Canadian permanent resident stranded abroad after ID stolen
CBC
By the time Helen Bobat was hospitalized on the weekend, she had been stranded abroad without her medication for more than a week.
The Ottawa resident planned to be in England for five days in mid-March to make arrangements for her ailing mother, bringing along eight days worth of drugs to manage her diabetes and auto-immune disease.
But when her wallet was stolen, Bobat's trip was extended indefinitely.
"I panicked because everything is in there," she said. "My credit card, travellers' cheques to pay the legal fees for mom's lasting powers of attorney, and, of course, social insurance card, health card, driver's licence and my PR card."
Since Bobat settled in Canada over two decades ago, she's built a career and raised a family as a permanent resident (PR).
Her specialty is in communications and crisis management, but that couldn't prepare her for this personal calamity.
Bobat can't travel back to Canada without a PR card, and she must be in Canada to apply for a replacement. The only other option is attaining what's known as a "permanent resident travel document" to go in her British passport.
Clearing the technical hurdles through the government's online portal to obtain one has so far proven impossible.
Bobat first looked for help to return home from the High Commission of Canada in London. She was turned away because she's a permanent resident, not a Canadian citizen.
"I'm stuck," she said. "I don't know how to get home. And Canada is my home. It's been my home for 25 years. I have worked, paid taxes, supported the economy."
She turned to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) but was unable to have a conversation with a real person.
Their call centre can only be reached from Canada and is separate from their technical support desk.
In order to get the documents she needs to travel, Bobat has had to use IRCC's portal for permanent residents.
That requires filling out an online form that she can't get to work.
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