Unable to change Application Destination from Quebec to Ontario

[Wilfredor]

Hello everyone,

I want to share my recent experience and seek your support and advice regarding an issue I’m facing in my family sponsorship process, which is profoundly affecting my family and me.

Almost two months ago, I moved from the province of Quebec to Ottawa, Ontario, hoping to shorten the waiting time for my family sponsorship application. This decision was not easy, as it involved accepting a job with a 20% lower salary than I had in Quebec, where I had a very stable job, in addition to incurring significant expenses for the passage and the entire move. I sold and gave away many of our belongings to facilitate this change, and the rent in Ottawa is more expensive, which has increased the financial pressure on us. So far, I have accumulated around CAD 15,000 in debt due to the immigration process.

Two weeks ago, I submitted a webform to IRCC attaching proof of my new residence, including bank statements, a telephone bill, and the rental agreement, among other things. In the webform, I clearly stated that I wanted to change both my contact address and the application destination to Ontario. However, although my contact information has been correctly updated and appears in the IRCC tracker, the destination of my application still shows Quebec. I don’t understand why one part of my information was updated but not the other.

I have been tracking the status of my application every day, but there has been no change in the destination. Additionally, I know someone else who went through the same procedure six months ago, and their tracker still shows Quebec as the destination. This person spoke with their MP, who initially confirmed that the change had been made, but later the system did not reflect this update. This person also had to move to Ottawa with great sacrifice, accepting a lower-paying job and other expenses. The separation from my family has been devastating. I have been separated from my wife and our 11-year-old daughter for almost two years. This situation is destroying our family, deeply affecting our emotional well-being and our daughter's development. We have all been experiencing moments of emotional tension, with concentration problems at work and strains in our relationship. Our daughter’s health has been negatively affected, with lower grades and difficulties in her social development. We try to stay in touch every day, but after nearly two years, this has simply been too much for us.

The 35-month wait in Quebec is inhumane and a direct violation of the fundamental right to have a united family, protected by Canada’s human rights laws, specifically the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and IRCC’s Family Reunification Policies. Moving to Ottawa meant taking a lower-paying job and facing considerable debt, all in an attempt to improve our situation and reduce the waiting time to reunite with my family.

I am desperate to understand what is happening and what I should do to have my application correctly reflect my new address and destination in Ontario. The prolonged separation is having a devastating impact on our family, and I need to find a solution as soon as possible. I have notified IRCC through the webform and know someone who contacted their MP, but the situation persists. Has anyone faced this problem? What additional steps can I take? Any advice, similar experiences, or moral support would be greatly appreciated in this very difficult time for my family and me.

I sincerely appreciate any help or advice you can offer.

 

[armoured]

However, although my contact information has been correctly updated and appears in the IRCC tracker, the destination of my application still shows Quebec. I don’t understand why one part of my information was updated but not the other.

One bit of hope I can offer - only a guess - is that the tracker is unreliable overall and the question of what the tracker shows as destination may not be relevant. (Indeed, it's possible they don't have a procedure to change the province of destination / not an editable field usually).

What matters is whether they subject your application to the (not entirely public) 'quota' and procedures of Quebec. I do not know the answer to that. You can call IRCC and ask, you can try inquiring through your MP, and ... you could check on the legal status of other challenges.

Side note, I would be cautious about how you phrase this in communications with Quebec/the feds/officials. It's okay that you moved in order to not be subject to the cap; but you should also make clear it's not a 'fake' move undertaken only to avoid the cap (... and that you plan to move back afterwards). Or simply state you chose to move to Ontario for personal reasons.

And while I understand your frustration and motivations, any lower salary you took/debt incurred as a result of this move is due to your own choices. I can sympathize (not an unreasonable cost/choice trade-off), but no-one official guaranteed this would work or be faster or suggested you do this. Or put more simply: you should expect that listing the costs to you will not garner you additional support or 'leniency' from officials (and they will avoid this as - if there are lawyers involved, which there are - they know about potential liability).

Your case is more simple: you are a resident of Ontario. You should not be subject to the (farcical, awful, discriminatory, and retrograde) caps imposed by the govt of Quebec. Period.