May 2025
Due to a dispute with Canadian immigration services I have been unable to legally work since August of 2024, during this time I have focussed on self study, with the long-term goal of working in a more technical environment.
If you are interested in the specifics of the dispute, it is detailed below.
The nature of my dispute with Canadian Immigration
In May of 2023 I received a work permit as part of a public policy designed to keep skilled workers in Canada following the COVID-19 pandemic. Although I was issued this new permit, I was not eligible for the full term as my passport was due to expire in July of 2024.
In early 2024, I reached out to IRCC (Immigration, Refugees & Citizenship Canada) and was told that it was possible to receive the full term by submitting an application to IRCC with a letter of explanation and copies of my new and expired passports.
Unfortunately, this was not accurate - as my visa had been issued under a pandemic driven public policy, it was not possible to apply for an extension after December 2023, and, for that reason, my application was denied. After exhausting any and all avenues of appealing IRCC’s decision, I eventually returned to the UK in early May 2025, in order to apply for a new work permit.
Update: I an happy to report that I received a fresh Canadian work permit in June 2025, and have returned to live in Toronto.
Why I haven’t worked full-time since August
You might be wondering why the above information would be relevant to you as a potential employer. In August of 2024, unable to check the status of my application as a result of it having to be made on-paper, I reached out to IRCC, what follows is my recollection of that conversation, condensed for brevity:
IRCC: We never received your application. It is not listed on your account.
IAIN: That can’t be true. I have a receipt from Canada Post that shows it was signed for delivery by IRCC in June.
IRCC: You will have to re-send your application with proof that it was successfully delivered.
IAIN: My work permit expired in July, if you didn’t receive my application, then what is my current status in Canada?
IRCC: I’m afraid your status expired, you won’t be able to legally work in Canada until we have processed your application. Please re-send it as soon as possible.
IAIN: Do I have to leave Canada?
IRCC: No. You can stay while we process your application, but you won’t be able to leave the country.
As detailed above, my re-submitted application would eventually be rejected.
What I have been doing, and what I would like to do now
I have always loved computers. I was lucky enough to grow up with one in the house, but unlucky in that, where I grew up in rural Scotland, accessing the internet was not easy. While other children my age spent their time online, I spent my evenings after school poking around Windows XP, trying to find something interesting aside from playing solitaire and pinball. There was a silver lining to that, I now know about power users and realise that, without all those curious days sat in front of the computer, I wouldn’t have developed an appreciation for the deeper workings of computers and computer software.
Perhaps, had ICT class at school involved more than building excel spreadsheets, I might have had the confidence to pursue a degree in computer science, but, with average results in maths and science, and a desire to attend an elite university, I chose instead to pursue a degree in politics. I don’t regret that decision, learning about the systems that govern our daily lives was interesting, and important to me, but part of me has always wanted to work in a more technical environment.
I spend a lot of my free time learning about technology, and recently I have had a lot of free time. What I realised is that I do truly love learning about technical concepts, and would like to now work in an environment that provides me the opportunity not only to test my knowledge in these areas, but, more importantly, provides the platform to accelerate my learning in such a way that it advances my career, and not just my favourite hobby.