Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.
In the last two episodes, I started telling my story about hosting an immigrant family. I met them at the Calgary airport, drove them 250 kilometers to Edmonton, and installed them in an Airbnb.
The next day we started our errands. First up: get a social insurance number. Not to be. Service Canada was closed for a long weekend. Check the to-do list. What’s next? Ah, yes. Bank account, then Alberta Health card and then, Alberta ID.
Here’s how our day went.
The father’s country-of-origin passport put all five of his names into one field. When this was copied onto the Canadian visa, they gave him no first name, no middle name, and a huge five-part surname. It was kind of funny, but we thought it might be a problem. What to do on forms that require legal first name and legal last name?
So the father made a simple request: “Please separate out my first, middle, and last names.” Seemed reasonable to us, but the Alberta ID agent said, “Can’t be done. I have to enter the name exactly as it appears on the visa. If you want your Alberta ID to show first and last names, Service Canada can change it on your social insurance number.
After the weekend, we arrive early at the Service Canada office to beat the lineup. Dream on! It’s eight o’clock opening time and the lineup already snakes around the cattle guards and slithers out into the mall. “Two hours,” said a Service Canada agent.
Two hours later, we’re at the front of the line, where they take our information . . . and send us to a holding area where we sit for two more hours.
Now, it’s noon and we’re in a cubicle to get a social insurance number. The father presents his request: “Please separate my first, middle, and last names!”
“Not possible,” said the agent. “I have to enter the name exactly as it appears on the visa. Only the immigration people at the airport can change it.”
So we drive 25 kilometers to the airport, only to find the immigration people behind locked doors. What? They only deal with incoming flights, not with local customers like us. So we find the border security people and ask them to help. “No can do,” they say. “Nobody at the airport can change your visa. You have to go to Immigration Canada.”
So we set out driving 30 kilometers to downtown Edmonton. As we drive, we try three times to phone Immigration Canada. And three times their telephone system takes us through six mind-numbing minutes of voice messages, menu options, and notifications for this and that. Finally, finally, when we get to the option we need, the recorded message says, “Thank you for calling Immigration Canada. Our telephone queue is full. We hope you find it convenient to phone us back at another time.” Click. Ahrrr!
We arrive at Canada Place in downtown Edmonton, and look for the immigration office, expecting a long queue. But there’s no sign of an immigration office and no queue. We ask the information desk, “Where is the Immigration Canada?”
“In this building,” they reply. “But since COVID, they don’t take walk-in clients. Everything’s by phone or internet.”
Really? The internet doesn’t have the option we need. And all the phone system can do is spout menus and messages and go “Click.”
So we go back to Service Canada where we started. We take the only option they’ll give. A social insurance number with no first name, no middle name, and a large five-part surname.
Errand complete. But was it a success? Tune in next time for more of the story!
Let’s pray.
Our father, what is in a name? Your names are father and king and judge. And you said to Moses, “Don’t ask my name. I am who I am” (Exo 3:14).
Paul said, “I bow before the father, from whom every family on heaven and earth derives its name” (Eph 3:14-15).
O father, we are your children. Remember our first names, and call us by your surname.
Amen.
I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.
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