HOW I BECAME A PERMANENT RESIDENT OF CANADA | Chapter 3: The Year 2023

“Yeah, yeah, you definitely can! That’s what I did when I was waiting for my PGWP,” Gabrielle says, when I tell her I had no idea it was possible to send an email to a member of the parliament (MP), let alone get a response from them.

Gabrielle is my friend from Accenture; she, another friend, and I have this weekly call during which we chat about any and everything. Today is Tuesday, January 10^th; I just told them I applied for PR in 2021 and still haven’t received my card. I omitted the fact that my application has already been approved because I want to be sure I’ll get the card first before sharing the news.

Gabrielle's PGWP application took longer than normal, and there came a time when she needed the document, so she resorted to emailing the MP of her area, explaining her situation.

“You should try,” she continues cheerfully. “Find the MP of your area and send them an email. You never know, they’re sometimes helpful.”

I am still amazed at the fact that an MP (or at least someone from their office) actually helped her case.

My situation is different from Gabrielle's at the time: I have a valid PGWP and do not need my PR immediately, but my application has been in the works for some time now, and it would be nice to have the card already. Two days later, I decide to send an email to the MP of my area. First, I need to find out who that person is. So, I enter my postal code on the House of Commons website. And there she is. I grab her email from her profile page and start drafting my email to her.

Date and time: January 12^th at 12:33 p.m.

From: Danielle

To: MP

Subject: Immigration Case Status Assistance

Honorable Freeland,

My name is Danielle Ndende, and I am a recent international student graduate from the Schulich School of Business. I am reaching out regarding my application for permanent residency, which I submitted in November 2021 through the temporary TR to PR pathway for francophone international students. My application number is ABC123456.

I received an email in early September 2022 confirming that my application was ready to be finalized and that I simply needed to confirm my address and send a photo for my card to be issued. Since then, I haven't heard anything.

Upon checking processing times, I saw that some applicants under this program received their cards after about 6 months. I am well over that timeframe and have reached out to IRCC, but haven't heard back.

 I would appreciate it if you could help me understand where in the process my application is, or what can be done. Thank you in advance for your help.

Regards,

Danielle

Someone from her office gets back to me the next day, Friday, January 13^th, asking me to provide my full address to confirm that I am a resident of the constituency that the MP represents. Then, they send me a link to an inquiry form that I need to fill out and send back with a copy of a government ID. I respond on Monday, January 16^th at 2:39 p.m. At 2:43 p.m., I get a reply. Well… that was fast! I think to myself when I get the notification. The email is confirmation that they received my information and have now passed it to a case manager who will inquire with IRCC on my behalf. Their goal is to get back to me within 10 business days, but due to an increase in inquiries, it might take longer.

The truth is, I don’t actually expect much from this. I mean… if it works, great, but if it doesn’t and they ghost me, it won’t matter that much. I’m just going to keep waiting for the card to arrive and maybe submit another web form that will be answered in the spring.

***

Date and time: January 25^th at 8:31 p.m.

From: Office of the MP

To: Danielle

Subject: Re: Immigration Case Status Assistance

Hello Danielle,

I hope you are doing well and staying safe.

Our office reached out to IRCC to inquire about your TR to PR application. Our contact informed us that the application which was submitted has been positively assessed and is currently in queue for landing.

The agent agreed to send a message to the appropriate office to request further information regarding the delays. Please allow 10 business days for IRCC to provide a response.

Best,

Caseworker

The email comes from the case manager herself. I kind of already knew my application was positively assessed, but I appreciate her getting back to me and having someone check with IRCC. I thank her for the update. Now, I just wait.

***

My last meeting for the day is over, so time to switch laptops again. I unplug my Accenture laptop from the monitor to replace it with my personal laptop. It’s a few minutes past 5 p.m. on Monday, February 13^th. After taking a break for all of 2022, this year, I am resuming work on everything DCTMWT-related. There’s a lot to do and learn, but I am absolutely enjoying the process so far. It’s exciting!

I navigate to my Gmail inbox to see if there are any new important emails. There are a few. Among them is an email from the IRCC PR Portal, with the subject line “Congratulations! You are now a permanent resident (PR) of Canada!” It was sent at 3:39 p.m. I am excited, but I open my other emails first before coming back to it.

IRCC has uploaded a copy of your electronic Confirmation of Permanent Residence (eCoPR) document in the PR Confirmation Portal. The eCoPR document is proof of your new status. You will be able to use this document while you wait for your first PR card to be sent to you in the mail.

