The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a curveball, if not a wrench, in our lives. Whatever problems we have encountered pre-covid times have been exacerbated by the pandemic. While most of us try to go on with our lives as we normally do, some of our Kababayans are struggling. Those who belong to the marginalized sections have been struggling to make ends meet. The good thing is, the government of Canada tries to lessen the blow by giving us financial aid like financial support for learners, the CERB, EI, etc.
However, there is a certain part of our local population in Canada that lives on the fringes of society. There are people who lost their legal status to stay in Canada but opted to stay because they had no choice and they have to do it for the sake of their families back home. Some of them are victims of scams or illegal recruiters; while some of them come to Canada as tourists with the best intention of trying to secure a job offer and switch their status to workers. However, due to factors beyond their control, they end up losing their legal status.
Can you imagine how hard it is for our Kababayans who cannot run to the government for assistance because they have no legal status in Canada? While we try to complain about the lockdown, there are certain members of our local community who are struggling to make ends meet because cash jobs are not as plenty as they used to be due to the covid 19 pandemic. They cannot run for assistance to the government out of fear of being removed or deported from Canada. Some keep their status issues as secrets even to their friends because they are embarrassed or they fear being reported.
At the end of the day, they did what they did with the best intentions, but their plans did not work out. So, if you are complaining about the lockdowns and travel restrictions in Canada, do yourself a favour. Stop for a while and ask your friends and your neighbours how they are doing. Just the mere act of asking “how are you?” can help. We are all in this together and we should be mindful of those we mingle with socially.
People who do not have legal status may feel like they have nowhere to go; that there is no solution to their predicament and that their only option is to live on the fringes of society and hope that they never get caught. Well, there is always hope. There are remedies in immigration law that they can avail of. All they need to do is seek help from professionals who practice immigration law. There is even legal aid available if you do not have money to pay for a lawyer.
Look for one through one of the provincial law societies (the government bodies of lawyers in Canada; their counterpart in the Philippines is the Integrated Bar of the Philippines). Click on the websites below and search for lawyers that may be able to assist you like the Law Society of Ontario or any other Law Societies in other provincial jurisdictions.
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