Date: Thursday, 02 January 2025
An Eritrean family granted refugee status in Canada without telling immigration authorities they already had Swedish citizenship has convinced a Federal Court judge in Ottawa to delay their removal from Canada so the children can continue their schooling here, even though their parents came to court “without ‘clean hands’” due to their deception.
“I am satisfied based on the particular circumstances of this case, taking into account the evidence provided by the eldest child, who will be graduating from middle school this year, and the evidence about the school year calendar in Sweden, that irreparable harm has been established because of the short-term best interests of the children,” Justice Lobat Sadrehashemi said in a Dec. 23 decision allowing the family to stay in Canada, at least temporarily.
Lawyers for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada argued that the family came to court “without ‘clean hands’ because the adult applicants deceived immigration authorities about their Swedish citizenship for many years.”
The family had asked that the Canada Border Services Agency “defer their removal until the children finish the school year,” but that was denied by the agency on Dec. 18.
They came to Canada in 2016 “and made refugee claims alleging persecution in Eritrea,” said the decision granting them a reprieve.
