A Scottish-born midwife who tried to immigrate to B.C. has hit a dead end.After a decade of practising and teaching in the U.K., Heather Gilchrist completed a bridge program at UBC that allowed her to get accredited here. Then, she applied to Canadian immigration authorities for a work permit.As CityNews reported last week, the native English speaker had been turned down over a missing English test, which she hadn’t been prompted to upload.In the time since, she submitted her English test, and her application was reconsidered.But Gilchrist has been denied again, this time, for a new reason: federal immigration officials are refusing to recognize UBC’s bridge program.“There is nothing further I can do, and I have a flight booked on the 4th of April to go home,” she said.It’s a decision that doesn’t just affect Gilchrist. That program is the only way for any internationally-trained midwife to get certified in the province.“Nobody can come in to do the program if it’s not eligible.”if (typeof window.rsm_galleries === 'undefined') {window.rsm_galleries = [];}window.rsm_galleries[0] = [{"html":"","src":"https:\/\/toronto.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/10\/2025\/01\/1c2c8609f54d33e6632ada02231962c13824799fa2801ebbd1a27122bfe9a65b.jpg","width":1400,"height":933,"alt":"","caption":"Scottish-born midwife Heather Gilchrist. (Supplied Image)","srcset":"https:\/\/toronto.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/10\/2025\/01\/1c2c8609f54d33e6632ada02231962c13824799fa2801ebbd1a27122bfe9a65b.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/toronto.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/10\/2025\/01\/1c2c8609f54d33e6632ada02231962c13824799fa2801ebbd1a27122bfe9a65b-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/toronto.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/10\/2025\/01\/1c2c8609f54d33e6632ada02231962c13824799fa2801ebbd1a27122bfe9a65b-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/toronto.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/10\/2025\/01\/1c2c8609f54d33e6632ada02231962c13824799fa2801ebbd1a27122bfe9a65b-768x512.jpg 768w"},{"html":"","src":"https:\/\/vancouver.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/26\/Heather-Gilchrist.png","width":772,"height":847,"alt":["Scottish-born midwife Heather Gilchrist."],"caption":"(Supplied Image)","srcset":"https:\/\/vancouver.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/26\/Heather-Gilchrist.png 772w, https:\/\/vancouver.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/26\/Heather-Gilchrist-273x300.png 273w, https:\/\/vancouver.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/26\/Heather-Gilchrist-768x843.png 768w"},{"html":"","src":"https:\/\/toronto.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/10\/2025\/01\/03\/Untitled-design-73.jpg","width":1920,"height":1080,"alt":"","caption":"Scottish-born midwife Heather Gilchrist. (Supplied Image)","srcset":"https:\/\/toronto.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/10\/2025\/01\/03\/Untitled-design-73.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/toronto.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/10\/2025\/01\/03\/Untitled-design-73-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/toronto.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/10\/2025\/01\/03\/Untitled-design-73-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/toronto.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/10\/2025\/01\/03\/Untitled-design-73-310x174.jpg 310w, https:\/\/toronto.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/10\/2025\/01\/03\/Untitled-design-73-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/toronto.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/10\/2025\/01\/03\/Untitled-design-73-1536x864.jpg 1536w"}];Open Gallery3 itemsIn a statement, UBC said that since launching in 2015, more than 80 internationally educated midwives have completed the program, the vast majority of whom are now providing care for families across B.C. and Canada.Gilchrist’s immigration application featured a letter from UBC that stated she should be eligible for the work permit after graduating from their program, and when Gilchrist reached out to them with her concerns, they said it must be a misunderstanding by Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).After repeated queries from CityNews, the IRCC would not confirm or deny whether it recognizes the UBC program.Immigration lawyer Will Tao says that sometimes, he gets the impression immigration officers invite these “misunderstandings.”“They have to, with all the new controls on temporary immigration,” he said.With the current shortage of obstetrics care in the province, Tao says things could only get worse if UBC’s midwifery program is, in fact, ineligible to support applications for work permits.“To be frank, it would be very bad,” he said.With the clock ticking on Gilchrist’s departure from the province, she has one message, if anybody is listening:Scottish-born midwife Heather Gilchrist. (CityNews Image)“Let me get on with my job of caring for my women and my babies,” she said.“And let me just have a chance to be here, with the promise that you gave me when I came here in the first place.”