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It took Immigration Minister John McCallum less than a day to do what his predecessors wouldn’t in the last three years: Clear the way for a little boy from India to be reunited with his parents — both permanent residents in Canada.
Four-year-old Daksh Sood will soon be given a temporary resident permit (TRP) to enable him to come to Canada early next month. His father, Aman Sood, travelled to India at the beginning of December to visit Daksh, whom he had not seen for almost three years. The boy has been living with his paternal grandparents.
The Barrhaven couple’s nightmare, first reported by The Public Citizen last Dec. 26, stemmed from their failure to disclose they had a young son. Nor did they disclose their intention to sponsor the little boy before they arrived in Canada in January 2013.
Daksh was only about 1 1/2 at the time and stayed behind in India. The parents, allowed into Canada as permanent residents under the skilled workers category, wanted to be settled into jobs and a home in Ottawa before having their son join them.
Using his ministerial discretion, McCallum gave the order Wednesday after a chance meeting Tuesday afternoon with Daksh’s mother, Bhavna Bajaj, and her supporters outside his office on Slater Street. After hearing her story, he promised to look into the matter right away. He kept his word.
Wednesday morning, Bajaj received a phone call at work from her Toronto immigration lawyer, Hadayt Nazami, who told her she might be getting an important call from Immigration. Bajaj obviously had a pretty good idea what the call would be about, but said it was a nerve-wracking 60 to 90 minutes waiting for it to come.
“Oh my God, I can’t tell you. The wait was so long,” she said. She kept repeatedly asking herself: “Why is he not calling? Why isn’t somebody not calling?”
But the call came and it was McCallum himself on the other end of the line. He had good news for her and just in time for Christmas, he explained. Daksh would be allowed to come to Canada, first as a visitor. He would eventually be given permanent resident status like his parents have.
“I am so happy, so happy,” Bajaj said, adding that when she phoned her husband in India, the entire family was present and all erupted in joy. “Everyone started screaming.” It was already night in India, and though Daksh was sleeping, he was not awakened by the commotion.
Bajaj said her husband couldn’t wait to tell him. “He’ll be so happy.”
But Bajaj said it’s going to be difficult to get Daksh on the same flight with his father, who was scheduled to fly home Sunday. So the two will fly to Canada in about 10 days. Nazami says the boy’s temporary resident permit will be made available at a Canadian consulate in India.
“I’ve waited three years, said Bajaj. “I think I can wait another 10 days. This is the most important thing in my life.”
Bajaj and her supporters wanted to hand-deliver a petition with almost 12,000 signatures to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday, but security guards turned them away at the Langevin Block doors. So they walked to McCallum’s office, and by chance, spotted the minister near the entrance of the building, having a cigarette.
Bajaj didn’t waste the opportunity to appeal to him directly. She described the chance meeting as a “miracle.”
Bajaj said she was taken aback by McCallum’s gentle nature, his willingness to listen and do something. He kept “smiling” as she spoke, she recalled. He told her he did not know about the case, but would look into it.
“He has been so good to us,” said Bajaj.
Nazami said the minister’s quick response “is a breath of fresh air” given the trouble his clients had with Immigration and indifferent politicians in attempting to bring Daksh to Canada over the last three years. The department said Wednesday that it did notify ministerial staff about the outstanding case sometime after the Trudeau government took power in November.
The couple’s ordeal began on Jan. 28, 2013 after landing in Montreal. Canada Border Service agents began questioning them about their young son in India. They were given two choices: State their intention of sponsoring the child but return to India while Immigration reviewed their application, or immediately sign a declaration that they would never attempt to sponsor their son.
They agreed to the latter under duress and confusion, they said, following five hours of questioning.
There is much to do now that Daksh is coming to Canada. Bajaj is planning to switch to night shift at work so she can care for Daksh during the day. And soon enough, he’ll be entering kindergarten.
“But let him come first and let me enjoy the moment,” she said. “I can think about all those things later on.”
