‘Canada doesn’t want me’: Montrealer waiting 5 years for citizenship, despite multiple applications

A Montreal software engineer who has been studying and working in Canada for more than a decade is stuck in bureaucratic limbo.

Ali Salem says he’s been waiting for his Canadian citizenship since 2017 – and the delay is taking a toll on him.

It’s not clear why his application is still being processed after all this time – significantly longer than the two-year post-pandemic average.

“Do I even get compensated for all this? Not even money-wise, but I’m just saying,” said Salem. “How does the government compensate for this mistake? Because I do see it as a mistake.”

Salem, who is from the United Arab Emirates and of Lebanese origin, studied at Concordia University where he completed a Master’s degree. He’s been working and living here ever since, and calls Canada home.

But after five years of applying for a citizenship, his application has yet to be approved.

“What are my rights? You’ve delayed me all this time, right?” said Salem. “You’ve wasted many opportunities in my life and part of me being living in Canada, all of us, when we’re paying taxes, right? We expect to receive the benefit that we deserve, be it a medicine, to (receive) government services. Right. So who’s accountable?

“I just want to know, because honestly, at this stage, I want to make sure others don’t get the same treatment that I got.”

Average citizenship wait time: 26 months

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the wait time for citizenship was a year – on average. As of Aug. 30, the wait time is now 26 months, according to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) website.

The IRCC says “each application is different and takes a different amount of time to process.”

But Salem still has no answers as to why it has taken his application five times longer than average.

“Throughout all that time since I applied for my application, almost everybody who applied with me that I knew got their citizenship either a year after or at least two years after.

“It’s really ridiculous, you know what I mean? I came in 2009. I love the country. I even had to fight with my family so I can stay here because I love the place. This is where I want to be. And I feel like Canada doesn’t want me to be here. You know what I mean? What else can I do?”

Montreal software engineer Ali Salem. (Credit: Ali Salem/handout)

Application is being processed, says IRCC

Salem says he’s written to two different MPs, reached out to the IRCC multiple times, hired lawyers to help with his case, and even made a request to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).

Every time, he gets the same answer: the application is being processed.

“I pay my taxes. Everything is great. I’ve never had a problem with the government, so that’s why it’s very strange, you know what I mean?” said Salem. “And when you call, I ask, and I’m like, ‘Can you please tell me what’s wrong? Is there a document you need from me that I can, you know, get you more information, like anything I can do to help?’ No, no. You get nothing from them.”

Salem says the wait has affected his opportunities to travel for work because of his Lebanese passport. He also can’t vote in the country he’s lived in for nearly 15 years.

Now, he’s worried his citizenship – or rather the lack of it – will impact his personal relationships as well.

“If I’m not able to process my citizenship, what guarantee do I have that if she wants to come here, I need to sponsor her or even apply for a visit visa or a spouse visa? Are we going to go into the same thing right?”

CityNews reached out to the IRCC for comment but received a response that it would not be able to provide a statement by Sunday’s broadcast deadline.