Latest news with #LindsayMathyssen
CBC
3 days ago
- General
- CBC
How long does a Canadian visitor visa take? 500 days later, these parents are still waiting
Every day, the number on the sign outside Alireza Azizi's London, Ont., home goes up by one digit. The number represents the number of days he says he's been waiting for his Iranian parents' visitor visa applications to trudge their way through Canada's backlogged immigration system. On Friday, the number reached 500. "I graduated from Western University, I bought a house here in London, like a year ago. I want my parents to see my house, my city, my work, my car. I miss all of them," Azizi told CBC News. Looking for updates, he says he's been routinely checking the status of their application online, which is affecting his work. "I'm depressed, to be honest. My wife always (tells) me, we can handle it, we can do it. But you can see my face that I'm always upset." Azizi, a permanent resident, says he applied for a temporary resident visa, or visitor visa, for his parents in January 2024, with the plan they come from Iran and visit for a few weeks. More than 16 months later, and despite numerous inquiries to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the application remains in limbo with no sign of a final resolution. Since filing the application, Azizi says he also reached out four times to his then-MP Lindsay Mathyssen for help. Mathyssen, he says, was told by IRCC that his father's application was still undergoing a security check, and that "his military record is outstanding." Azizi says he submitted the military records in February 2024, and resubmitted the documents again this past March. "I don't know what I can do, because I have done everything. Web forms, MP, pre-mandamus letter. I don't want to spend thousands of dollars to a lawyer to convince IRCC to do their job." In an emailed statement to CBC News, IRCC said the temporary resident applications it received for Azizi's parents would be finalized once "security screening" for his father concluded. "As security screening is conducted by agencies outside IRCC, processing times may be outside IRCC's posted processing times," the spokesperson said. They couldn't say how long the process takes on average. Azizi speculates his father's stint in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the 1980s may be why the screening has taken so long. Five months after Azizi submitted the applications, the federal government declared the IRGC a terrorist entity under Canada's Criminal Code. It is Iran's mandatory military service that keeps Azizi from visiting his parents in Iran. Men in the country must complete 18 to 24 months of military service when they turn 18, a rule that even applies to dual Canadian-Iranian citizens born in Canada, the federal government says. Azizi says he didn't serve because he was studying for a degree in civil engineering, and service could be deferred until after graduation. After graduating, Azizi immigrated to Canada and graduated from Western with a master's in 2023. He says if he returned, he would have to serve. This man chose Canada for its immigration but says 'system is broken' 5 months ago Duration 1:41 Hamed Heydarzadeh moved to Canada from Iran for peace but now is in limbo with his permanent residence in uncertainty and all life plans on pause. The last time Azizi says he saw his parents was in October, when they met for a week in Turkey, which borders Iran. "During the departure, I saw my father was crying. It's hard … Every day, I talk to my parents, and they ask about their application." CBC News has previously reported on the challenges Iranians seeking visitor visas or permanent residency have faced with security screening delays, in some cases lasting several years. The processing time for a visitor visa application from outside Canada was 162 days as of Wednesday. The IRCC stresses that it's an estimate, not a guarantee. "Actual processing times vary according to a number of factors, such as: how well and how quickly applicants respond to any communication from IRCC, how easily IRCC can verify the information provided, as well as security screening requirements," the spokesperson said. Canada's immigration system has a mounting backlog of cases currently numbering more than 760,000, according to IRCC. Some 54 per cent of temporary resident visa applications were backlogged as of April, down from a peak of 75 per cent in December. IRCC has said it plans to reduce its workforce by 3,300 over three years to 2021 levels. Applications like those filed by Azizi are generally given lower priority for processing, but even still, 500 days is unusual, said Elena Ashford, lead immigration lawyer at Siskinds LLP. "But, again, you never know what's in the person's background, right? Even a non-conviction makes someone inadmissible into Canada," she said. If any issues come up during an IRCC background check, the application may fall outside general processing times. "An individual may not know, when their application is being processed, whether there are any issues that came up," she said. Given the low priority given to visitor visa applications, and challenges communicating with embassies outside Canada, Ashford says most of her focus now is on skilled workers, a part of the immigration system also seeing significant delays.
