'Time is running out' for foreign worker fighting to stay in N.W.T.

Leesa Myers is fighting to stay in Yellowknife, but since her documents to work as a foreigner have expired she is running out of time and money. 

Myers, originally from Australia, moved to Yellowknife in December 2019 on a two-year work visa. 

She began working with the Foster Family Coalition of the NWT shortly thereafter, supporting children that have been prenatally exposed to drugs or alcohol, as well as youth involved with the justice system. 

"I work with really incredible youth," she said. "They're vulnerable, they're at risk, but they bring so much joy ... I think I found a bit of a passion." 

In the spring of 2021, about six months before her visa expired, Myers began the paperwork to extend her stay in Canada. She said she started the process early anticipating delays.

Since she had an application sitting with the government, Myers said Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) granted her an extension to continue working in the country while they process the documents. 

In June 2022, that extension expired and her work status was revoked. 

Since then, she's continued in her role with the Foster Family Coalition as a volunteer. 

"I think at the beginning no one anticipated it would go on this long so it was really easy to keep up morale," she said. "Now we're seven months into a volunteer job and it's a lot harder to stay resilient." 

Myers has no source of income and said she's had to spend over $10,000 in her seven months without work. 

Organization doesn't want to lose her

Tammy Roberts, executive director of the Foster Family Coalition, said they're also doing all they can to keep Myers. 

The organization has hired an immigration lawyer to ensure they're properly following the steps, and they've gone through a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) to prove that the role couldn't have gone to a Canadian citizen.

Roberts said the nonprofit has spent $10,262 on the lawyer and related applications. 

"My board agreed that we didn't want to lose her because of her work ethic, her connection with our kids, all of those things."

In addition to the expenses, Roberts said the red tape and length of the process has been incredibly frustrating. 

"It is the most foreign, unfamiliar, changes-as-it-goes process I've ever tried to work with in my life," she said. 

Mary Grzbowska is a lawyer with Cooper Regel. Though she's not an immigration lawyer, Grzbowska herself immigrated to Canada in 2013 and in 2018 became a citizen. 

"There's just bizarre rules to this and they're very, very technical," she said. 

Grzbowska said it's difficult to comment on Myers's situation without seeing the files, but that processing times depend heavily on the employee's industry, wage and location. 

She said she's seen processing times as short as 10 days but it can also take months. 

Lack of answers most frustrating

Roberts said they're able to check their application status online and it appears it hasn't been opened since submitting in 2021. She said that's what's most frustrating.

She said she's been trying to ask MP Michael McLeod's office for updates but they don't have answers. 

McLeod was not available for an interview but in an emailed statement, spokesperson Hayden Moher wrote that constituency staff in Yellowknife "do their best to assist all individuals," including on immigration-related matters.

He said the office couldn't comment on specific case files due to privacy considerations but that they work with IRCC "to improve services for all Northerners."

Myers said that each time she's spoken with someone from immigration, they can't release specific case details to protect her privacy. She said they've also blamed delays on COVID-19 backlogs. 

Roberts said she has other workers from abroad reaching out to secure employment but this experience has turned her off of repeating the process. 

"I wouldn't take on another project like this," she said, "just from the amount of time and frustration and money that it's cost."