Miss Linda & family

Miss Linda and her husband, Mauricio Gabriel, moved to Canada from Brazil in 2019. Motivated to establish a life in Canada, they have spent the past five years building their profiles for permanent residency. Guided by Canadian immigration requirements, this has included ongoing updates to employment credentials and training, continued education at Canadian institutions, and gaining Canadian work experience. Despite the challenges and stressors that accompany the immigration process, Linda and Mauricio have remained wholeheartedly committed to establishing their family here in Canada.

Linda and Mauricio are members of our community, living nearby to Kids Connect Daycare (KCD) and raising their own family here in East York. Their 3-year-old daughter was born here in Canada and has always called this country home. She attends preschool at a neighboring daycare center and plans to start Kindergarten in the fall. The family is also overjoyed to be welcoming their second baby later this summer.

Last week, the family learned that their application to extend their Canadian work permits was declined, despite having qualified job offers and Miss Linda working in a high-demand field—Ontario is projecting a shortage of 8500 ECEs by 2026. Without valid work permits, both Miss Linda and Mauricio faced a very sudden requirement to stop working and are now unable to maintain gainful employment in Canada while they await permanent residency.

As you can imagine, this unexpected event has created significant financial strain for the family. They are facing growing lawyer fees and sizable costs associated with re-application—all on top of their daily and essential expenses including housing, daycare, food, etc. Today, the KCD community is rallying together to raise funds and inspire others to show Miss Linda and her family the same dedication, compassion, and warmth she has extended to our children.

We urge anyone visiting this page to consider a contribution—to support Miss Linda, who has filled an essential role in the Ontario daycare system, and to support a growing family facing an unexpected and unfair burden due to a flawed Canadian immigration system.