French national caught in bureaucratic mess after trying to prove English-language proficiency

Tom Mandala tried to apply for a work visa to begin his career in Montreal but the request was refused because the government didn't recognize his English test.

Tom Mandala grew up in the French city of Metz, but moved to study in Quebec at age 17 with what he describes as sparkles in his eyes.

“I came in my class and everyone was so kind and so welcoming,” he says, seven years later.

Mandala has since earned his diploma in marketing at the L’Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). He applied for a post-graduation work visa so he could begin his career in Montreal. He thought it would be a technicality.

Turns out, he was overconfident when the email came in.

“I went to see my roommate. I was like, my God, go get the champagne, you’re going to pop the bottle. I got accepted and I opened the letter,” he recalled.

Mandala was refused.

“I dropped my phone and it was the worst night. I didn’t sleep all night,” he said.

Mandala’s work visa was denied on the grounds he didn’t include language proficiency in either French or English. French is his mother tongue but figured he’d do the English test since he passed it with flying colours at UQAM.

“And in my program at UQAM, I had to pass an English test to have my diploma because it was a requirement,” he said. “So I did that, I did the English test.”

‘I do not want go home’

Unfortunately for Mandala, UQAM’s in-house English test is not recognized by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), which led to the rejection of his request.

And with it came the notice that after seven years of calling Montreal home, he had three months to pack up and leave.

“I do not want to go home because this is my home … it’s been like seven years," says the young man, in his Plateau apartment filled with Quebec music and books.

Rules have changed, IRCC says

Passing another language test would have meant months of delays because of the bureaucratic backlog. In a statement to CTV News, IRCC said the rules have changed in 2024, and the details were available on their website.

“Reconsideration of an officer’s decision is available to clients who receive a negative immigration decision and can be requested through the IRRC online web form,” part of the statement reads.

Except he only had a week to pass and submit the test, an operation that would otherwise take months. Mandala found a way to cut the delays. He discovered this weekend that it was much faster to pass a new test in English again, then wait for the French test, which is much more in demand in Quebec.

Mandala said he’s now keeping his fingers crossed.

“Hopefully, it doesn’t take much longer to get a new visa because, like I said, it can work,” he said.

He just hopes bureaucracy won’t crush his dreams.