My mouth stretches into a smile. I head to the PR confirmation portal to download my eCoPR. It looks beautiful. Just kidding. It’s a simple piece of white paper with black text and the Canadian flag in color at the top left. What does look great is all my personal and application details written underneath the words “Confirmation of Permanent Residence.”

I am a permanent Resident of Canada. My brain is processing this information, one word at a time. I look at the nightstand on my left, where my cross is, the one I’ve had since I did my first communion when I was thirteen.

“Thank You so much!”

I look at and read my eCoPR as if seeing those details for the first time. Well… some elements are new, like the fact that the document expires next month on March 21^st, which I take to mean that my physical card should be there before then. I am a permanent resident of Canada. I am so grateful. The smile hasn’t left my face. I want to share the news now, but I tell myself I’ll wait until I get the card. When I write in my journal later today, I label this as the best Valentine’s and early birthday gift.

***

Nope, no card, I think to myself when I check my mailbox at the end of the week. Might have been a bit too early to check. Now, I do know I have a… uhm… slight obsession issue when it comes to things I am excited about. While I wait for the card to arrive, I tell myself I will only check my mailbox once a week on Monday mornings, when I come back from the gym. And it starts next Monday. So, I open my mailbox on February 20^th and it’s empty. I open it on February 27^th, and it’s empty. On March 6^th, there is nothing inside.

Today is my birthday, which I took off from work. I slept in a little bit, so I won’t be at the gym at 6:30 like I usually am. I don’t feel very well today. I’m not sick or anything, I just… I don’t know… I’m a bit sad. These past few years have been really hard, and my birthdays just haven’t been the same as before. I don’t even look forward to this day anymore. This year, I actually didn’t want this day to come; I wished we could just skip it altogether. Is this what it’s like to grow up? I am grateful for completing another year and starting a new one, but I don’t know… I am also a bit tired mentally. Also, how am I even turning 27? Where did the years go?

After praying and answering a few messages, I get ready for the gym. Before heading out, I come back into the main area of my studio apartment to sit on the pouf next to my bed, back and head against the wall. Tears are now rolling down my face. I stay there, silence only interrupted by my breath. I don’t feel well, but I’ll still go to the gym; it’s the only way I get to open the mailbox anyway. And who knows, maybe today is the day I’ll find the card. I hope it is. Maybe that’s the cheer I need. I also try to look forward to the appointment I booked at the spa for this afternoon and the dinner I booked for tonight.

I dry my cheeks and my eyes and get up. When I open the door, I find a birthday gift at my feet. Now I am crying tears of joy.

I come back from the gym a little after 10 a.m. and head to the mailbox on the main floor of my apartment building like I’ve been doing for the past four weeks. I open it, and it’s empty. As much as I wanted to see the card there, I had a feeling today wouldn’t be the day. I am not too disappointed. Other things, other people, have lit up my day already. Today was also a lower-body workout day, so I definitely feel better.

***

On Monday, March 20^th, I come back from the gym around 7:45 a.m. I know what to do when I enter the building. Not sure why, but I feel like today is the day. I get to the mailbox and open it. There is a white envelope all the way inside. Correspondence from IRCC or the government of Canada usually comes in a brown envelope, but without opening it, I know this is The Envelope. The one with The Card inside.

I stretch my hand to grab it. I was right: the government of Canada’s logo is printed on the back of the envelope. The sender is the IRCC Case Processing Centre, and my full name is written in the recipient field. I smile. I am so happy. I am so excited. I rush to the elevator. In an attempt to control my excitement, I tell myself I won’t open the envelope immediately when I reach my apartment. And I don’t. Instead, I sit at my desk and look at it. Then I take a picture of it. Maybe I should just open it? No, I’ll shower first. I go shower.

Now I am in complete control of my excitement, so much so that I don’t even open the envelope when I am done getting ready for the day. I start working and join the daily stand-up meeting for my project at 10:15 a.m. The envelope is next to my keyboard, but no big deal, it’s just a card. I have another call at 10:30, so I think I’ll open it afterwards. I don’t need to speak during this call, so about 5 minutes into it, I decide now is a good time to open the envelope. I mean… it really is just a card!

Bad idea.

Welcome and thank you for choosing Canada!

I unfold the remaining two-thirds of the paper to read the rest of its contents, then I detach the card glued at the bottom. As soon as I hold it in my hands, tears disrespectfully rush down my face. I glance at the Teams call window on my monitor to ensure I am still muted and my camera is still off, so people don’t hear or see my sobs.

I don’t know why I am crying.

Or maybe I do.  

It’s the tears from my arduous immigration journey. The tears of realization yet disbelief that I am finally here.

