Hi all,
I am Canadian and new to this forum. I have a bit of an issue happening and am not sure where to go next with this. Here's the scenario:
About a year ago I applied through an agency to employ an Ethiopian woman named Tsehay as my kids' live-in caregiver (I currently employ her sister, who's waiting for stage 1 approval of her PR and will then be free to go to school). Tsehay is an Ethiopia-trained and experienced teacher, and has also owned and operated her own daycare centre and done private tutoring. She meets all qualifications for entry into Canada under the regulations of the live-in caregiver program.
At the time I applied to have Tsehay come to work for me, I received Human Resources approval without issue. Tsehay then submitted all of her documentation to the Canadian High Commission in Kenya, and after a wait of more than 4 months was refused entry into Canada. The reason cited was that her experience appeared to be more administrative than "hands-on" with children.
I asked Tsehay to send me the documentation she submitted with her application, and at a stretch could concede that some of her experience, as described in her resume, appeared to be solely administrative.
Over the course of the next couple of months I helped Tsehay to rewrite her resume and cover letter to more clearly emphasize her years of hands-on work with kids. I had her solicit new letters of reference which put a stronger emphasis on her experience with children. I had her put together a photo montage depicting her experience with children. I even got a letter of support from Edmonton MLA Mike Lake.
When all of the documentation was in order and the proof of Tsehay's work with children was irrefutable, I repaid the agency fee to have them resubmit my application. Again, I received Human Resources approval with no issue. Again, Tsehay submitted her application, this time with every t crossed and every i dotted. And again, after a wait of almost six months, her application was rejected because in the estimation of the reviewer, Tsehay's experience was "largely administrative."
Hmmm. Very odd. And strangely, the Canadian High Commission in Kenya does not receive phone calls. You can fax, email, or snail mail your request for information. I know this to be true because even though their website clearly states the policy, I couldn't believe it, so I phoned them. After telling me that they do not recieve phone calls, they wished me a pleasant day and hung up.
So I emailed the High Commission outlining the facts of the case and requesting either a review of Tsehay's application or a detailed written explanation of why Tsehay's teaching degree and experience, coupled with her experience in owning and operating a daycare and her ongoing private tutoring work, isn't enough to qualify her for the Canadian live-in caregiver program.
To date, 3 weeks later, I have received no answer.
This experience has led me to wonder: is there a Canadian governance body in Ottawa to whom I could appeal for the precise amount of the bribe that would be necessary in order to get Tsehay's application approved?
So - what next? Would an immigration lawyer be able to get the positive result that I haven't been able to achieve? Or is getting Tsehay into Canada merely a pipe dream?
Advice? Thoughts?
Thanks for reading,
Kerry
I am Canadian and new to this forum. I have a bit of an issue happening and am not sure where to go next with this. Here's the scenario:
About a year ago I applied through an agency to employ an Ethiopian woman named Tsehay as my kids' live-in caregiver (I currently employ her sister, who's waiting for stage 1 approval of her PR and will then be free to go to school). Tsehay is an Ethiopia-trained and experienced teacher, and has also owned and operated her own daycare centre and done private tutoring. She meets all qualifications for entry into Canada under the regulations of the live-in caregiver program.
At the time I applied to have Tsehay come to work for me, I received Human Resources approval without issue. Tsehay then submitted all of her documentation to the Canadian High Commission in Kenya, and after a wait of more than 4 months was refused entry into Canada. The reason cited was that her experience appeared to be more administrative than "hands-on" with children.
I asked Tsehay to send me the documentation she submitted with her application, and at a stretch could concede that some of her experience, as described in her resume, appeared to be solely administrative.
Over the course of the next couple of months I helped Tsehay to rewrite her resume and cover letter to more clearly emphasize her years of hands-on work with kids. I had her solicit new letters of reference which put a stronger emphasis on her experience with children. I had her put together a photo montage depicting her experience with children. I even got a letter of support from Edmonton MLA Mike Lake.
When all of the documentation was in order and the proof of Tsehay's work with children was irrefutable, I repaid the agency fee to have them resubmit my application. Again, I received Human Resources approval with no issue. Again, Tsehay submitted her application, this time with every t crossed and every i dotted. And again, after a wait of almost six months, her application was rejected because in the estimation of the reviewer, Tsehay's experience was "largely administrative."
Hmmm. Very odd. And strangely, the Canadian High Commission in Kenya does not receive phone calls. You can fax, email, or snail mail your request for information. I know this to be true because even though their website clearly states the policy, I couldn't believe it, so I phoned them. After telling me that they do not recieve phone calls, they wished me a pleasant day and hung up.
So I emailed the High Commission outlining the facts of the case and requesting either a review of Tsehay's application or a detailed written explanation of why Tsehay's teaching degree and experience, coupled with her experience in owning and operating a daycare and her ongoing private tutoring work, isn't enough to qualify her for the Canadian live-in caregiver program.
To date, 3 weeks later, I have received no answer.
This experience has led me to wonder: is there a Canadian governance body in Ottawa to whom I could appeal for the precise amount of the bribe that would be necessary in order to get Tsehay's application approved?
So - what next? Would an immigration lawyer be able to get the positive result that I haven't been able to achieve? Or is getting Tsehay into Canada merely a pipe dream?
Advice? Thoughts?
Thanks for reading,
Kerry