Canadian immigrants say they've been reaching out to their federal members of parliament (MPs) for help with their long-delayed immigration files.
For some, it's been years since they first opened their files with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
"MPs used to be the higher level to try and get additional information and even MPs aren't getting responses," noted immigration lawyer Tamara Mosher-Kuczer.
Lately, IRCC has been blaming COVID-19 for serious delays -- even though some immigrants say they applied for their visas, permanent residences and citizenship before the pandemic hit.
"We can still help them as we did before, but the answers from the department continue to reflect delays in the process due to COVID-19," explained Anthony Housefather, MP for Mount Royal. "So, the service remains unchanged, but the processing times for almost all applications are slower."
Mississauga – Erin Mills MP Iqra Khalid noted the federal government has proposed investing $85 million to "boost IRCC’s capacity and reduce processing times in these key areas affected by the pandemic."
"The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated many of the challenges that Canadian residents face, and IRCC is no exception," said Khalid, who adds her office alone is tracking hundreds of active immigration cases with the department.
Federal Immigration Minister Sean Fraser did not respond to CTV News' request for comment.
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