IRCC Rejects Midwife’s Work Permit Again, Disputing UBC Bridging Credential

Overview

• Immigration officials refused Heather Gilchrist’s post‑graduation work permit for a second time, saying UBC’s bridging program for internationally educated midwives does not lead to an eligible credential.
• UBC says the program issues a certificate and provides completion letters for permit applications, noting more than 80 graduates since 2015 now practice across B.C. and Canada.
• Gilchrist’s first refusal cited missing proof of English, which she says she had taken and later submitted before her file was reopened and then denied again.
• The department did not confirm whether it recognizes the UBC program when asked by reporters, a gap that an immigration lawyer warns could worsen B.C.’s midwifery shortages.
• Gilchrist says she has booked an April 4 flight to return to the U.K. if the decision does not change.