Her work permit expired the day it was issued, leaving this refugee claimant hopeless
Eden Zebene is pregnant but can't access OHIP, work or study due to IRCC's delay and error
A refugee claimant who fled from civil war in Ethiopia says she's exasperated after Canada's Immigration Department made a silly mistake on her work permit — leaving her still unable to work, study, or get adequate health care as she's waited more than 16 months for her refugee case to move forward.
Eden Zebene has lived in Ottawa since fleeing Ethiopia in February 2021. The 23-year-old is waiting for her case to be heard by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada — the final step before becoming a protected person and applying for permanent residency (PR).
"I was very depressed ... because I don't have anything to do here. I always stay at home. I cannot study or I cannot [work]," she said.
"I want to change myself. My life."
After 16 months of pleading with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to move her case forward over phone, email, in person, and through her lawyer, Zebene had her eligibility interview in late July — a step claimants need to pass in order to get work and study permits.
Though still without a study permit, she finally got her work permit this month, giving her a glimmer of hope — only to find it expired the same day it was issued: Aug. 6, 2022.
"I feel very disappointed. I was very humiliated. I thought that no one cares for me in this country," said Zebene, getting emotional. She described experiencing severe mental health impacts as a result of IRCC's delays and the mistake in her case.
"I cried a lot."
Zebene said her family was subject to brutal attacks in the Oromia region of Ethiopia, and said her family home and business were burned down. She was detained, beaten, insulted, threatened and sexually assaulted by Ethiopian security forces because of her Amharan ethnicity and her perceived political opinion in the past, her submission to IRCC reads.
Regions in northern Ethiopia have been embroiled in conflict since the start of a civil war in November 2020 where all sides have been accused of atrocities. While no official government numbers exist, it's estimated that thousands of Amharas have been killed, and millions of people displaced.
"I was scared for my life," said Zebene. "If I return, I will be mistreated, detained, killed, tortured."
Now safe in Canada, she dreams of studying computer science at an Ottawa university and working part-time, but without valid permits and a social insurance number she's unable to.
She's also pregnant, and had a health scare a few months ago — but was only able to access basic care at a newcomer clinic under her interim federal health coverage, as she waits to be eligible for the Ontario Health Insurance Plan.
Zebene has attempted several times to contact IRCC to fix its recent mistake on her work permit, to no avail.
"I am young, and I believe I can do a lot for this country and also for myself," she said. "Please do something and help me."
'All her dreams ... fell apart': husband
Tizazu Yamitu said it's been difficult watching his wife struggle.
"It was [a] very traumatic experience," he said. "This bureaucratic process, it had drained her energy and motivation.... All her dreams, you know, like basically just fell apart in front of her eyes."
He questions how such a "trivial mistake" could be made on an important document.
Yamitu, who was also a refugee claimant in 2017, is asking IRCC to properly train its employees, for mistakes to be quickly remedied and for immigration officers to have empathy for applicants.
"They have to think that they're like deciding someone's fate, you know?" he said. "It's totally unimaginable to think that such kind of mistakes would happen."
Not knowing when she'll get a refugee board hearing, Yamitu is asking IRCC to fast track his spousal sponsorship application for Zebene, which they submitted two months ago. This is another path the couple has taken to seek Zebene's permanent residency.
Longest wait refugee lawyer has seen
Zebene's lawyer Teklemichael Sahlemariam, who practises refugee law, said her 16-month wait for the eligibility interview is the longest he's ever seen among his clients.
"It is not normal," he said.
Sahlemariam said he actually recommends his Ottawa clients to change their address to Toronto if possible, to avoid delays.
"This often happens to my clients in Ottawa, actually," said the Toronto-based lawyer. "It was excessively delayed."
Sahlemariam has also never seen IRCC expire someone's work permit the same day it was issued; but a week before he heard about Zebene's expired permit, he saw an email from another lawyer whose client experienced something similar.
"This kind of technical glitch can happen. I'm not surprised with that," he said, adding that it should be an easy fix for IRCC.
"What bothers me seriously, rather, is the time it took her to get this work permit."
Sahlemariam, who's also Ethiopian, said what Zebene experienced in her home country was traumatizing and he is dumbfounded why it took so long for her case to move forward, as there's strong documentation of her persecution in Ethiopia.
"She wanted to be productive, to pay back to the community, to pay taxes, but she was forced to rely on social assistance and that is because of problems beyond her control," he said.
'Regrettable error,' says IRCC
CBC asked Canada's Immigration Department for comment Tuesday on Zebene's situation.
In an emailed response Thursday, IRCC said occasionally, human error can happen while processing applications.
"It was a regrettable error and we apologize for that," wrote a spokesperson.
The ministry said it has now fixed Zebene's work permit, will print it in two business days and mail it to her. Her study permit is still in the works, it said.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
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