Is something bothering you? Please contact: thepubliccitizen@ottawacitizen.com
查看原文...
Four-year-old Daksh Sood will soon be given a temporary resident permit (TRP) to enable him to come to Canada early next month. His father, Aman Sood, travelled to India at the beginning of December to visit Daksh, whom he had not seen for almost three years. The boy has been living with his paternal grandparents.
The Barrhaven couple’s nightmare, first reported by The Public Citizen last Dec. 26, stemmed from their failure to disclose they had a young son. Nor did they disclose their intention to sponsor the little boy before they arrived in Canada in January 2013.
Daksh was only about 1 1/2 at the time and stayed behind in India. The parents, allowed into Canada as permanent residents under the skilled workers category, wanted to be settled into jobs and a home in Ottawa before having their son join them.
Using his ministerial discretion, McCallum gave the order Wednesday after a chance meeting Tuesday afternoon with Daksh’s mother, Bhavna Bajaj, and her supporters outside his office on Slater Street. After hearing her story, he promised to look into the matter right away. He kept his word.
Wednesday morning, Bajaj received a phone call at work from her Toronto immigration lawyer, Hadayt Nazami, who told her she might be getting an important call from Immigration. Bajaj obviously had a pretty good idea what the call would be about, but said it was a nerve-wracking 60 to 90 minutes waiting for it to come.
“Oh my God, I can’t tell you. The wait was so long,” she said. She kept repeatedly asking herself: “Why is he not calling? Why isn’t somebody not calling?”
But the call came and it was McCallum himself on the other end of the line. He had good news for her and just in time for Christmas, he explained. Daksh would be allowed to come to Canada, first as a visitor. He would eventually be given permanent resident status like his parents have.
“I am so happy, so happy,” Bajaj said, adding that when she phoned her husband in India, the entire family was present and all erupted in joy. “Everyone started screaming.” It was already night in India, and though Daksh was sleeping, he was not awakened by the commotion.
Bajaj said her husband couldn’t wait to tell him. “He’ll be so happy.”
But Bajaj said it’s going to be difficult to get Daksh on the same flight with his father, who was scheduled to fly home Sunday. So the two will fly to Canada in about 10 days. Nazami says the boy’s temporary resident permit will be made available at a Canadian consulate in India.
“I’ve waited three years, said Bajaj. “I think I can wait another 10 days. This is the most important thing in my life.”
Bajaj and her supporters wanted to hand-deliver a petition with almost 12,000 signatures to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday, but security guards turned them away at the Langevin Block doors. So they walked to McCallum’s office, and by chance, spotted the minister near the entrance of the building, having a cigarette.
Bajaj didn’t waste the opportunity to appeal to him directly. She described the chance meeting as a “miracle.”
Bajaj said she was taken aback by McCallum’s gentle nature, his willingness to listen and do something. He kept “smiling” as she spoke, she recalled. He told her he did not know about the case, but would look into it.
“He has been so good to us,” said Bajaj.
Nazami said the minister’s quick response “is a breath of fresh air” given the trouble his clients had with Immigration and indifferent politicians in attempting to bring Daksh to Canada over the last three years. The department said Wednesday that it did notify ministerial staff about the outstanding case sometime after the Trudeau government took power in November.
The couple’s ordeal began on Jan. 28, 2013 after landing in Montreal. Canada Border Service agents began questioning them about their young son in India. They were given two choices: State their intention of sponsoring the child but return to India while Immigration reviewed their application, or immediately sign a declaration that they would never attempt to sponsor their son.
They agreed to the latter under duress and confusion, they said, following five hours of questioning.
There is much to do now that Daksh is coming to Canada. Bajaj is planning to switch to night shift at work so she can care for Daksh during the day. And soon enough, he’ll be entering kindergarten.
“But let him come first and let me enjoy the moment,” she said. “I can think about all those things later on.”
Is something bothering you? Please contact: thepubliccitizen@ottawacitizen.com
查看原文...
