Shana Olie says she never thought she'd be stuck in Canada, unable to see her gravely ill father in the U.K. -- not because of the pandemic, but due to administrative delays at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC.)
"I spoke to many helpful people at IRRC and explained my unique reason for needing my PR card," she said.
"While everyone was sympathetic and very shocked at just how long I have been waiting, I was told there was simply nothing else they could do to help me."
The 24-year-old moved to Canada from Dubai to study pastry arts in 2016.
"I was halfway through my first year at college when we got my father’s diagnosis," Olie said. "He was diagnosed with a very rare brain disease called corticobasal degeneration at the young age of 51; it is a progressive neurological condition with no known cure."
Her father's neurologists told the family that "each case is different," and there is no way to tell how the disease could affect him, she recalled.
They noted a patient's life expectancy is usually five to eight years once symptoms appear.
"I wanted to be there for him and my mum and sister, but I knew -- and they knew -- I needed to finish my studies before deciding what my next move would be," she said.
Once she graduated -- "my dad always taught me to finish what I started, so that is exactly what I did," Olie said -- she visited her family in the U.K. for 11 months before deciding to move back to Canada to pursue her dreams.
She is now the kitchen manager at Le Dolci Bakery in Toronto, where she specializes in decorating cakes, cupcakes and cookies.
"I have always had a passion for baking, especially cake decorating," she said. "I can honestly say that I love my job and I work with some amazing women."
Soon after her arrival in Canada, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and she hasn't been back to see her family since.
"At the time, I didn’t think that would be the last time I saw them," Olie tells CTV News.
"Emotionally, it comes in waves: sadness, guilt and sometimes nothing at all. I think it may be hard for some people to understand my choices for choosing to be away from my family while my father’s condition continues to decline over time."
She points out her father insisted he would never want his medical condition to stand in the way of her living her life.
"In the time I have been living in Toronto, his condition has declined immensely," she said. "He has lost his ability to speak, walk and take care of himself."
Struggling with ongoing travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Olie applied and became a permanent Canadian resident (PR) in June 2021.
"My PR card is yet to arrive," she said. "Over the past 10 months, I have been on the phone with IRCC trying to track down the status of my card, but I was just told to wait."
IRCC confirms a PR card is not needed to exit Canada, but it is needed to re-enter.
"If an individual has to travel urgently outside Canada, and their PR card has not yet arrived, they need to apply for a permanent resident travel document (PRTD)," the department notes.
"Understanding that some people may be affected by various delays, such as the closure of visa application centres, IRCC has made it easier to apply for a PRTD by allowing applicants to apply for the permanent resident travel document by email."
However, Olie says she and her family researched the PRTD and thinks it too risky to attempt.
"I would only be able to apply for this once I am outside of the country," she points out. "With my full-time job here, that was not going to be a viable option for me."
Olie says she has reached out to her local MP, as well as federal Immigration Minister Sean Fraser, multiple times for help, but to no avail.
Her hope is to somehow make it home to her family sometime in May, adding that, for now, her father still recognizes her and listens attentively as she tells him about her day on FaceTime.
"He does smile and laugh a little when my sister and I tell stories of when we were growing up, and we love to remind him of our little family jokes," Olie said.
"I know he misses me enormously and all I want is to be able to give him a hug and hold his hand before I can’t anymore."
