughan was surprised to hear she needed updated paperwork, as Health Match B.C., the government agency that recruited Hughan and is to act as her advocate with Immigration Canada, did not tell her the new paperwork was needed.
"So I called Health Match B.C. and said 'what's the situation now, what do I do?' And they said, 'well you have to re-apply and we'll call you back.' Then they called me back and said 'you have to cease and desist from working this second'," Hughan said.
At the time she was working in the clinic and had patients waiting to see her.
"I literally had someone next door naked for a pap and obviously I was distraught, I was crying, I was very, very upset on the phone saying 'I can't just stop work'," she said. "I certainly can't stop work for three months. My patients, my colleagues and my family will all suffer and I can't do that.'"
But the rule stood, and on June 7, Hughan had to leave her office and her patients.
Hughan said if the issue is not resolved, she will be forced to go back to England to work so she can make enough money to support her family.
"She is an exceptional doctor. I absolutely do not want to see her leave the Sunshine Coast," said Colleen Adair, one of Hughan's patients.
Adair contacted various media outlets and government officials this week to help put pressure on Immigration Canada, and the effort seemed to pay off.
"It seems like the attention we're getting has pushed things a little quicker. I got an email this morning from the immigration centre to send them our passports. Basically [West Vancouver - Sunshine Coast - Sea to Sky Country MP] John Weston has been talking to the Minister of Immigration and they're now on the case," Hughan said.
Weston said he has received several calls from the public, concerned about Hughan's situation.
"We've dealt with her directly and we've made sure that the Ministry knows about the issue," Weston said. "We believe that her papers are going to come through very soon. We're obviously concerned about the interruption in her own life, but also in the service she provides on the Sunshine Coast."
Weston said he expects Hughan to receive a permanent resident status through Immigration Canada very soon.
"I just talked to Bella [Hughan] and she's put everything in, so Immi-gration should have everything by tomorrow (June 22) and they've promised a very quick turn around, so I anticipate that file will be turned around very, very quickly. I can't obviously give any dates, but that's what the Min-ister's office has promised would take place," said Sue McQueen, Weston's assistant.
Weston realizes Hughan's problem is just one of many similar issues going on throughout the province.
"There are thousands of these cases every month that are coming up because we are a country of immigrants," Weston said. "Immigration Canada is one of our most important organs of government and it's dealing with huge numbers of people, so it's no wonder that occasionally there are cases like this."
Weston told Coast Reporter he is now serving on the immigration committee and notes the posting may give him an opportunity to look more closely at how Immigration Canada operates.
Once Hughan receives her permanent residence status, she plans to write a letter to Health Match B.C. explaining ways to make the process run more smoothly for other health professionals recruited to work here.