The tears that remind me of the difficult years in Chicago, when I was turned down for opportunities simply because I was not a U.S. permanent resident or citizen. The tears from remembering my first months in Canada, feeling like I needed to hide my international student status so employers would consider me for jobs. The tears from remembering the project manager’s reaction at my first internship in Toronto (from which I was fired in March 2021) when I told him I was an international student and couldn’t work more than twenty hours per week. The tears from understanding that the things I did not qualify for as a temporary resident will now be available to me. The tears from knowing that this means more stability, no longer having to worry about changing statuses or applying to extend or renew documents for the next five years. The tears from remembering how this all even started, how I had given up on applying under the temporary TR to PR public policy, and had resolved to sticking to my original plan. The tears from knowing that, considering my situation over the past 2 and a half years, I normally would not be here.

It’s the tears from my arduous immigration journey, the tears of disbelief that I am finally here.

The card looks beautiful. This time, I am not kidding. My picture looks great, too, and I absolutely do not regret the photoshoot on September 14^th last year.

My beautiful PR card. 😁

Now, I am ready to share the news with my family. When I tell my sister Sophie and thank her again for paying the fees for my TEF exam in 2021, she doesn’t remember at first. She is very happy for me, as is my mom. My brothers are teasing me in the group chat, and my other older sister congratulates me while my little sister is sending one gif after another like she always does. Everyone, including my first niece, is happy for me, but… no one knows. No one understands.

I know who does.

Before resting my head on my desk, I take another look at the Teams call to confirm that my camera or mic didn’t activate on their own. When the call is over and I am done crying, I go sit on my bed next to my nightstand. I am so grateful, and at this point, God is probably tired of hearing me thank Him. I show Him the card, which I am sure He is seeing for the very first time. Or maybe it’s the second time because I showed it to Him when I first took it off the paper. “You are amazing, I hope people tell You that enough,” I say in a whisper.

My next work call isn’t until later this afternoon, but I wonder if I should just take the rest of the day off. I don’t. Instead, I go out for a walk because I can’t focus right now anyway. Song #21 on The Playlist is playing in my headphones as I walk out of the building. I put it on repeat. Today is such a beautiful day: the sun is shining and birds are chirping and it’s 8 degrees out and I feel great and people look happy. Or maybe that’s just me. I walk, I listen, I don’t cry, but I reminisce.

Back at my apartment, I can finally work again. After a few hours of doing so, it’s time to eat. But before that, I need to do my least favorite thing in the whole entire world: wash dishes. As I do, song #6 on The Playlist is playing in my ears. Now, I am remembering the mountains God moved for me throughout this process. I can’t tell if the soap is lathering from the water running down or from my tears; both look the same. I want to do more to thank God, but I am not sure what. I don’t know what to say anymore, or if there’s something I can give to Him. I suddenly wish He had a physical address so I could send Him something. I ask, but He doesn’t respond.

***

On Friday, March 24^th, I go to the nearest Service Canada location to update my SIN since the one I currently have is temporary based on my PGWP. I bring my PR card, passport, and proof of address. I could request a new SIN online, but it takes longer to get it in the mail; at a Service Canada location, it is issued instantly.

“Here you go,” the gentleman says, handing me a sheet of paper. “This number will never change.”

This is literally music to my ears. He is talking about my new SIN. Now that I am a PR, my SIN will never change again. There is no expiration date written below it either, unlike on my previous SINs. I like the sound and sight of stability.

Once I get home, I now need to update my SIN pretty much everywhere: Accenture, the three banks I am currently banking with, my investment platforms, the Equifax credit bureau, the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA)… just everywhere.  There is no rush for doing all this; I just don’t want to wait until Monday. Equifax tells me to fill out a dispute request form, while the CRA tells me I will need to create a new account with my new SIN, where my previous information will eventually migrate. One of my banks is not able to update my information over the phone, so I need to go into a branch.

As I go through the process of updating my entire life, I am reminded of all the reasons why I will absolutely not change my name if I ever get married. But that’s besides the point. So, I continue to call, to fill out request and dispute forms, to send pictures of my new SIN via secure portals, to go to bank branches, and to explain why I need to update my information. I do all this knowing that this is the last time I will ever have to. For some platforms, I will need to wait until next week. But that’s okay; I am glad I got started today.

Once I am done for the day and after an emotional week and month, I look back at my journey again. I am grateful beyond words can express. And I am proud of myself.

I cry again, I don’t know why.

Or maybe I do.

On February 13^th, 2023, I became a permanent resident of Canada.

If not God, who?

THE END.