UCGSA Advocacy Update: Open Letter on Spousal Open Work Permit Delays

On January 21, the University of Calgary Graduate Students’ Association (UCGSA) sent an open letter from President Irtaza Sohail to the Honourable Lena Diab, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. In the letter, we outlined the significant emotional and financial strain our members are experiencing due to prolonged delays in the processing of Spousal Open Work Permits (SOWP). These delays are particularly distressing for graduate students whose partners remain in politically, economically, or socially unstable environments while awaiting processing decisions.

Much of our immigration advocacy, informed by conversations with graduate students and the results of our Comprehensive Advocacy Survey, has focused on addressing processing delays for essential immigration documents.

Our Ongoing Advocacy Efforts

To advance this issue, UCGSA has raised concerns directly with:

• The federal government, including meetings with Parliamentary Secretary Corey Hogan
• The Official Opposition, through meetings with MP Greg McLean
• Federal stakeholders, including the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
• The Government of Alberta, through meetings with Minister of Advanced Education Myles McDougall
• The Expert Panel on Post-Secondary Funding and Alberta’s Competitiveness (“Mintz Panel”), which reflected our concerns in Recommendation 7 of its final report

Positive Developments

We have already seen encouraging progress for international graduate students:

• IRCC has expedited immigration processing for new doctoral students.
• Graduate students have been exempted from Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) requirements.

These developments demonstrate that sustained advocacy can make a difference.

Looking Ahead

We remain hopeful that through continued dialogue with Minister Diab, students experiencing prolonged family separation due to SOWP delays will soon see meaningful relief.

The Graduate Students’ Association remains committed to advocating for policies that support the well-being, stability, and success of international graduate students at the University of Calgary.

If you have any questions about our open letter or our advocacy efforts for international students, please contact us at: advocacy.gsa@ucalgary.ca

We will continue to keep our members informed as further developments arise.