CBC
05-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Former London NDP MP striking optimistic tone about party's future after election defeat
Former London MP Lindsay Mathyssen is expressing optimism about the future of the federal New Democrats despite the party's historic election defeat and the loss of leader Jagmeet Singh, which she says highlights a need for electoral reform. Mathyssen's riding of London—Fanshawe was among more than a dozen seats the NDP lost in last week's election, a crushing blow that also left it without official party status in Parliament. "We do have a lot of conversations to have," as a party, Mathyssen said in an interview Sunday on Rosemary Barton Live. "This will be another rebuild. People have tried to ensure that there isn't a New Democrat voice across this country. That's happened before, and we always come back." She acknowledged the party has a lot of work ahead in staging that comeback, but the party is capable, and the seven NDP MPs elected "will work with everything that they have." They include Heather McPherson, the re-elected NDP MP of Edmonton Strathcona, who joined Mathyssen for the interview. Leading up to the vote, some polling aggregators had suggested the possibility of a close race between Mathyssen, who had held the riding since 2019, and Liberal Najam Naqvi. It had been reliably orange since 2006, when Mathyssen's mother, Irene, was first elected. A close race did play out between them, but it was for second place. Political newbie Conservative Kurt Holman flipped the seat blue for the first time ever, starting the night in first and staying there as results poured in. Holman received roughly 40 per cent of the vote (23,749 votes), while Naqvi took 30 per cent (17,863) and Mathyssen 27 per cent (16,135). Daniel Buta of the People's Party of Canada placed fourth with just over one per cent (776). The results suggest that the NDP and PPC hemorrhaged support for the Conservatives and Liberals, whose vote share grew by 16 and seven percentage points, respectively. WATCH | Election post-mortem with federal MPs, including former NDP MP Lindsay Mathyssen: How major parties are feeling about the election results 16 hours ago Duration 27:22 Chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton speaks with MPs from major federal parties. Liberal MP Anita Anand joins to talk about Mark Carney's election win and how he will take on U.S. President Donald Trump. Plus, Conservative MP Gérard Deltell discusses the party falling short of its goal. Also, NDP MP Heather McPherson and former NDP MP Lindsay Mathyssen on the soul-searching for the NDP after losing official party status. Mathyssen believes her support was pulled in two directions, with those angry at the Liberals voting Conservative, those concerned about a Conservative majority voting Liberal, and those concerned about the trade war voting for either. "Unfortunately, with all of those people who thought they had to vote Liberal in order to avoid that Poilievre majority government, in my riding, they got a Conservative," she said. "This shows some of the issues in terms of our electoral system, and the changes New Democrats have been pushing for a very long time, so that … people are confident they can vote with their heart and their conscience." The party has long pushed for electoral reform and a move away from first-past-the-post. When Barton suggested the party may have been hurt by Singh not campaigning early on about health care and holding the government to account, Mathyssen disagreed, saying the party has been clear about its accomplishments. "I don't think that we gave up on that or changed in terms of that throughout the campaign," she said. "It may have changed in terms of how we messaged a little bit, but those core values remain the same, and they will continue in that we put people at the centre of everything." Party members have their work cut out for them in rebuilding lost support, but it's not the first time they've been in this position, said Sam Routley, a PhD candidate in political science at Western University. The NDP's dismal performance in 1993, where it received fewer than one million votes, came with a loss of 35 seats and official party status. "They were really just not even part of the conversation throughout the 90s," Routley said. Under Jack Layton, the party grew support through the 2000s, placing second in the 2011 election. "Can they recreate that? I think the ball's sort of in the Liberal's court if perhaps they make a lot of mistakes that turn a lot of voters away from them … But it seems to me, at least for the next few elections like it's going to be Conservatives versus Liberals." He says he's unsure whether the NDP's poor fortunes this time are part of a larger trend toward a two-party dynamic, or just how the cards were dealt. In addition to finding a charismatic new leader, the party needs to differentiate themselves with a compelling agenda appealing to blue-collar workers and urban progressives — a needle other left-wing parties around the world have been trying to thread, Routley said.
CBC
29-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Lindsay Mathyssen responds to election loss in London-Fanshawe
Former NDP MP Lindsay Mathyssen lost to Conservative candidate Kurt Holman in the 2025 federal election in London-Fanshawe. Mathyssen was first elected to the riding in 2019, following in her mother's footsteps, who was MP for the riding for 13 years. Mathyssen spoke to CBC News on election night.
Global News
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Canada election 2025: London-Fanshawe
See more sharing options Send this page to someone via email Share this item on Twitter Share this item via WhatsApp Share this item on Facebook London-Fanshawe is a federal riding located in Ontario. This riding is currently represented by NDP MP Lindsay Mathyssen who first took office in 2019. Mathyssen collected 22,336 votes, winning 43.44 per cent of the vote in the 2021 federal election. Voters will decide who will represent London-Fanshawe in Ontario during the upcoming Canadian election on April 28, 2025. Visit this page on election night for a complete breakdown of up to the minute results. Candidates NDP: Lindsay Mathyssen (Incumbent) Liberal: Najam Naqvi Conservative: Kurt Holman People's Party: Daniel Buta
