Denied work permit, Victoria midwife prepares to leave Canada amid maternity care shortages

A Scottish woman working in Victoria as a midwife says despite jumping through the necessary hoops, immigration officials continue to move the goal post.

A midwife in Victoria says a sudden change to her immigration status is forcing her to leave Canada, a move she fears will further the strain on maternity care for expectant parents on Vancouver Island.

“I’m letting down my women, and I’ve never done that,” Heather Gilchrist said.

Gilchrist, who is from Scotland, says her post‑graduate work permit was denied after Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada flagged a missing English‑proficiency test.

Gilchrist says she submitted the test right away, but was later told the UBC International Midwifery Program she completed did not meet the requirements for a post‑graduate work permit.

“I’ve worked really hard to get to where I am. I’ve got the qualifications, I’ve got the registration and now I’ve got a government saying, ‘Actually, your program doesn’t even qualify as a tangible program,” Gilchrist told CTV News.

Gilchrist says while she’s frustrated with the process, she’s more worried about the people who rely on her.

“I’m just sorry. There’s just a lot of sorries going on. People are saying sorry to me. I’m saying sorry to them,” she xplained.

Among those impacted is expectant mother Anika Bell.

“Having a, shrinking team of midwives, does not feel like ideal circumstances,” she said.

While Bell says she feels supported by her medical team, she believes the situation should be easily rectified.

“Fundamentally, I think that the denial of this work permit is wrong. I think it’s unjust not only for Heather and her life, but for all of her patients,” the mom-to-be said.

“We need Heather’s care.”

Until mid‑March, Gilchrist worked at the Midwives Collective. Her colleague, co-founder Ilana Stanger‑Ross, says losing Gilchrist has dramatically changed their team’s schedule. Stanger‑Ross says the team’s on‑call hours have jumped from 24 to 48 and 72 since Gilchrist left.

“We have been ensuring to our clients that there’s no compromise in their care. But what it means is that we’re all working much harder than we were,” Stanger-Ross said.

B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne says she’s aware of Gilchrist’s situation and is trying to work with Ottawa on a resolution.

“It does seem very absurd on the face of it, that a person who has been practicing midwifery here in Victoria is now facing these challenges with the permitting and immigration process to be able to stay here and do that at a time when we’re experiencing a health-care worker shortage,” Osborne said.

The province says it is pressing Ottawa for action.

“It’s my expectation the federal government will work with us, that they will make the changes that they need to to enable Heather Gilchrist to be able to practice midwifery and that we can do everything we can to streamline these processes.”

CTV News reached out to Victoria MP Will Greaves about the case. His office declined to comment.

Gilchrist says she plans to return to the U.K. at the beginning of April.

“You need midwives. I came here on my own merit. I never asked for anything. All I wanted to do is just do my job,” she said.