The head of Midwifery at the University of British Columbia tells CFAX 1070 the program is directly engaging with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, "to understand their needs to ensure compliance and work-permit eligibility for all of our graduates moving forward."
This statement from Interim Director Dr. Cecillia Jevitt today (April 1) comes after the IRCC cited program eligibility as one of the reasons for refusing Scottish Midwife Heather Gilchrist’s post-graduate work permit application. Gilchrist had completed UBC's Internationally Educated Midwives Bridging Program and become a registered midwife when encountering recent troubles with her work permit application.
In a previous statement, Jevitt told CFAX 1070 more than 80 internationally educated midwives have completed the program since 2015, the vast majority of whom are now providing care for families across B.C. and Canada.
"This is the first time we have encountered this issue with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), and previous graduates have obtained work permits after completing the program, including in recent months," Jevitt said in the emailed statement today (April 1).
In emailed correspondence earlier this week (March 31), Gilchrist said UBC should know if the IRCC has changed its criteria. She told CFAX 1070 she has had no response from UBC on, “why they are not defending their program or supporting their student.”
UBC has not yet directly answered CFAX 1070’s question on if it would have been possible to successfully complete the midwife bridging program entirely online, or more than 50 per cent online, since 2024. However, a previous statement from Jevitt suggests the 9-month program consists of 12 weeks of online study followed by a minimum of 25 weeks of in-person education in Canada and clinical training.
Meanwhile, Gilchrist contests the IRCC’s characterization that “all,” her studies were online, which was another reason cited by the IRCC for refusing her work permit.